PBJ and Banana Hand-Roll “Sushi”
Our teacher Sharla brought in a booklet from the Mission Tortilla Factory that had fun recipes and inspired this simple one.
It’s kind of like a PBJ and banana burrito, but done the CATS way. This is a little like a sushi hand roll.
Hard-Boiled Ghosts
I was trying to come up with something for Halloween that hadn’t been done before – something cute and healthy, but unique. This idea came to me when I was staring into the fridge, and saw a box of delicious organic hard-boiled eggs from Costco. “What if we could gently melt a slice of cheese over an egg, letting it drape over the top?” I pondered. “Would it look like a little rotund ghost? Could we add pretzel arms and little eyes?”
The answer was yes! And here was the result, below. They are kinda cute, and they actually taste delicious!
This is a simple recipe, requiring just three or four ingredients and a short twirl in the microwave.
There are some tricks to this treat, however — you have to watch very closely as you melt the cheese. It should take 5 to 7 seconds to create a yummy cloak of cheese over the top of the egg — more, and it could turn into a bubbling puddle on the plate.
Green Veggie Pancakes
We loved these novel, healthy pancakes, and couldn’t believe we didn’t think of making something like them earlier. So delicious. This is based on a recipe from Weelicious, a great online source for kid food. While we finished up the last crumbs, we talked about using all kinds of veggies in place of the zucchini. Broccoli and cauliflower would work, or sweet potatoes, white potatoes and leeks, mushrooms, or a combo. They would be delicious served with marinara sauce, a yogurt sauce such as tzaziki or Trader Joe’s Cilantro & Chive Yogurt Dip, or babaganoush, made from eggplants and spices.
Date-Crusted Yogurt Fruit Tart
I saw this on the Web, described as a breakfast food. In my book, it would work all day long! The kids enjoyed making it — it was like a little art project that also tasted amazing. The dates in the unbaked crust really added a depth of flavor and some nice fiber to boot. You’ll want to use a food processor to make the crust.
Watermelon Pizza
No crust, no cheese. This fruit pizza is beautiful, delicious, fast, low-fat, nutritious and easy to eat. We loved it! You can make it into a fun little project at a picnic or party.
Watermelon is loaded with vitamins A, B and C and lycopene and many other beneficial components. In the hot summer, it’s also a great thing to help replenish fluids for active kids in the sun.
Real Homemade Lemonade
This generation may have never encountered homemade lemonade – after all, it is usually bought in a carton or bottle now. But it’s worth trying the original, delicious, super-refreshing recipe!
CATS kids LOVE to squeeze lemons, limes and oranges, which is just one reason why this recipe was a hit. And another was the fresh, tart-sweet flavor which was so ridiculously good. And another reason was the fun of adding a few smushed fresh raspberries to make pink lemonade.
First, we made the simple sugar syrup on the stove, and left it to cool. Then we made a giant amount of fresh lemon juice.
We also froze some water mixed with berries and lemon slices in an ice cube tray for extra color and fun.
Pumpkin Pie Smoothie
It may not be that gorgeous to look at, but wow, what a taste! The kids would have had thirds if we made more. Give it a try. Smells like a holiday.
Vanilla Berry Baked Oatmeal
What a cool way to get your oats – almost in a cake form! You can make this recipe and enjoy it all week. Cut into squares, it’s a fast breakfast you can grab and go, microwaved or not. The kids loved it and everyone drooled at the vanilla-y, toasty scent while it baked. We made a thinner product, using a cookie sheet for quicker cooking, but it should take 25 minutes or more in a square baking dish.
Salad Compositions… with Lemon Yogurt Dressing
I LOVE to see what the kids do with an idea. The concept of “making a picture with salad ingredients” – or a Composed Salad – was really fun. The photo at top is supposed to be me, but with red hair, walking on the beach. (I am pleased to look so skinny.)
Here is the way we did this – basically, just setting out a whole lot of colorful healthy items and going for broke. We found that plastic knives worked very well on the components. Feel free to get creative and change it up. We did a Lemon Yogurt salad dressing with herbs, which follows.