Tag: snack

Popcorn Reef

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Popcorn Reef (2)

If your kids like to play with their food, permission is granted with this fun food-art-meets-snack.

To start, pop 4 cups plain popcorn; set aside in a large bowl.

Meanwhile, melt 1 tablespoon Earth Balance butter in the microwave. Add 1 and 1/2 cups mini marshmallows (such as Dandies) to the bowl. Microwave for 1 minute until the marshmallows are melting, and whisk to combine.

Pour the marshmallow mixture over the plain popcorn. Add a few drops of food coloring for pink coral! Once the mixture cools enough to handle, turn out onto wax paper and shape into mini coral reefs. We had some big blobs that looked a bit like brain coral, and some that was more like branched coral!

Popcorn Reef (1)

For fish, place an orange slice on each plate. Add slices of carrot for tail fins and a mouth, and blueberries for the fish’s eye (plus a few extra bubbles!).

Tricked-Out Treats

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Owl Treats (10)

There aren’t any neighborhood Halloween parties this year since big gatherings are a no-no, but that doesn’t mean you can’t surprise your little goblins with a party platter of tricked-out treats. To wit, we’re getting a little batty with our snacks as we get closer to Halloween. And ghosty, and spidery, and owlish, too!

For spiders, cut kiwi into rounds and arrange 8 pretzel pieces around each circle as legs.

Owl Treats (1)

For ghosts, cut mini cucumbers in half lengthwise. Cut out small pieces of non-dairy cheddar slices for eyes and mouths.

Owl Treats (3)

For vampire bats, spread water crackers with guacamole. Place each cracker over two blue corn tortilla chips for wings. Use additional corners of tortilla chip for fangs, and pieces of non-dairy cheddar for eyes.

Owl Treats (4)

At dessert, it was time for some sweet-not-spooky owls!

Owl Treats (9)

Trim rice crispy treats (such as Made Good) along one edge to form two triangles. Spread with your favorite vegan vanilla frosting, then add two creme-filled cookies (such as Newman O’s) as eyes. We had some sleepy owls and some that were wide awake! Add an almond for a beak, and your little owls are ready!

Owl Treats (8)

No tricks here, just delicious treats that had the kids smiling.

Owl Treats (5)

School Milk Flipbook

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Milk Flipbook (6)

Travis helped make several lunches this month thanks to his Raddish Kids Lunchtime Love crate, a perfect theme for back-to-school in September. We finished up with this lesson plan.

To start, we played “I’m going on a picnic” to get thinking about different foods in a lunchbox, particularly those that travel well. A basket of toy food as prompts helped initially, but Travis was bored after a few rounds of back-and-forth. Instead, we turned to the web for the next part of the lesson.

Milk Flipbook (1)

Raddish provided links for a read-aloud about how common lunch foods get on the plate. Because the book was heavy on dairy, we also watched vegan-friendly videos about almond milk and soy milk.

Milk Flipbook (2)

Next Travis got to be an author! The assignment was to make a flipbook about the journey of an almond from the tree to the carton at the store. I encouraged him to put on his imaginative cap and pretend the story was from the point of view of the almond, although this was a bit of a stretch for my first grader.

Milk Flipbook (4)

He concentrated more on just drawing the pictures, and I added words.

Milk Flipbook (5)

There were also fun videos to watch on school lunches around the world. Big kids can extend the lesson much further, here, perhaps by designing an international menu for their school cafeteria

For a hands-on extension, we returned to an old favorite: growing new vegetables from kitchen scraps. This works fantastically with green onions, so after we used a bunch from the store, we placed the bulbs in a small dish of fresh water. You should see new growth by morning!

Regrow Food Scraps

Finally, Travis was in charge of designing his own perfect after-school snack in Raddish’s Create-a-Snack Challenge. I showed him the list of possible ingredients, and he selected: hummus, cheese slices, tortillas, strawberries, and tomatoes. The possibilities were growing already.

Snack Challenge (1)

After a trip to the store, he created the following: Hummus-Cheese-Tortilla Bites.

Snack Challenge (2)

I loved watching him turn into a little chef as we layered hummus on small squares of tortilla, topped each with a piece of Violife cheddar, and then topped that off with tomato.

Snack Challenge (4)

He got fancy and added strawberries to a few. An interesting flavor combination!

Snack Challenge (3)

I haven’t seen him enjoy snack so much in ages, so this was a great activity on the part of Raddish.

Marshmallow Treats

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Marshmallow Treat (1)

Okay, so this treat isn’t healthy and it’s only redeemable value is that your toddler will have an absolute blast with it. But sometimes that’s what snacktime calls for on a cloudy day!

I sprinkled the powder from raspberry-flavored vegan jel dessert (try Simply Delish) into a zip-top bag, and folded the edge down slightly so  Veronika could reach inside more easily.

Marshmallow Treat (3)

Then I handed her big marshmallows!

These were a novelty, since she’s only eaten the minis before. I showed her how to dip a marshmallow into the powder and then take a taste. On the first dip, your child won’t be terribly rewarded. But once the marshmallow is sticky, each dip means more dessert powder in the next bite.

Marshmallow Treat (2)

Yum!

Food Fair

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Food Fair (3)

We turned snack time today into a chance for the siblings to bond! Travis gets a kick out of how messy Veronika can be when she eats, but sometimes older siblings resent the attention a messy baby or toddler receives at mealtime: help with a spoon; wiping off trays and bibs, etc. So today, Travis was in charge of Veronika’s snack! This got laughs all around.

We headed outside with a picnic blanket and a tray full of snacks. I included: applesauce, fruit pouches, chocolate pudding, juice boxes, and soft cookies.

Food Fair (1)

At first I asked Travis just to help Veronika explore the foods. Were they hot or cold? What did they taste like? Which did she like best?

Food Fair (2)

Then Travis began to make her concoctions. A simple cookie topped with a little applesauce…

Food Fair (4)

…soon became a big glob on a plate. Applesauce + pudding + juice, oh my! Travis then dipped a cookie in it and offered it to his sister for a taste with glee.

Food Fair (5)

Don’t be fooled by Veronika’s sleepy, sour expression. She kept asking for more bites!

Food Fair (6)

Travis delighted in this activity, and I loved watching them share this moment.

Yogurt Applesauce Dip

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Yogurt Applesauce Dip (1)

This sweet dip is fun for kids to dip into. We particularly like giving animal crackers a dunk… but fruit works, too!

Ingredients:

  • 1/2 cup vanilla non-dairy yogurt
  • 1/2 cup applesauce
  • 2 teaspoons cinnamon
  1. Combine all the ingredients in a small bowl. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Yogurt Applesauce Dip (4)

Hummus Yogurt Dipping Sauce

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Hummus Yogurt DIp (2)

Store-bought hummus can be too strong for my kids’ taste buds. Adding creamy non-dairy yogurt helps make it just right!

Ingredients:

  • 1 (15-ounce) can chickpeas, undrained
  • 2 peeled garlic cloves
  • 1/2 cup + 1 tablespoon plain non-dairy yogurt
  • 1 tablespoon lemon juice
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon cumin
  1. Combine all ingredients in a blender and process until smooth. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

We love this served with pita chips!

Hummus Yogurt DIp (1)

Earth Science Pudding

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Earth Puddings (11)

Is this project a healthy snack for your kids? Absolutely not. But when Travis declared mid-way through the activity that he was in paradise, I knew I’d brought some magic into a summer morning.

The idea was to show all the layers of the earth, using just about the most amount of sugar imaginable.

Earth Puddings (1)

I laid out a tray with all of the supplies, and we talked about each layer of the earth as we worked, filling clear plastic cups with each step. First up, we needed bedrock, which I explained was the solid rock deep underground. We used a mix of mini chocolate chips and crushed ginger cookies. The crushing is half the fun; place the cookies in a zip-top bag and smash with a rolling pin until you have big crumbs.

Earth Puddings (2)

On top of this, we spooned the “subsoil” (a dense layer of clay and and iron). Chocolate pudding was perfect of course.

Earth Puddings (4)

You’ll notice my taste testers had wasted no time and were busily crunching into cookies and spooning into pudding. They couldn’t believe I was letting them have this free-for-all!

Earth Puddings (3)

Next we needed topsoil. I explained that this is the dirt we see as we play: dirt, bugs, and minerals. Now we needed oreo cookies, but not the creme filling. I showed the kids how to scrape out the creme with a craft stick so we could crush the chocolate cookies.

Earth Puddings (7)

“Can I eat the frosting?” Travis asked. I nodded. “Plain??” This is when he declared the activity paradise.

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We sprinkled on our crushed “topsoil” and then added a few “worms”. It’s easy to find gummy worms at the store but most contain gelatin. Instead, we sliced pieces of licorice in half to be our worms.

Earth Puddings (9)

Finally, top with green sprinkles for grass, twigs, and leaves. I wasn’t able to find green sprinkles at the store, but a few drops of food coloring on white sprinkles was a quick fix.

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Now it was time to dig into the Earth.

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Veronika plunged her spoon right in and began snacking. It made her so happy she began to do a sugar-fueled dance around the kitchen.

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Travis loved working his way carefully down the layers, almost like he was excavating. He wanted to stop and talk about which strata we were in, and carefully selected which bite should come next. He was ecstatic when he’d gone deep enough to reveal the pudding under the topsoil!

Earth Puddings (14)

Welcome to paradise on Earth, and thanks to Raddish Kids for this great lesson.

 

Bunnies on a Log

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Fish in the River (4)

Here’s an adorable twist on classic “ants on a log”. We love watching the bunny who hops outside our window each morning to eat the clover, so today we added hopping bunnies to our celery snacks instead! It’s a great recipe for kids to put together themselves.

To start, spread either non-dairy cream cheese or sunflower butter onto cut celery sticks. Travis was thrilled that he was allowed to use the knife all by himself!

Fish in the River (1)

Now add your hopping little bunnies.

Fish in the River (2)

Travis’s verdict was that he liked the cream cheese version better than the sunflower spread. Which will be your kids’ favorite?

Fish in the River (3)

Note: If your family eats dairy, you could put a further spin on this snack by taking it from land to sea: add goldfish crackers in place of the bunnies and you’ll have fish in a river!

Take-Along Cereal Snack

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Take Along Cereal Snack

Dried fruit adds a nutrition boost to plain old cereal, making this a great snack option for growing toddlers.

Ingredients:

  • 3 cups o cereal (such as Cascadian Farm)
  • 1 cup diced dried apple
  • 1/2 cup freeze-dried strawberry pieces
  1. Combine all of the ingredients in a large zip-top bag. Transfer to smaller bags for individual on-the-go servings.