Fun & Healthy Recipes
St. Patrick's Day Zucchini-Oatmeal Cookies
1/2 cup butter
3/4 cup white sugar
1 egg,
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups grated zucchini
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 cup quick cooking oats
1 cup granola
2 cups semisweet chocolate chips
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
In a medium bowl, cream butter and sugar until fluffy. Stir in the egg and vanilla, mix well, then stir in the shredded zucchini. Sift together the flour, baking soda and cinnamon, stir into the zucchini mixture. Finally, stir in the oats, granola and chocolate chips. Drop dough from a teaspoon onto an unprepared cookie sheet. Leave at least 2 inches between cookies. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes in the preheated oven. The cookies will stay soft and moist because of the zucchini.
Servings Per Recipe: 24; Amount Per Serving: Calories: 196; Total Fat: 9.8g; Cholesterol: 19mg; Sodium: 60mg; Total Carbs: 26.4g; Dietary Fiber: 2g; Protein: 3g ~ Courtesy allrecipes.com
Energy Boost Bars
Many commercial energy drinks and snacks contain caffeine or other stimulants, which can interfere with kids' sleep and concentration. But these tasty and nutritious bars, made from scratch with wholesome ingredients, provide 20 grams of carbohydrates for slow-release, sustained energy.
1 (8-ounce) bag almonds
1/4 cup sesame seeds
1 1/2 cups oats, quick-cooking
1/2 cup dried cranberries
1 cup dried blueberries
2/3 cup maple syrup
1 teaspoon cinnamon
Heat the oven to 275 degrees. Lightly grease a 9-inch baking pan with canola oil. Grind the almonds in a food processor until they resemble a coarse meal.
Combine the ground almonds and the remaining ingredients in a large bowl and stir well. Using wet fingers, press the mixture into the prepared pan and bake it for 1 hour.
Allow the bars to cool thoroughly while they are still in the pan, then slice them. Makes 20.
Nutritional Information Per serving (1 bar): 151 Calories, 4g Protein (7% dv), 20g Carbohydrates (7% dv), 7g Total Fat (11% dv), 0mg Cholesterol (0% dv), 6g Saturated Fat (3% dv), 2mg Sodium (0% dv). Percent daily values are based on a 2,000-calorie diet. Your daily values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs. ~Courtesy of Family Fun. com
Reindeer Poop
1/2 cup butter
2 cups granulated sugar
1/2 cup milk
2 teaspoons cocoa
1/2 cup peanut butter
3 cups oatmeal -- not instant
1/2 cup chopped nuts -- optional
Mix butter, sugar, milk and cocoa together in a large saucepan. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly; boil for 1 minute. Remove from heat and stir in remaining ingredients. Drop by teaspoon full (larger or smaller as desired) onto wax paper and let harden. They will set up in about 30-60 minutes. These will keep for several days without refrigerating, up to 2 weeks refrigerated and 2-3 months frozen.
Pack into ziplock sandwich bags and attach the following note to each bag.
I woke up with such scare when I heard Santa call... "Now dash away, dash away, dash away all!" I ran to the lawn and in the snowy white drifts, those nasty reindeer had left "little gifts".
I got an old shovel and started to scoop, neat little piles of "Reindeer Poop!" But to throw them away, seemed such a waste, so I saved them, thinking-you might like a taste!
As I finished my task, which took quite awhile. Old Santa, passed by and he sheepishly smiled. And I heard him exclaim as he was in the sky... "Well they're not potty trained, but at least they can fly!" ~Courtesy of CDKitchen.com
Snowman Soup
2 cups of instant dry milk powder
2 cups of powdered sugar
2/3 cup of Dutch-process cocoa powder or natural cocoa powder
1/2 cup of semi-sweet chocolate chips or crushed candy canes - optional 1/3 cup powdered non-dairy creamer(flavored or not-we like hazelnut flavor)
1/8 tsp. of salt
Sift together the cocoa powder and the powdered sugar.
Add all the other ingredients and mix thoroughly until they are all well blended. Store in a tight container or a Ziploc bag.
This recipe will make about 4 cups of cocoa mix.
To make a cup: Put 3 to 4 heaping tablespoons of the mix into a cup and add some boiling water. Stir and drink. ~From recipesfromhome.com
Yogurt Cooler
1 cup yogurt
1 cup fruit
Lots of ice
Place all ingredients into a blender jar. Cover and whiz on medium speed until well blended. Pour into a collins glass and serve.