treats Archives - Happy Healthy Kids

School Morning Doughnuts

August 23, 2016 by Kelley 2 Comments

Hear me out.

Like lemonade, ice cream, and Fruit Ninja, doughnuts appeal to just about every kid. Of course, doughnuts are the epitome of a breakfast that you grab in a moment of weakness and regret when your child is hyperactive and hungry 20 minutes later. I’m pretty sure that if you want your child to bomb a test, your contribution to the effort would be to offer him a rainbow-sprinkled on his way out the door.

That said, what is a doughnut, technically, other than a fluffy, puffy, ring-shaped pastry? (Yes, I realize that connoisseurs would balk at this—including Pennsylvania Dutch grandparents, professional bakers who made, by all accounts, delicious fastnachts, yeast doughnuts traditionally fried in lard.) But with the whole wheat croissants at my favorite New York City coffee shop, Via Quadronno, in mind, it occurred to me that one could fortify the simple “cake” doughnut, even just a little bit, and have them still be appealing to kids. Having not seen whole grain doughnuts in the wild, I turned to my friend the Internet, and found and tweaked a couple of recipes (thanks to eatgood4life for getting me started). With some milk and fruit for good measure, these are two school-morning-worthy treats kids—and you—can get behind.

(A few things that seem key, here: A nonstick doughnut pan (I got two of these Wilton doughnut pans from Amazon); whole wheat pastry flour (pastry flour makes baked goods more tender, important for cake doughnuts); and some really good flavorings. Inspired by Ina Garten’s bookmark-worthy list of favorite pantry staples and a few free samples from the company itself, I’ve become pretty devoted to Nielsen-Massey’s vanilla and chocolate extracts. (At the risk of sounding like a really annoying baking purist, in simple baked goods, especially, quality extracts do make a difference.)

Whole Wheat Cinnamon-Sugar Doughnuts
Makes 6-8

Ingredients
1 cup whole wheat pastry flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup milk
1/4 cup plain Greek yogurt
1 large egg
1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
(For topping:)
3 tablespoons butter, melted
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Cooking or baking spray oil (I use Coconut Oil spray for most baked goods)

Steps
Preheat oven to 350 and lightly spray doughnut pan with cooking spray. Sift together dry ingredients (flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt) in small bowl and set aside. In medium or large bowl, whisk together sugar, milk, yogurt, egg and vanilla until smooth. Fold dry ingredients into wet ingredients. Distribute into doughnut pan holes, taking care to not overfill (about 3/4 full is just right). Bake for 8-10 minutes, or until doughnuts spring back slightly at a light touch. Cool completely. While cooling, in a shallow dish, mix melted butter and sugar and cinnamon for topping. Dip cooled doughnuts into butter and sugar mixture, coating on all sides.

Whole Wheat Chocolate Doughnuts
Makes 6-8

Ingredients
1 cup whole wheat pastry flour
3/4 cup white flour
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder (my favorite is Ghiradelli’s cocoa powder)
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 cup plus 3 tablespoons of milk
2 large eggs
2 tablespoons canola, sunflower or coconut oil
1 teaspoon chocolate extract
(For topping:)
1 cup white chocolate chips or white baking chips
Cooking or baking spray oil (I use Coconut Oil spray for most baked goods)

Steps
Preheat oven to 325 and lightly spray doughnut pan with cooking spray. Sift together dry ingredients (flour, baking powder, baking soda, cocoa and salt) in small bowl and set aside. In medium or large bowl, whisk together sugar, milk, eggs, oil, and chocolate extract until smooth. Fold dry ingredients into wet ingredients. Distribute into doughnut pan holes, taking care to not overfill (about 3/4 full is just right). Bake for 15-18 minutes, or until doughnuts spring back slightly at a light touch. Cool completely. While cooling, in a shallow dish, melt white chocolate chips in the microwave at 30 seconds intervals, stirring each time you take it out, until smooth. (Should take at most 2 rounds for a total of 60 seconds. Don’t overheat. Spoon melted chips into snack or quart sized plastic bag. Snip tiny corner off of end. Pipe onto cooled doughnuts in any design you like.

Easy Ways to Cut Back on Sugar

November 11, 2015 by Kelley 2 Comments

Is a calorie just a calorie? Maybe not, especially when it comes to kids’ health. An eye-opening new study led by endocrinologists at the USCF Benioff Children’s Hospital in San Francisco showed that lowering overweight kids’ sugar intake, specifically, dramatically boosted their health—in just 10 days. Even without changing the amount of calories they were consuming or exercise they were doing, children who cut out almost all sweetened foods were able to improve their levels of blood sugar, cholesterol, fasting glucose and insulin (all markers for diabetes). They also reported feeling less hungry.

“This study definitively shows that sugar is metabolically harmful not because of its calories or its effects on weight; rather sugar is metabolically harmful because it’s sugar,” said lead author Robert Lustig, MD. “This internally controlled intervention study is a solid indication that sugar contributes to metabolic syndrome, and is the strongest evidence to date that the negative effects of sugar are not because of calories or obesity.”

A lot of us would say our kids don’t really have a “sugar problem,” because they don’t drink a lot of soda or eat too much candy, except for special occasions. But a lot of seemingly innocuous common kid foods are full of “sneaky” sugars that can really add up, says Dana White, R.D., Happy Healthy Kids’ nutrition advisor and author of First Bites: Superfoods for Babies and Toddlers. White gives these simple tips, along with some of her favorite recipes, that can help you cut potentially dozens of teaspoons of sugar out of your kids’ diets per day. And here’s the kicker: They might not even notice.

Load up on fruit. Fruit can satisfy a sweet tooth, especially if it’s presented to kids in a fun way. Frozen bananas make amazing treats with zero added sugar.

Bake with natural sweeteners. Applesauce or apple butter, bananas and honey can replace a lot of simple sugar in baked goods. White’s kids love these banana-chocolate chip muffins.

Be choosier about cereal. Even many “healthy” or “organic” cereals are full of added sugar, and that’s especially true for choices marketed to kids—they contain around 40% more sugar than “adult” versions. Stick to cereals like these that have 10 grams of sugar per serving or less (plain Cheerios, dressed up with berries, are hard to beat), or try White’s DIY Granola recipe.

Pay closer attention to packaged food labels. Candy, sweetened drinks, and baked goods are obvious offenders, but much of kids’ sugar intake comes from sneakier places, like condiments, bagged snacks, and flavored yogurts. Read labels carefully and take inventory of how much total sugar kids are taking in. The American Heart Association recommends that kids consume no more than 12 grams (young preschoolers) to 32 grams (teens) of added sugar per day.To put that in perspective: One small cup of Trix brand kids’ yogurt contains 13 grams of sugar.

Don’t take sweets off the table completely. Instead of demonizing sugar in your house, use it as an opportunity for everyone to learn about making wise choices most days, and saving (and savoring) sweets for special occasions. Most important, says White: Make sure mom and dad are leading by example and cutting back on sugar intake as well.

Recipe credits: Foodnetwork.com

Photo credit: Picture via Photo Pin, license cc

Make-Your-Own Apple Rings

October 8, 2015 by Kelley Leave a Comment

When my oldest son was an only and I still had the time, energy, and inclination to do daily, enriching projects with him (sorry, little sibs), we made a “fruit chart,” with his faves at the top and the ones he disliked at the bottom. Number one was strawberries (still is). Last: blueberries (all it takes is one shriveled, sour one to turn a kid off forever.)

Last week, the U.S. Department of Health unveiled a much more scientific poll evaluating the fruits most commonly consumed by American kids, and the winner, by a landslide: the humble apple. Turns out, one-fifth of children eat an apple a day. Which is great news: They’re full of fiber, a good source of vitamin c, and only about 90 calories.

Kids' Daily Fruit Intake
Data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, 2011-2012
Apples (20%)
Fruit Juice (10%)
Melons (6%)
Other Fruit/Fruit Salad (5%)

Apples are big in our house too, especially this time of year, when they are plentiful, cheap and at their peak of crunchy, sweet deliciousness. As millions of U.S. children apparently know, an apple is terrific as is, but I recently came across a pretty fun snack that makes them more “treat-like.” A little like the Make-Your-Own Trail Mix I wrote about a while back, the genius of this snack is that it lets kids in on the prep process, allowing them to customize their own apple rings as they would a pizza or cookies. I don’t know about your kids, but in our house, agency=greater acceptance when it comes to new foods.

Make-Your-Own Apple Rings

Ingredients

2-3 large, round apples
A variety of toppings (here are some ideas):
-1-2 kinds of nut or seed butter (peanut, almond, or Nutella)
-Cream cheese
-Peanuts
-Sunflower seeds
-Chocolate chips
-Raisins or Craisins
-Mini marshmallows
-Shredded coconut
-Crumbled pretzels or chopped pretzel sticks

Instructions

Core and thinly slice apples width-wise to make 1/4 wide rings.
Serve the rest of toppings in small bowls and let kids decorate their own rings. Have them start by spreading each ring with a nut or seed butter or cream cheese to help the rest of the toppings stick.

https://www.happyhealthykids.com/make-your-own-apple-rings/

3 Summer Cookie Recipes

July 14, 2015 by Kelley Leave a Comment

When it comes to summertime treats, cookies are hard to beat. They’re easy to pack for picnics, camp lunches, and road trips, and they can withstand hot temps and grabby hands in a way that most other desserts can’t.

And yet, a “summer cookie” search on the Internet yields mainly big, hard sugar cookies professionally frosted to look like hot-day doodads—flip-flops and what not—that are as impossible to make as they are unpleasant to eat (believe me, I’ve tried).

Over the past few summers, I keep coming back to three cookie recipes that are easy to make and perfect for warm summer days: S’more Cookies, Lemonade Cookies, and Flower Jam Thumbprints. They aren’t the healthiest snacks in the world, but that’s why we reserve them as “treats.” With a big glass of lemonade or a cold cup of milk at a BBQ or after a long day of sports camp, they really hit the spot.

S’MORES COOKIES

There are many ways to make these spinoffs of the campfire treat, but this is our favorite. The ground graham crackers disappear into the cookie, and adding the marshmallows at the end of baking prevents them from melting and making the cookies sticky and over-chewy. Makes about 24 cookies.

Ingredients
1 stick slightly softened butter
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup finely crushed graham crackers
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt (omit if using salted butter)
1/2 cup chocolate chips
1/2 cup mini marshmallows
Instructions
Preheat oven to 350. In large bowl, cream butter and sugars, and add egg and vanilla. In separate bowl, stir together flour, crushed graham crackers, salt, and baking soda. Add dry ingredients into wet and mix until smooth. Fold in chocolate chips. Refrigerate dough in bowl for half hour or freeze for 10-15 minutes until stiff but still workable. Drop rounded, heaping teaspoons on baking sheet and bake for 5 minutes. Take cookie sheets out, and gently push 2-3 mini marshmallows into the top each cookie. Bake for 4-5 more minutes until cookies are just golden on edges and marshmallows are just softened a bit. Don’t overbake.

LEMONADE COOKIES
With just six ingredients, these couldn’t be easier. Just like a sugar cookie, only softer than most and more refreshing. Makes 28-30 cookies.
Ingredients
2 sticks slightly softened butter
1 cup granulated sugar
2 eggs
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 cup thawed frozen lemonade concentrate
Instructions
Preheat oven to 400. In large bowl, cream butter and sugar, and add egg. In separate bowl, stir together flour and baking soda. Add dry ingredients into wet, alternating with lemonade, and mix until smooth. Refrigerate dough in bowl for half hour or freeze for 10-15 minutes until stiff but still workable. Drop rounded teaspoons onto baking sheet and bake for 8-9 minutes. They will stay lightly colored. Don’t overbake.

Our (edible!) garden nasturtiums.

FLOWER JAM THUMBPRINT COOKIES
Inspired by a recipe over at Butter, Sugar, Flowers, these are just basic, delicious thumbprint cookies, with the added fun of mixing edible, just-slightly spicy nasturtium flowers into your favorite jam or preserves. (Nasturtiums are one of my favorite garden plants to grow on a windowsill or garden. You can also buy them at most farmer’s markets or specialty grocery stores.) Feel free to omit the flowers. They’re still great tasting and fun to make with kids. Makes 24 cookies.
Ingredients
2 sticks slightly softened butter
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt (omit if using salted butter)
1/4 cup favorite preserves (I used raspberry, but apricot is great, too)
5-6 nasturtium flowers
1/2 cup powdered sugar
2 teaspoons fruit juice (orange, cranberry, lemon, etc.)
Instructions
Preheat oven to 325. In large bowl, cream butter and granulated sugar, and mix in flour and salt until smooth. Refrigerate dough in bowl for half hour or freeze for 10-15 minutes until stiff but still workable. While dough is chilling, mince flower petals into tiny pieces. In small, separate bowl, stir together jam and minced flower. Drop rounded teaspoons onto baking sheet. Push thumb tip or finger tip just slightly into top of cookie to make an indent. Drop a quarter teaspoon of jam mixture into each well. Bake for about 18 minutes, until edges of cookie are just golden. While cookies are baking, mix powdered sugar and fruit juice until smooth. Put mixture into plastic bag, snip tiny hole in corner, and squeeze gently to drizzle over completely cooled cookies.

Have a Healthier Bake Sale

May 22, 2015 by Kelley Leave a Comment

Following the lead of many schools around the country, our local high school is right now considering a ban on bake sales, citing recent federal guidelines that limit high-fat, high-calorie foods served during school hours.

I’m not alone in my view that banning bake sales is ineffectual, and perhaps even counter-productive, in the fight against childhood obesity. Forget the fact that bake sales are a major source of revenue for many school groups. Bake sales encourage people to make food at home, which is at least half the battle toward getting people to eat better. Home-baked goods tend to be far less processed, and contain fewer unhealthy fats, than the packaged goods that many kids would otherwise pick up at the corner mart or vending machine after school.

But that doesn’t mean that we can’t do better when it comes to bake sales. I recently read a thought-provoking blog post about school sweet bans by Claire McCarthy, M.D., a Boston Children’s Hospital pediatrician. As a mom who’d regularly sent cupcakes into school for her kids’ birthdays, she initially thought their school was crazy to disallow celebratory sweets. But then she considered the fact that “there’s something to be said for setting standards—and an example.” Kids get “35 to 40 percent of their daily calories at school,” she says, citing American Academy of Pediatrics’ research. “It’s not only important that the food they get in school be as healthy as possible, it’s important to use the opportunity (any opportunity, these days) to teach children and families about eating healthy.”

And then I recalled that the last treat I’d made for the kids’ school was Pokemon cupcakes—made from a box mix, since all the time I had the evening before was devoted to painstakingly decorating the cupcake tops into “poke-balls” (if you have a boy between the ages of 6 and 9, you might know what that means). Suffice it to say, the frosting contained enough red dye #40 to merit a case study into the effects of food coloring on kids’ behavior. The truth is, while I’m a passionate home baker, and make wholesome quick breads and muffins weekly, when I’m presenting treats for a birthday or bake sale, I’m a shameless crowd-pleaser. The more fat, sugar, sprinkles, and colors, the more likely kids are to gobble them up.

It got me thinking that instead of banning bake sales, schools should consider using them as an opportunity to get kids excited about slightly better-for-you sweets. I’m not talking about carrot sticks; think carrot muffins, maybe, with heart-healthier canola or coconut oil replacing butter. The goal is for slightly less sugar and fat, and maybe a few more nutrients, than your average Betty Crocker whip-up. Many of us have some healthier baked good recipes up our sleeve, and a growing number of cookbooks and websites are devoted to making treats more wholesome. Kids might balk at first, to see a table devoid of gummy-worm-topped cupcakes and jumbo frosted brownies, but I’m sure between a healthier bake sale and no bake sale at all, they’ll choose the former.

Here are a few recipes that have been kid-tested and approved among my kids’ neighborhood pals (this was an extra-fun week of blog research), and a link to more, below. *Note that two recipes contain tree nuts, and substitutions should be made in schools with tree-nut-allergic children.*

Brown Rice Krispy Treats

Would you believe that Rice Krispy treats that contain whole grains and zero dairy butter can actually taste delicious? I was a skeptic; no longer. (I tried substituting different natural syrups for the marshmallows, but the effect just isn’t the same; and kids can tell.) Cut into squares to fit into decorative cupcake liners to serve. Makes about 20 2-3-inch squares.

2 cup marshmallows
1/4 cup almond butter
3 tablespoons canola, sunflower, or coconut oil (I prefer coconut oil here)
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon salt
5 cups brown rice cereal

Heat marshmallows over low-medium eat, stirring with wooden spoon or silicone spatula until melted smooth. Add oil and almond butter to warm mixture, until smooth and creamy, and turn off heat. Add vanilla and salt, and then fold in cereal. Using hands coated with a little oil, press mixture into square or small rectangular baking dish. Let cool and set before slicing.

Fresh Strawberry Cupcakes

It’s the perfect time of year for these delectable treats, which taste a lot like strawberry ice cream. The pale pink color in the frosting comes from strawberry puree. Thanks to Jen and Emily from Layers of Happiness for the recipe. It contains more sugar, butter, and white flour than might considered “heart healthy,” but we love the addition of the fresh fruit and extra egg whites to the recipe. Makes 12.

(Cupcakes)
1 1/2 cups whole fresh strawberries
1 1/2 cups flour, sifted
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter
1 cup granulated sugar
1 large egg
2 large egg whites

(Frosting)
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, firm and slightly cold
pinch of salt
4 cups powdered sugar, sifted
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350 and put cupcake liners in a 12-cup muffin pan. Sift dry ingredients and set aside. Remove green tops from strawberries and pulse them in food processor or blender until pureed smooth. In a small bowl, combine milk, vanilla, and 2/3 cup of the strawberry puree. In third, large bowl, cream butter and sugar with a mixer until fluffy, and then add eggs and whites. Slowly add dry ingredients, alternating with milk-strawberry mixture, until combined. Scoop batter into muffin cups and bake for 23-24 minutes. While baking, make frosting: Cream butter, salt and sugar until fluffy. Add vanilla and 1/4 cup of strawberry puree. Don’t over mix or frosting will be too fluffy; aim for an ice-cream-like consistency. When cupcakes are cooled, spread with room temperature icing. Top with strawberry slice if desired.

Pumpkin Muffins

Even kids who hate squash—dare I say, most?—tend to love pumpkin muffins. A muffin junkie, I’ve experimented with several recipes, and really like this one, which I adapted from a Food Network recipe created by Dana White, R.D., Happy Healthy Kids’ nutrition advisor and author of First Bites: Superfoods for Babies and Toddlers. Makes 18 regular sized or 36 mini muffins.

1 cup white flour
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup light brown sugar
1 egg, beaten
1/2 cup canola, sunflower, or coconut oil
1 cup milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 can of pumpkin puree
optional: Pumpkin seeds for sprinkling on top

Preheat oven to 375. Put cupcake liners in muffin pan. In large bowl,mix brown sugar, egg, oil, milk, vanilla, and pumpkin. In separate bowl, combine dry ingredients and sift with fork. Slowly mix dry ingredients into wet ones, taking care not to over mix. Fill muffin cups with batter and sprinkle with pumpkin seeds if desired. Bake for 25 minutes (for regular sized muffins) or 12-14 minutes (for mini muffins).

Zucchini Chocolate-Chip Bread

No one says no to this bread, and it’s as good for breakfast as it is for after school. Chocolate chips are optional but pair so nicely with the herby zucchini, I think they’re a must. Serve individual slices in decorative, labeled bags or pretty paper plates.

3/4 cup canola, sunflower, or coconut oil
1/2 cup honey
1/2 cup brown sugar
3 eggs, beaten
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups white flour
1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
1 tablespoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
2 cups grated zucchini
1/2 cup chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 and butter and flour a 9 x 5 inch loaf pan or 2-3 mini loaf pans. In large bowl, mix together the oil, sugar, honey, vanilla, and lastly, the beaten eggs. In separate bowl, mix together dry ingredients with a fork. Stir dry ingredients into wet ingredients until combined and smooth; don’t over mix. Fold in zucchini, and then chocolate chips. Bake 50-60 minutes until bread is slightly golden on edges and toothpick comes out dry (a few moist crumbs are okay).

Dark Chocolate and Hazelnut “Nutella” Bark

Dana White introduced me to this antioxidant-packed recipe, which she created for the Food Network. Keep it in the freezer in between nibbles, and package in cellophane or ziplock baggies (with tops cut off and tied with ribbon).

1/2 cup chopped hazelnuts
16 ounces dark chocolate
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 cup brown rice cereal

Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper or Silpat and set aside. In a double boiler or microwave, slowly melt chocolate. Stir gently with a wooden spoon or silicone spatula until smooth, and fold in cereal. Spread in a rectangular shape to 1/4 inch depth on baking sheet (doesn’t have to be perfect). Sprinkle nuts over evenly and press gently into surface. Let cool at room temperature for 1-2 hours or in the ‘fridge for 30-45 minutes. Break into pieces.

Fruit Flower Skewers

As the folks at Edible Arrangements found out long ago, fruit seems to just taste better when it’s cut into pretty shapes and put on a stick. Purchase short skewers at your hardware store, supermarket or here, and spring for these adorable flower shapes cookie cutters, which you can repurpose for cookies, Play-Doh, and other projects for years to come. Chill until just before selling; you can arrange in a flower pot, spearing the ends into a piece of styrofoam or floral foam tucked in the bottom, just like the pros do, or on a chilled plate.

1 watermelon
1 cantaloupe or honeydew melon
1 bunch grapes, halved
1 pint strawberries

Slice melons width-wise, scraping away seeds at center. Use flower shapes to cut various size blooms. Layer on stick, with halved grapes between to look like flower centers. Top with hulled strawberries.

For more ideas, check out the Martha Stewart article, Better (For You) Bake Sale, and this Cooking Light Bake Sale post.

It’s important to get other parents on board with a plan for healthier bake sales at the beginning of the school year. (Buckle up for some blowback!) Present the idea to the school principal and at a parent association meeting, and offer to “test drive” a sale before making it a regular feature of the school year. Here are other tips, some mine, and some from a helpful PTO article on the subject.

How to Hold a Healthier Bake Sale
Tips adapted from ptotoday.com
Look at traditional recipes and figure out ways to make them more health-conscious. In most recipes, the fat or sugar can be reduced by one-fourth to one-third without changing the texture. If you reduce both the fat and the sugar too dramatically, however, you will alter the texture. Always test drive recipes once or twice before serving them at a sale.
To further reduce the fat content, substitute applesauce or yogurt for up to half the oil or fat in the recipe.
Add seasonal fruit or veggies whenever possible. Berries, carrots, bananas, pumpkin, and zucchini add mild flavor that kids tend to like.
Make recipes healthier by boosting the fiber content. Adding oatmeal or nuts will help. In many recipes, particularly bread and muffins, you can substitute whole wheat flour for up to half the all-purpose flour and end up with the same yummy baked treats.
Ask parents to try to steer clear of store-bought treats and baked goods made from a mix.
Offer some treats for adults and children who are allergic. A gluten-free brownie, for example, can be made with black beans instead of flour. The Celiac Sprue Association has a list of gluten-free dessert recipes; you can also find recipes for many other specialized diets online, including ideas for diabetes-friendly or lactose-free sweets.
Offer the great health beverage of choice: water.
Make it easy for parents to find healthy recipes to prepare before the sale, and learn to make them at home after. Assign a baking-savvy parent to gather and print or email out a simple "cookbook."

25 Superfoods For Kids

January 22, 2015 by Kelley 1 Comment

I love the idea of superfoods—produce and proteins that naturally pack a nutritional wallop in each bite. However, the typical superfood lists found in magazines and health websites aren’t exactly workable for my family of three boys. If I have trouble finding, much less enjoying, goji berries and kombucha, how am I going to get my six-year-old on board?

Thankfully, Dana White, R.D. who is on our advisory board, has compiled a go-to list of kid-friendly superfoods in her fantastic new book, First Bites: Superfoods for Babies and Toddlers, which includes tips and easy recipes for feeding children of all ages. Whereas many healthy food lists are compiled by sources whose expertise lies, er, elsewhere (i.e., bodybuilders and massage therapists), Dana is a certified dietitian and mom who knows her stuff and provides stats and delicious recipes to back it up. Click here or on the image link in our “Great Reads” column on the right to pre-order the book or its Kindle edition (it’s available Feb. 3), and check out 25 of her 50 favorite superfoods for kids, below. One of my New Year’s resolutions: adding one new food from this list to my shopping cart each week, and trying it out with my kids. (Next up: coconut milk smoothies.)

And here’s a hint: Go ahead and tell your kids that you are serving them a “superfood,” and explain to them how it benefits their bodies (“carrots can help your eyes have super vision”; “salmon is good for your brain and can help you learn,” etc.) They may be just a little more motivated to try it.

Apples

Full of fiber, vitamin C, and antioxidants, this is a naturally sweet treat that’s great to always have on hand.

HHK recipe: Best Easy Applesauce, Six Ways

Avocados

A great first food, this creamy green fruit has heart-healthy monounsaturated fats as well as vitamin C, vitamin K, folate and potassium.

Beans

Black or kidney beans can pump up the protein and fiber in kids’ diets, and are soft and easy to eat.

Bell Peppers

There’s more vitamin C in a bell pepper than an orange, and kids who are opposed to cooked veggies often love to snack on raw red pepper strips.

Berries

Blueberries, raspberries, blackberries, strawberries, and cranberries are all filled with antioxidants called anthocyanins, which protect blood vessels and the nervous system and improve eyesight.

HHK recipe: Summer Berry Corn Muffins

Broccoli

Served raw, steamed or oven-blasted with a bit of butter, these “little trees” contain cell-protecting antioxidants as well as fiber and other vitamins.

Brown Rice

Brown rice has 10 times more energy producing B-vitamins than the white kind. Get kids started on it early, and try brown rice crackers, breads, and pasta, too.

Carrots

These bright-colored veggies, served raw or cooked to bring out their natural sweetness, provide all kinds of nutrients important for growth, development, immunity and vision.

HHK recipe: Carrot-Apple Muffins

Cheese

Cheese packs protein plus bone-building calcium, vitamin D, and phosphorus—try mild versions like Monterey Jack, mozzarella, or American at first.

Chicken

The flavorful dark meat contains healthy, polyunsaturated fat, and the mild flavor and tender texture makes it a great first protein for babies.

HHK recipe: Honey-Lemon Chicken Thighs

Coconut

Swap water for coconut milk as a cooking liquid for rice or noodles or add it to smoothies—it’s a natural source of electrolytes (sodium and potassium), and most boxed versions are fortified with calcium and vitamin D.

HHK recipe: Hummingbird Bread

Corn

Do you know corn is actually a whole grain? It’s full of the antioxidant zeaxanthin, which benefits vision, and also contains some fiber and protein. Opt for unprocessed versions—in popcorn or corn on the cob.

Cucumber

Low in calories, high in water content, and pleasingly crunchy and mild, this is a great choice for kids who turn their nose up at other green veggies.

Eggs

Hard-boiled, scrambled, or mixed into baked goods, eggs contain just about everything that’s good for growing bodies: protein, healthy Omega-3 fats, and vitamins A and D.

Honey

Suitable for kids over age 1, honey is a natural sweetener for oatmeal, cereal, and baked goods; a teaspoon or two can also help soothe coughs.

Kale

Surprisingly kid friendly when used as a crunchy salad ingredient or baked into chips, this leafy green vegetable contains oodles or vitamin K plus iron, potassium, calcium, and folate.

Kale Chips

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 5 minutes

Yield: 6 to 8 cups

You can find these packaged in the chip section of many supermarkets, but making your own is quick, easy, and cost-effective. Excerpted from First Bites: Superfoods for Babies and Toddlers by Dana Angelo White. © 2015 by Dana Angelo White. A Perigee Book, Penguin Group USA, A Penguin Random House Company.

Ingredients

1 large bunch kale, stems removed and roughly chopped (about 6 to 8 cups)
1-2 Tablespoons of oil
Kosher salt and black pepper
A pinch of paprika, cumin or mild curry powder (optional)

Instructions

Preheat oven to 400. Place kale on baking sheets. Drizzle with oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste, and toss well. Bake for 3 to 5 minutes, turning once or until leaves just become crispy.

https://www.happyhealthykids.com/superfoods-for-kids/

Milk

One cup provides about a quarter of the daily recommended amount of bone-building vitamin D, and is also a great source of vitamin B12 for DNA formation and energy metabolism.

Oats

Use it in granola, cookies, or muffins—it’s full of heart-healthy soluble fiber.

Oranges (and other citrus)

Oranges and clementines are sweet, simple treats most kids love; try dipping segments in dark chocolate for a special treat.

HHK recipe: Orange Juice Sherbet

Pasta

A classic kid-favorite food, pasta is enriched with vitamin B and iron, and is excellent fuel for active little ones. Start with easy-to-digest white versions, but introduce whole grains early so kids can acquire a taste for them.

Pears

A truly under appreciated fruit, pears are a serious source of fiber and vitamin K. Pearsauce is a great alternative to applesauce.

Pork

Chops and tenderloin are low in fat, and have more B vitamins than most other meats. Slow cook to make tender for tots—they’ll love the mild flavor.

Pumpkin

High in vitamin A and antioxidants like beta carotene, it can be pureed and served plain for babies or added to muffins and quick breads for the whole family. Don’t forget the seeds—a tasty source of iron.

Seafood

In June, the FDA increased their recommended amount of fish that children should be eating. Low-mercury choices like cod, salmon and shrimp are high in protein and a good source of Omega-3 fats that are vital for brain development.

HHK recipe: Kid-Friendly Fish Recipes

Yogurt

Each cup contains a hefty dose of protein, calcium, and gut-friendly probiotics, and many brands are fortified with Vitamin D.

HHK recipe: Popeye Smoothie

Holiday Treat: Hummingbird Bread

December 18, 2014 by Kelley 1 Comment

I’ve written before about how much I like homemade quick breads. They’re easy to make, can be packed with fruits and veggies, stay fresh for days, and can serve as a snack, breakfast, or dinner side dish. For all these reasons, they also serve as great gifts.

This holiday season, I’m making a new fave, Hummingbird Bread. Inspired by the cake that famously ran in the 1978 issue of Southern Living (and is to this day, the magazine’s most requested recipe), it contains bananas, crushed pineapple, shredded coconut, and cinnamon, ingredients that are easy to get, and yet feel like a tropical escape, in the middle of wintertime. I’ve based this recipe on one from the great Beth Bakes blog, but made some changes, including adding coconut, a pinch of salt, and swapping out pineapple for vanilla yogurt.

If you really want to remain true to the original, you can ice the entire loaf with cream cheese frosting and a sprinkling of chopped pecans, or toast slices and slather them with cream cheese. I like it plain, warm, and alongside a cup of coffee, warm apple cider, or hot chocolate.

Hummingbird Bread

Ingredients

Half stick of butter, softened
3/4 cups granulated sugar
2 eggs
2 mashed, ripe bananas
6 ounces vanilla yogurt
8 ounces crushed pineapple (canned or pureed in processor)
2 cups flour
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 cup shredded sweetened coconut (I blitz these in processor a bit so the cut is finer)

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350.
Cream butter and sugar together in a large bowl with an electric or standing mixer, and then add mix in eggs, bananas, and yogurt at low-medium speed. Fold in pineapple.
In separate, medium-sized bowl, stir together flour, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon. Add in batches to the wet ingredients, stirring until just incorporated. Fold in coconut at the end.
Pour into greased and floured, 9 x 5 loaf pan (or divide between 2-3 mini pans). Cook for 45-50 minutes (or about 35-40 minutes for mini pans, checking for doneness).

https://www.happyhealthykids.com/hummingbird-bread/

Orange You Glad It’s December?

December 4, 2014 by Kelley Leave a Comment

‘Tis the season for citrus fruit. Get into the holiday spirit by making delicious scones, scented play dough, pretty decorations, and more.

If the holidays could be boiled down to a smell, to me, it would be citrus. Though Santa didn’t leave an orange in the toe of my childhood stocking, as he did in The Velveteen Rabbit, we received a crate of fresh-picked oranges from Sunshine State relatives every December that would last us months. My mother made the most of them, stacking them in bowls and chunking them into fruit salads through the winter.

It’s a good time to celebrate citrus, as it’s one of the only families of fruit that peaks as the weather turns cold. While these fruits aren’t exactly local for us here in Massachusetts, they are seasonal, and hence my top picks of the produce aisle this time of year. While grocery stores carry oranges, clementines, grapefruits, and of course lemons and limes, some specialty markets carry their more exotic cousins, like kumquats, blood oranges, and Meyer lemons, which are fun flavors to experiment with in cooking. Finally, citrus fruits are packed not only with immune-boosting vitamin C —you can get 93% of your daily recommended intake in a single orange— but also fiber and the heart-healthy phytonutrient herperidin, found mostly in the pith and zest of the fruit. As research tells us that it’s better to get our vitamins from the market than the drug store, you can’t go wrong with stocking up on as many orange and yellow globes as you can this season.

In case you’re wondering what to do with all that luscious fruit, I’m sharing some of my favorite recipes and crafts, here. Have more? Please share!

For Holiday Breakfasts and Brunches…make Orange-Cranberry Scones.

This is one of those recipes where the impressiveness-to-ease ratio is rewardingly high. Scones are simpler than you might think to make, and yet feel like more of a special treat than quick breads and muffins. This recipe is my baking-queen sister Julie’s, and a highlight of a festive breakfast, brunch or afternoon get together. Make a double batch and freeze by the handful into gallon-size plastic bags. That way you can pull them out and defrost them whenever the occasion calls for it.
I like these scones with cranberries and so does my eldest, but I have another child who likes them with just the orange flavoring and another who likes them with chocolate chips. You can split the dough in half and fold individual favorites (or nothing at all) into the two orange-zested sections.

Orange-Cranberry Scones

Ingredients

3 cups flour
1/3 cup sugar
2 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 Tablespoon grated orange peel
3/4 cup chilled unsalted butter, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
1 cup chilled, lowfat buttermilk (whisk a tablespoon of lemon juice into milk if you don't have buttermilk)
(optional) 3/4 cup dried cranberries or chocolate chips
1 egg
Sprinkle of sugar

Instructions

Line baking sheet with parchment paper (or use nonstick sheet). Sift flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, and baking soda into a large bowl. Mix in orange peel. Add butter and rub in with fingertips until mixture resembles coarse meal (you can use a food processor instead). Mix in dried cranberries, chocolate chips, or nothing. Gradually add in buttermilk, tossing with a fork gently until moist clumps form. Turn dough out onto lightly floured surface, kneading about 4 turns to bind dough. Form into 1 inch thick round, and then cut round into triangles. Brush with whisked egg and add a sprinkle of sugar to the top. Transfer wedges onto baking sheet and bake until tops are golden brown, about 25 minutes.

https://www.happyhealthykids.com/orange-recipes-for-kids/

For weekend crafting…make Pomanders and Orange Slice Ornaments.

So smitten am I by oranges that when we were tasked with doing a “how-to” presentation in fourth grade, I taught my nine-year-old peers how to make pomanders. Traditionally, these are oranges and lemons studded with cloves, rolled in spices, and left to rest in a cool place for a week or two, after which they’re dried out (i.e., you don’t have to worry about mold), but still smell delicious. You can hang them on the tree or from satin ribbon in a doorway. I leave out the spice part, because it’s a messy step that I think takes away from the pretty look of the decorated fruit. You can display them “fresh” (they’ll last for a week or two) or dry them for a week or so (they’ll last through the month).
What you need:
An assortment of oranges or lemons
One quarter-cup of whole cloves
Toothpicks
Stain ribbon, push pins, and strong glue (if hanging from a tree)
How to make:
Think of a design for the cloves on your pomander—you can make polka-dots throughout, lengthwise stripes, spirals, or cover the whole thing. Use a toothpick to push small holes just into the surface of the orange or fruit according to your design. Push cloves into holes. Arrange in a bowl, or if you want to hang on the tree, put a dab of strong glue on the top of the fruit and secure a loop of ribbon to top with a pin. Store finished pomanders in a cool, dry place for a week or two. (Check on them every so often; they shrink, so you might have to push cloves in farther).

Orange slice ornaments are even easier to make. Basically, you slice oranges, cook them at a low temperature, and hang them from satin ribbon. They look like stained glass, hanging from an evergreen bough.
What you need:
2-3 oranges
Satin ribbon (1/4-1/2 inch is best)
Paring knife

How to make (start in morning!):
Preheat oven to 150. Slice oranges into 1/2 inch thick pinwheels. Arrange on a parchment-lined or nonstick baking sheet and cook for 4-5 hours. Rounds will still have a little moisture when you take them out of the oven, but will keep drying out. Once rounds cool, make a tiny slit between juicy part and rind, and thread ribbon through it, tying in a bow or knot. Hang from a lit tree or sunny window to catch the light.

To make salads more special…add clementine sections.

One of my a-ha moments as a newish mom was discovering that a little fruit can go a long way to making everyday dinner staples more palatable and exciting to kids. A quick and easy way to get my kids to eat their greens is adding clementine sections to a simple salad. Whisk a tablespoon or two of olive or Canola oil and a half-teaspoon of salt into the juice squeezed from a fresh orange or lemon for dressing, and drizzle it over the salad.

For toddler fun…make Orange-Scented Play Dough.

I never figured myself for a homemade-play-dough sort of mom until I tried making it, and realized it’s so easy and such a nicer texture than the store-bought stuff. You can also add scents, through spices and oils, which makes it fun for kids to pretend they are rolling out “cookies” with their freshly made play dough. I’ve made this dough with orange extract, which you can buy at the supermarket or here (it never spoils and is great for use in cakes and breads). You could also use orange oil, here, which can also be added to a handful of drug store Epsom salts for a spa-like bath (which you might welcome after a day of holiday crafting).
What you need:
1 cup water
1 cup flour
1/4 cup salt
2 Tablespoons cream of tartar
Red and yellow (or orange) food color
How to make:
Stir water, flour, salt and cream of tartar in saucepan over medium heat with spatula or large spoon. Keep stirring, pulling away from sides of pan. Add food color until you reach desired color, continually stirring, until mixture is Play doh consistency. Let cool and form into a ball. Store in airtight container for a week or two.

For a special treat…make Lemons with Candy Cane Straws.

My pals who grew up going to Pennsylvania’s Devon Horse Show with me can back me on this: One of the most exciting and least revolting fair foods you can give a child is a lemon pierced with an old-fashioned candy stick. When you suck hard enough, the lemon juice starts to flow through tiny holes in the candy stick, and the result is like the best lemonade you’ve ever had. Try these out with minty or fruit-flavored candy canes at your next playdate or holiday gathering…kids go crazy for them.
What you need:
Lemons
Candy canes or sticks (any flavor, and slightly thicker are best)
A paring knife
A corkscrew or pastry tip
How to make:
Break candy sticks into 3-4 inch pieces. Poke a hole into the side of a lemon with your knife (make sure you, not your kids, do this), and then expand the hole a bit with a corkscrew or pastry tip. Put candy stick in. Kids may have to suck for a minute or so before the juice flows through the stick.

Super-Healthy Cookies

October 22, 2014 by Kelley Leave a Comment

Typically, when I’m craving a cookie, I want a cookie, and health considerations aren’t top of mind. But every once in awhile I come across a delicious treat that just so happens to be wholesome, too. That’s what happened when my friend Sue recently brought over a plate of homemade cookies when she was picking up her son from a playdate at my house.

“They’re made of dates?” I asked, when she presented them to me. They tasted sort of like a Kind bar, but softer, sweeter, and better, with chocolate chips, flax seeds, and macadamia nuts studded throughout. I ate three and asked for the recipe, which originated at detoxinista.com (just typing that makes me feel even more virtuous about enjoying them).

Truth be told, my family is divided on these treats. My youngest son gobbled up two and asked for a third, my middle son was so-so, and my oldest and pickiest son begged off even trying them. My feeling is that if the kids like them, there are less for me, so this is one case where I am frankly ambivalent about their snacking adventurousness (or lack thereof). Let them eat cake; I will enjoy my super-healthy cookies, with my morning coffee or as a mid-afternoon pick-me-up on the way to pickup. I recommend making a double batch and freezing them, since they defrost on the counter in no time. Thanks, Sue!

Super-Healthy Cookies

Ingredients

(Recipe courtesy of detoxinista.com)
1 1/2 cups nuts (I like walnuts or macadamia nuts)
1 cup (10-12) medjool dates
1/4 teaspoon salt (omit if you use salted nuts)
1/2 baking soda
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 "flax egg" (1 tablespoon ground flax seeds mixed with 3 tablespoons water)
1/2 cup chocolate chips

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350.
In a food processor, mix the dates and nuts until it looks crumbly. Add salt (if using), baking soda, vanilla, and flax egg and pulse again.

Add chocolate chips and pulse once to combine.
Spoon batter to make 12 cookies on a nonstick or parchment lined baking sheet. Slightly flatten each ball of dough with your hand. (Wet hands to prevent sticking.) Bake for 12 minutes or until edges are just slightly golden (don't over bake.)

https://www.happyhealthykids.com/super-healthy-cookies/

Orange Juice Sherbet

August 22, 2014 by Kelley Leave a Comment

Not all kids love fruit-based ice creams—one of my sons once wondered why the strawberries in ice cream “are hard like rocks”—but I have yet to meet a kid who doesn’t say yes to sherbet. There’s something about the creamy tang and bright colors that appeals to little and big kids both.

(A quick aside: Sherbet—not sherbert!—is typically made with pureed fruit or fruit juice, sugar, and milk or cream. Sorbet is the same, minus the dairy, and thus, not nearly as rich or delicious. I’m sorry if this is obvious, but I made and scooped homemade ice cream in a Jersey Shore town during one college summer, and seize every opportunity I can to drop some frozen-dessert knowledge. Don’t even get me started on water ice.)

Ok, back to sherbet: The beauty of it, other than the fact that it contains a few extra vitamins than your average ice cream given the fruit juice base, is that it’s super-easy to make. No ice cream maker needed, at least for my recipe. This is important to me, since a decade of living in closet-sized Manhattan apartments prevents me from comfortably acquiring any appliance that I won’t use at least once a week. (You will need a food processor, which I suspect is a tool that most moderately dedicated home cooks own due to its utility for many basic recipes, like soups and sauces and such. If you own an ice cream maker and not a food processor, my instinct is that you are probably a really fun person, and that I’d like to get to know you one day. But you might look for a different sherbet recipe here.)

My favorite type of sherbet to make is orange sherbet. Why? Because there is a 98% chance that you have every single ingredient needed in your kitchen right this instant, no matter what time of year it is or where you call home. You need OJ, whole milk or half and half, sugar, and a pinch of salt. That’s it! I’ve adapted this recipe from The All New Good Housekeeping Cookbook, which I received from my mother during my first year out of college and still use more than any other cookbook to this day. Start the process in the morning because there is a ‘fridge and freezer transfer to undertake, and if your kids catch wind that you are making homemade sherbet, you’d better have it ready for after-dinner dessert.

Orange Juice Sherbet

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups milk (whole is best, or half and half)
1/2 cup sugar
2 cups orange juice (I use grocery-store-brand freshly squeezed, but any kind, especially homemade, works)
1/8 teaspoon salt

Instructions

Combine milk and sugar in a heavy saucepan over medium heat and stir for about two minutes, until small bubbles form around the edges of the liquid and sugar is dissolved. Pour into a medium bowl and press plastic wrap on the surface. Refrigerate until chilled, 1-4 hours.
Stir O.J. and salt into cooled milk mixture, and pour it into a 9-inch square metal baking pan. Cover and freeze until firm, 4-6 hours.
Scrape frozen sherbet into food processor and blend until smooth (but still frozen). Return to pan and freeze for another hour or two.
Let sherbet sit for about 10 minutes on counter just before serving, so it's soft enough to scoop.
Makes about 8 servings.

https://www.happyhealthykids.com/orange-sherbet/