The Rural Voice, 1981-06, Page 31THE RURAL FAMILY
Food jist for kids
BY SUSAN WHITE
Kids like to eat. But a problem from
a parent's point of view can be that kids
like to eat junk food. Lots of it. Several
times a day.
Snacking, nutritionists point out, isn't
necessarily a bad thing. Small. active,
quickly growing bodies can benefit from a
dose of food energy several times a day.
But it's what the little dears snack on
that counts.
When three -year-olds exclaim with
delight at the sight of a McDonald's arch
or the supermarket's candy counter,
parents know the alternative healthy
snacks we offer must have equal glamour
and pizazz.
A delightful book on cooking for kids
entitled The Taming of the Candy
Monster helps. (Candy stands for Con-
tinuously Advertised Nutritionally Defi-
cient Yummies.)
Author Vickie Lansky has suggestions
on school lunches, junk food alternatives,
eating on trips and a selective food
shopping guide for parents. She's also
written a cookbook for new mothers
called Feed Me! I'm Yours. Both are
available at area bookstores or can be
ordered from Meadowbrook Press.16648
Meadowbrook Lane, Wayzata, Minnesota
USA 55391. Prices are in the $4 to $5
range.
If you've been looking for snack food
kids like to eat, that's good for them
besides, give her recipes a try. They're
popular at our house.
FROZEN BANANAS
1 banana
2 popsicle sticks
Optional: honey and toasted wheat germ
or chopped nuts: peanut butter.
Peel one firm, ripe banana. Cut in half,
or even thirds. Insert one stick lengthwise
through the centre of each section. Wrap
in plastic and place in the freezer. When
ready to eat, dip in honey. (or smush with
peanut butter) and roll in toasted wheat
germ or chopped nuts, if using. These are
good without being dipped in anything.
(Yes I know you can also dip them in
melted chocolate chips, but why bother?)
Magic Finger "Jello -O", the kind that
disappears before your very eyes, is an
all-time favourite of kids. If you want it
without artificial flavourings and colour-
ings, try the next recipe. If you want it
without artificial flavourings and colour-
ings and without sugar, try Apple Finger
Jello.
GRAPE FINGER JELLO
1 (12 oz.) can frozen grape juice
concentrate, thawed
3 envelopes unflavored gelatin
1' cups (1 can) water
Soften gelatin in grape juice. Boil the
water, add the juice/gelatin mixture and
stir till gelatin dissolves. Remove from
heat, pour into a lightly greased 9 x
13 -inch pan and chill. Cut into squares
when firm. Refrigerate in a covered
container.
Variation: You can substitute frozen
cranberry juice cocktail concentrate for
grape juice.
Note: This is a good lunch box and
traveling fare. It can go unrefrigerated
for 4 hours under normal conditions.
APPLE FINGER JELLO
1 (12 oz.) can frozen apple (or pear/apple)
juice concentrate, thawed
3 envelopes unflavored gelatin
1'/2 cups (1 can) water
Follow directions for Grape Finger Jello
Variation: By using only 2 envelopes of
unflavored gelatin you can make regular
apple jello.
DIPPY SNACKS
With carrots, celery, green pepper
strips, cucumber slices, cherry tomatoes,
cauliflower pieces or crackers, try any of
the following:
CHEESE SPREAD
1 stick ('/x cup) butter or margarine,
softened
1 cup cottage cheese
Garlic powder
Blend shortening with cottage cheese.
A blender or baby food grinder will give
you a smoother consistency than whip-
ping with a fork. Add garlic powder to
taste. Refrigerate in a covered container.
DIP IT AGAIN
1 (8 oz.) container of plain yogurt.
1 cup sour cream
1 pkg. onion soup mix
Combine and chill before serving.
BETTER -WITH -BUTTERMILK DIP
1 cup buttermilk
2 cups mayonnaise
1 cup sour cream (imitation is o.k.) or
yogurt
1 envelope Ranch style salad dressing
mix
Stir together and chill. For use as salad
dressing, substitute a second cup of
buttermilk for the sour cream or yogurt.
Hint: Use cucumber "coins" in place
of crackers.
Other quickie dippies that make up in
small quantites are:
• Blend a '/2 to a '/2 mashed banana
with 2 or 3 tsps. of mayonnaise.
• Whip together 1 tsp. of smooth
peanut butter with 1 tsp. of may-
onnaise. If still too thick, add a few
drops of milk.
• Mix '/ tsp. of lemon juice and '/: tsp.
of honey or sugar to 1 or 2 tsp. of
mayonnaise.
HONEY "CRACKER JACKS"
' cup (6 Tbsp.) honey
'/. cup butter or margarine
6 cups popped corn
1 cup shelled peanuts
Heat honey and shortening in a
saucepan until blended. Cool. Pour over
popcorn which has been mixed with
peanuts, stirring as you pour. When
well -coated, spread on a pan in a single
layer. Bake at 350 degrees 5-10 minutes
or until crisp, stirring several times. The
difference between crisp (not brown) and
burnt can be a matter of minutes.
Package in plastic bags and twist -tie. If
you want it to be mistaken for the "real
thing" add a small toy.
Variation: Food coloring added to
honey gives a festive appearance.
CRUNCHO MIX
Mix:
4 cups crunchy cereal (Cheerios, Corn
Chex, etc., or any combination)
1 cup peanuts or mixed nuts
1 cup pretzel sticks, the smallest size
1 cup seasoned croutons
Combine:
1/2 cup salad oil or 6 Tbsp. melted butter
2 tsp. Worcestershire Sauce
'/. tsp. garlic powder
In a large shallow pan coat crunchy
ingredients with the combined oil and
seasonings. Heat in oven at 250 degrees
for about 45 minutes, stirring every 15
minutes. Spread on absorbent paper to
cool.
THE RURAL VOICE/JUNE 1981 PG. 29