Fix Me A Snack

I made a mother load of pumpkin chocolate chip pancakes this morning and didn’t have much mojo left when it came to making a school snack for my first grader. So the pancake sandwich was born. Maybe it should be called a panwich. Whatever it is it could be filled with jam, apple butter, or a lot of other things I haven’t even thought of.

I love that it looks like a whoopie pie.

2 small pancakes, completely cooled
1 tablespoon cream cheese
1 teaspoon pure maple syrup

In a small bowl, stir together the cream cheese and maple syrup until smooth. Spread the cream cheese mixture onto one of the pancakes and top with the second pancake. Serve.

Yield: 1 pancake sandwich
Prep-time: 5 minutes

This post is a part of a series of 101 ways to flavor plain yogurt. (Keep scrolling down after you click on the ‘series’ link to see the entire list.) For more information about yogurt in general, go to my Yogurt page.

I forgot to mention last week was that all of the recipes in this series offer ballpark measurements for the ingredients. Feel free to adjust to your own taste and eyeball it. No rocket science going on here.

Also, in case anyone is feeling a little anxious about the regularity of the series, I’ve decided that Thursday will be Yogurt 101 day barring any unforeseen craziness.

4. Butterscotch Yogurt

As you can well imagine, this one has been a hit chez nous. I am of the opinion that all things butterscotch flavored are due for a huge comeback.

1/2 cup plain yogurt
1  tablespoon butterscotch sauce

In a small bowl, stir together yogurt and butterscotch until smooth. Top with whipped cream and/or butterscotch chips, if desired. Serve.

5. Cucumber Dill Yogurt

The idea for this flavor sensation came from none other than Dina Rose of It’s Not About Nutrition.

When I served these to my kids my first-grader said, “Hey Mom, these are like the Willy Wonka cups!” She proceeded to gobble two down.

1/3 cup plain yogurt
1/4 teaspoon dried dill
1/4 teaspoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
1/8 teaspoon garlic powder
Small pinch salt
Half of a cucumber, peeled

In a small bowl, stir together the yogurt, dill, lemon juice, garlic powder, and salt until smooth and well combined. Set aside.

Cut the cucumber half into thirds. Using a melon baller, scoop out the seeds of each cucumber section leaving the bottom in order to create a cup. Fill each cup with the yogurt mixture and serve.

6. Strawberry Yogurt

I like to use Trader Joe’s low-sugar strawberry jam for this recipe. If you have regular jam, start with 1 tablespoon and add more to taste.

1/2 cup plain yogurt
2T low-sugar strawberry jam (or to taste)

Stir yogurt and jam until combined. Top with fruit. Serve.

These beet chips are yet another example of a supremely healthy snack that I probably never would have prepared if it hadn’t been for this blog. And my preschooler, who loves beets to begin with, said, “These are better than chocolate chips mama!” I kid you not.

She calls these “Swirl Chips”.

2 or 3 medium beets
Salt (optional)

Preheat oven to 300 degrees Fahrenheit.

Wash the beets throughly. Cut off both ends and peel. Keep a towel on hand or do your peeling under running water in order to keep the juices under control.

Slice the beets very thinly (about 1 millimeter) with a mandolin. (The mandolin is actually necessary. Uniform thickness in the chips is required in order for them to bake evenly.)

Lay the sliced beets out onto parchment-lined baking sheets. They can be placed close together as they will shrink during baking. Sprinkle with salt, if desired.

Bake for 20-30 minutes keeping a close eye on them after 20 minutes as they burn easily. The beets will still be pliable when done and will crisp up as they cool. Serve. Store any leftovers in an airtight container. Depending on how dried out the chips are, they are probably good for at least few days.

I’m thinking these might be tasty served with Herbed Yogurt Dip.

Note: Beets that were at least three inches wide have less of a tendency to shrivel up during baking.

Yield: several handfuls of chips
Prep-time: 5 minutes
Bake-time: 20 minutes (per batch – one beet fills approximately two baking sheets)

Apparently there are as many different ways to make Ambrosia as there are cooks who make it. If you’d like, add some banana, subtract the pineapple, subtract the marshmallows, and so on. The only consistent elements I found in my survey of Ambrosia recipes were citrus, sugar, and coconut. But even those are probably up for debate.

2 small blood oranges, peeled, skinned and chopped
1/4 cup chopped fresh pineapple
1/4 cup mini marshmallows
1/2 teaspoon sugar
2 teaspoons shredded sweetened coconut

Place the oranges, pineapple, marshmallows, sugar, and coconut in a small bowl and stir to combine. Serve or store in airtight container in the refrigerator and consume within 24 hours.

Yield: 1 1/2 cups
Prep-time: 15 minutes

I recently authored a page all about yogurt for this blog which reminded me that I still haven’t tasted Icelandic-style yogurt. When I ventured into Stop & Shop last week, what did I see? You guessed it. Siggi’s now has prime shelf space in the refrigerator case. The price is steep at $2.39 for 6 ounces of yogurt. But I sprulged in the name of culinary research.

Icelandic-style yogurt is impressively thick. It stays on the spoon and has the heft of ricotta. It puts the creaminess of Greek-style yogurt to shame.

The ingredient list and nutritional information are quiet impressive. The first thing I thought is that this would make an excellent snack for pregnant ladies jonesing for a protien fix. Although I was always a big fan of whole yogurt when I was pregnant, and this yogurt (good or bad) has no fat. I also gained 50 pounds when I was preggers, so you probably shouldn’t be taking dieting advice from me.

Now, on to the important part: the taste. Compared to the flavored yogurt I’m used to (that is loaded with sugar and additives), the sweetness is quite dim. This stuff actually tastes like tart and tangy yogurt and not an ice cream sundae. It took me a few bites to get used to it. But then I kind of liked it.

Here’s my lastest super fantastic idea…make a list of 101 different ways to flavor  plain yogurt, the unsung hero of healthy snacking. I’ll be making my way to 101 gradually. Today I’m posting the first three.

To help kick off this series of posts, I’ve created a page all about yogurt in general.

1. Applesauce Yogurt

This is what I actually make my  preschooler for a snack these days when time is limited and I’m not feeling inspired. It also is responsible for weaning us off of flavored yogurt. So while the photo is somewhat sad, Apple Yogurt has to be numero uno.

1/2 – 3/4 cup plain yogurt
1/4 – 1/3 cup unsweetened applesauce
1 – 2 teaspoons honey
Dash ground cinnamon

Put the yogurt, applesauce, honey, and cinnamon into a serving bowl. Serve.

2. Cornbread with Buttermilk Yogurt and Honey

I was recently drooling over the Lee Brothers Southeren Cookbook  and stumbled upon a mention of someone’s favorite after-school snack having been cornbread topped with sugar and buttermilk.

I made some cornbread – et voila!

1 cup crumbled cornbread
1/4 cup plain yogurt
2 tablespoons buttermilk
Honey (to taste)

Place cornbread in a serving bowl and set aside. In a small bowl, stir together the yogurt and buttermilk until smooth. Spoon the yogurt mixture over the cornbread. Drizzle honey on top depending on your preference and the sweetness of the cornbread. Serve.

Note: If you don’t have buttermilk on hand, you could just try some regular milk or make a substitute.

3. Peanut Butter and Jelly Yogurt

This idea came directly from the one and only Dina of It’s Not About Nutrition and it is a winner. My preschooler loves it.

1/2 cup plain yogurt
2 tablespoons peanut butter
1/2 teaspoon sugar (optional)
2 teaspoons strawberry or grape jam

In a small bowl, heat peanut butter in the microwave for 20-30 seconds. (Note: I was heating peanut butter that had been refrigerated. If yours is room temperature, start with only 10 seconds and check to see if has softened.) Mix peanut butter into yogurt. Sprinkle on sugar. Dollop jam on top. Serve.

Thanks Dina!

A guide to BPA-free canned goods from re-nest via The Kitchen.

U.S. Children: Generation Snack from NYTimes. A huge study was just released that found “Parents are raising a generation of snackers — kids who eat almost constantly throughout the day as they graze on cookies, salty snacks and fruit drinks.”

These moist, sweet, and satisfying muffins take my whole family to our happy place. They are great stand-ins for cookies; in some ways they’re even more enjoyable!

This recipe was inspired by one from Nook & Pantry - a very yummy looking blog.

For the muffins:

1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup white whole wheat flour (or all-purpose)
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg
2 eggs, beaten
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup brown sugar, packed
1/2 cup canola oil
1 cup finely shredded carrot
1/4 cup raisins, chopped

For the filling:

4 ounces cream cheese, softened
1 large egg yolk
3 tablespoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit

In a small bowl, make the filling by mixing together the cream cheese, egg yolk, sugar, and vanilla until smooth. Set aside.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the flours, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, salt, and nutmeg. Set aside.

In a large bowl, mix together the eggs, sugar, brown sugar, and oil. Stir in the flour mixture until combined. Then add the carrot and raisins. Stir to incorporate.

 Spoon the muffin batter into a well-greased mini muffin pan, filling each cup only half way. Then place one teaspoon of the filling in each cup. Cover the filling with the remaining muffin batter.

Bake for 13-15 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the largest muffin comes out clean. Cool the muffins in the pan for 5-10 minutes before gently moving them to a cooling rack. Serve. Store in an airtight container for up to 48 hours or freeze in an airtight container in a single layer.

Yield: 24 mini muffins
Prep-time: 30 minutes
Bake time: 13 minutes