Turns out you can have a delicious smoothie
and sneak some tofu into your diet. I started experimenting with this because tofu contains a bit of Iron, and Vitamin C boosts the absorption of said Iron. So this seems like an easy way to get a little extra Iron into our low-meat diet. Miraculously, my kids loved it.
1/2 cup silken tofu
1 medium ripe banana
1/2 cup frozen strawberries
1/2 cup frozen blueberries
2 tablespoons pure maple syrup
Put the tofu, banana, strawberries, blueberries, and maple syrup in a blender and puree until smooth. Serve.
Yield: 2 cups
Prep-time: 10 minutes
Print
This snack is inspired by the Salad Bars recipe in Julie Van Rosendaal’s cookbook Grazing. If you’re feeling extra fancy, top them with some vanilla greek-style yogurt!
1 cup white whole wheat flour or all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
3 tablespoons butter, melted and cooled
3/4 cup brown sugar, lightly packed
1 large egg, beaten
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 tablespoon ketchup or tomato paste
1 cup grated zucchini
1/2 cup grated carrot
1/2 cup raisins
Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Grease a mini muffin pan and set aside.
In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, cinnamon, salt, and baking soda. Set aside.
In a large mixing bowl, stir together the butter, sugar, egg, vanilla, and ketchup. Pour the flour mixture into the bowl and stir to combine. Add the zucchini, carrot and raisins and stir until evenly distributed.
Transfer batter to mini muffin pan, filling each cup approximately 3/4 full. Bake on the center rack of the oven for 15-20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center of a muffin comes out clean.
Yield: 24 mini muffins
Prep-time: 20 minutes
Bake-time: 15 minutes
Print
A few days ago we went to the orchard and there were still raspberries waiting to be picked in the raspberry patch. They are terribly fragile and have a shelf life of about 10 minutes. But we nonetheless managed to turn them into a quick and delightful little snack.
1 cup plain greek-style yogurt
1/2 teaspoon fresh squeezed lemon juice (to taste)
1 tablespoon sugar
1/3 cup granola (preferably something with almonds)
1 pint raspberries
Gently rinse raspberries and allow them to air dry.
In a small bowl, mix together the yogurt, lemon juice, lemon zest, and sugar. Divide the yogurt between three small bowls (1/3 cup each). Top yogurt with 1 – 2 tablespoons granola and then with a generous handful of raspberries. Serve.
Yield: 3 servings
Prep time: 10 minutes
Print
These are otherwise known as Pavlovas. But I can barely say ‘pavlova’, much less my kids. Good tongue twister, bad name for a kid snack. My kids came up with name while stuffing their faces. There were no leftovers.
Crispy Clouds have a delightful mouthfeel. They remind me of eating a roasted marshmallow, but take away the heat and sugar overload.
3 large egg whites
1 tablespoon agave nectar or sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
Pinch salt
3/4 cup whipped cream (give or take)
1 cup fresh raspberries (give or take)
Preheat oven to 200 F.
Place the egg whites, agave, vanilla, and salt in the bowl of an electric mixer. With the whisk attachment, whip the egg white mixture on medium high speed until peaks form. Turn off mixer and detach bowl. Transfer large spoonfuls onto parchment-lined baking sheet. Place the scoops at least an inch apart. Make a well in the center of each scoop with the back of the spoon. They should be approximately 4-inches wide once the wells are created.
Bake on the center rack of the oven for approximately 1 hour and 30 minutes or until the clouds are stiff and willing to detach from the parchment paper.
Allow the clouds to cool for 1-2 minutes on the baking sheet. Gently remove from parchment paper and transfer to serving plate. Garnish each cloud with approximately 1 tablespoon whipped cream and a heaping tablespoon of berries. Serve.
Makes 12 clouds
Prep time: 10 minutes
Bake time: 1 1/2 hours
Note: Raspberries can be replaced by any soft fresh fruit.
Print
Surely I’m not the first person to have done this. But if you’ve heard of it before, don’t tell me. I’m busy being overly happy about my discovery. Oh, and the kids looovve these.
20 raspberries
20 white chocolate chips
Wash the raspberries by holding them under gently running water or submerging in a bowl of water and agitating gently. Allow the raspberries to air-dry by simply putting them on a towel. Once dry, insert one chip into each berry with flat side of the chip facing you. Serve.
Makes 2 servings.
Prep time: 5 minutes
Print
Thanks again to Janet for the idea.
1 cup plain yogurt
1/2 cup frozen orange juice concentrate
In a small bowl, mix yogurt and juice concentrate until well combined and smooth. Pour into popsicle molds. Allow to set in the freezer for 3-4 hours.
Makes 8 popsicles (2-ounce).
Print
No
added sugar! That counts for something, right? These are bit more time-intensive than I’d like. But I managed to make them with a house full of my own kids and some guests running around today. The only part that required much thought was making the chocolate mixture and then all I had to do was check on them in the freezer a couple times, and viola I had an extremely well-received afternoon snack.
3 tablespoons nut butter (such as peanut or almond)
1/4 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 1/2 cups crispy brown rice cereal
1 1/2 cups vanilla frozen yogurt, slighly softened
In a small saucepan, stir the chocolate chips and nut butter over medium low heat until smooth. Remove the chocolate mixture from heat. Add cereal to saucepan and stir with a rubber spatula until well coated.
Divide the cereal mixture between the cups of a muffin pan (preferably silicone for easier removal). Each muffin cup should be approximately 1/2 full. Cover and place in freezer for 30 minutes or until hard.
Fill the remaining half of each muffin cup with the vanilla frozen yogurt. Do not mound the yogurt; rather keep it somewhat level. Place the muffin pan back in freezer and allow yogurt to refreeze for approximately one hour or longer.
To serve, carefully dislodge frosties from the muffin pan using fingers or a knife to loosen the edges.
Makes approximately 8 frosties.
Note for Young Ones:
Right out of the freezer, these treats can be a little tough to eat. If your kids are on the small side, let them thaw for a minute or cut them up for them. In addition, roughly break up some of the rice cereal with a metal spoon as you are coating it with the chocolate mixture. That way it might be less likely to be rough on your little one’s mouth.
Print
I believe the picture says it all (red grapes and watermelon on a stick). Leave in the freezer for at least 3-4 hours. Thanks to Janet for the idea.
Note for Young Ones:
As far as toddler safety goes, the grapes did not freeze solid during my experiment so they would be fine peeled and cut to the size your child prefers. The watermelon freezes very well and eats a lot like a popsicle at first. If your child is coordinated enough to hold on to the popsicle stick, it should work out well.
Print
1 ripe mango, peeled, pitted, and chopped
2 tablespoons fresh cilanto, chopped
1/2 ripe haas avacado, chopped (optional)
Juice of 1/2 lime
A couple of pinches of salt
Mix all ingredients in a bowl. Make sure the avacado is well coated with the lime juice as it will prevent it from browning. Serve with tortilla chips. Ole!
Print
If you don’t have champagne vinegar, try replacing it with fresh squeezed lemon juice. I’m in love with the sauce just the way it is though.
1 cup frozen organic unsweetened strawberries, thawed
1 teaspoon champagne vinegar
1 teaspoon sugar
4 ripe organic peaches, pitted and sliced
Whipped cream (optional)
In a blender, puree strawberries, vinegar, and sugar until smooth. Set aside. Divide the peach slices between four small bowls. Top with 2-3 tablespoons of the the strawberry puree. Add a dollop of whipped cream if desired. Serve.
Makes 3-4 servings.
Prep time: 10 minutes
Print
