Healthy Appetites

Today I start a new adventure; a kid's cooking class!  My children's school has a wonderful after school enrichment program that I feel lucky to be a part of!  It's an interactive 6 week program. I plan to teach the kids how to make healthy snacks and/or small meals. Each child will bring home a container of the food they've prepared along with the recipe to be shared with their family.

I have fond memories of cooking with my grandmother as a child.  Meatballs!  Oh her meatballs were stellar.  Never truly duplicated, but still I try.

Cooking with children has such wonderful benefits.  It teaches patience (and boy do we need patience), math skills, fine motor skills and the simple yet most important: the feeling of  accomplishment!  They see the end result of something they made with their own hands!

I'm also hoping that the children will understand the importance of healthy eating.  That eating healthy doesn't have to be boring, or "yucky" tasting.  I also hope that sharing their food and recipe with family will spark their interest to cook healthy at home! Healthy eating leads to healthy kids!

 

Today's snack: No-Bake Chocolate Chip Granola Bars

Yield: 10 bars

 

Ingredients:

1/4 cup butter

1/4 cup honey

1/3 cup brown sugar

2 cups quick cooking oats (not rolled oats)

1 cup crispy rice cereal

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

2 tablespoons mini chocolate chips

 

Directions:

In a large bowl, stir oats and rice cereal together.  Set aside.  In a small pot, melt butter, honey and brown sugar together over medium heat until it comes to a bubble.  Reduce the heat and cook 2 minutes.  Pour in vanilla and stir.  Pour over dry ingredients and mix well to moisten all ingredients.  Pour into lightly greased small jelly roll pan and press out to be about 3/4 inch in thickness.  You really want to press them down so they stick together.  Sprinkle with mini chocolate chips and press down lightly.  Cool on a countertop to room temperature for 2 hours or until the chocolate chips are set before cutting into bars.  Wrap in parchement or plastic wrap and store at room temperature.