momstown Milton Jr Chefs Create Nut Free Back to School Granola Bars!

We had a great time playing in the kitchen this month at momstown Milton Junior Chef!  Our little culinary enthusiasts mixed, measured and poured as they created delicious and healthy granola bars! With our monthly momstown theme being birds this month, we also highlighted nutritious and delicious seeds in this recipe.

With the start of the school year quickly approaching, what better time to learn a new recipe that will be a healthier take on the packaged granola bar?  The recipe is nut free, quick and easy to prepare, and customisable to your kids' tastes.

This is the recipe we used: 

Ingredients

2 cups oats

1/2 cup sugar
 

1/2 tsp. salt
 

1/4 tsp. cinnamon or other spices as desired (cardamom, nutmeg, etc.)
 

*2 1/2 cups additions: dried fruits, seeds, nuts, flax meal, bran cereal, chocolate chips ... the combinations are endless!
 

1/3 cup peanut or other nut butter  (SUBSTITUTE 1/3c mashed banana or apple sauce)
 

6 Tbsp. olive oil ­ canola oil, other oils, and melted butter will work here as well
 

1/4 cup honey, maple syrup, or Agave syrup
 

1 egg white
 

1 Tbsp. water

Instructions:
 

1. Preheat oven to 350F. Depending on desired thickness, line a square (8x8 or 9x9) or rectangular (9x13) baking dish with parchment paper, then lightly grease the paper with non­stick cooking spray, oil, or butter.
 

2. Process 1/3 cup of the oats in a blender or food processor until finely ground.
 

3. If necessary, chop up dried fruit and nuts. Raisin­ size pieces are fine, but dried apricots should be chopped.
 

4. Stir together all dry ingredients (oats, ground oats, sugar, salt, cinnamon, fruits/nuts/seeds).
 

5. Whisk together wet ingredients ­ oil, honey, egg white, peanut butter/banana, and water.
 

6. Mix together the wet and dry ingredients, then spread in the pan. Press firmly into the corners and edges so the top is even.
 

7. Bake for around 30 minutes, until the top starts to brown. Thicker bars will likely take longer, so you'll need to watch them, depending on how much batter you've spread in what size pan. The edges will become deep golden and they may feel underdone in the center, but that's okay. They'll firm quite nicely as they cool.
 

8. Let cool in the pan on a cooling rack completely before removing from pan.

*(we used 3/4c choc chips, 1/4c each of pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, sesame seeds, flax meal, shredded coconut, 1/2c raisins)

The original recipe had peanut butter, but we substituted that with mashed banana.  I have since substituted with apple sauce and it is a yummy alternative.  I tried about 5 different recipes and this one is my favorite.  It could also be made gluten free if you use gluten free oats (and ensure your add-ins are also GF).

We started with the dry ingredients.  The kids took turns measuring a whole lot of yummy things into our big mixing bowl.  Oats, brown sugar, salt, cinnamon, and all of the delicious fixings that we chose for our bars: chocolate chips, raisins, flax meal, sesame seeds, pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, and shredded coconut.

 

We moved on to our wet ingredients and added them to a separate bowl: olive oil, mashed banana, honey, an egg white, and water.  Everyone took turns whisking.

The wet mixture was poured into our dry ingredients and mixed.

The granola bar recipe was then poured into a parchment lined 9X13 baking pan, pressed down firmly and evenly, and baked at 350 for 30 minutes.  The key to making the granola bars stick together is letting them cool completely in the pan.  

Everyone got to try a bar, and they were a hit.

Note: Recipe adapted from Honest Cooking http://honestcooking.com/homemade­chewy­granola­bars­recipe/

To learn more about what momstown Milton is all about - Click Here

To register for a 6 week FREE trial membership - Click Here 

 

If you are a business that would like to sponsor our events or advertise with us please contact info.milton@momstown.ca

Submitted by Paula Porter, a momstown Milton member and mother of two amazing girls.

momstown Milton Junior Chefs make Spinach Smoothies and Home made Hummus

Not only did our momstown Milton kids have fun in the kitchen at Junior Chef, they happily ate lots of veggies in the process!  Getting kids to eat vegetables doesn't need to be a sneaky mission.  Involving them in making their own meals, and giving lots of variety are key in instilling a love of all foods.

This month's wet, wet, wet theme inspired our choice of menu for Junior Chef for May.  We enjoyed smoothies and a yummy dip, and enjoyed the loud sounds of the blender and food processor hard at work.  

 

 For our smoothies we tried two varieties of green yumminess:  A "Green Monster" and a "Crocodile".  We drink a lot of smoothies and shakes at our house.  We have learned some tricks along the way and now have girls that wake up and ask for these healthy treats for breakfast.  A "spinach shake" just doesn't have the appeal of a "Green Monster"!  

To make our Green Monster, we used:

1c almond milk (you can use any kind of milk)

1 ripe banana

approx 1/2 c of baby spinach

three ice cubes

If your banana isn't sweet and ripe, you can add a little honey.  You can increase the amount of spinach a bit at a time - you don't want to turn them off of green shakes by going "too green" early on.  The Junior Chefs had fun taking turns adding ingredients to the blender.  

It is a good idea to blend the spinach and milk until there are no recognizable pieces of greenery left.  This makes for a great green colour, and most kids won't be thrilled sucking up pieces of spinach through their straw!  Add the rest of the ingredients and blend until smooth.

The varieties are endless.  Banana is great for sweetness and spinach is great for nutrients, however there are limitless possibilities when making smoothies.  Adding 1/2c of baked sweet potato, or pumpkin (cooked fresh, or canned), berries, 1c of fresh or frozen mango, or unsweetened apple sauce all add sweetness and nutrients to your drink.  The kids got a kick out of drinking the delicious green smoothie!  Some asked for seconds (and thirds)!

After our smoothies, our Junior Chefs moved on to make hummus.  This is a delicious hummus that is healthy, full of protein, and always a hit with kids.  Hummus is a great snack with some veggies, and also great for a spread on a sandwich or wrap.  It is nutritious, easy, and inexpensive to make.  You may never buy hummus again...  

The kids had fun adding the ingredients to the food processor and watching it blend together. 

 

 

 

*Hummus Ingredients:

2 cups cooked chickpeas, liquid reserved and set aside

1 tsp kosher salt, or to taste

2 garlic cloves

1/3 Cup tahini

7-8 tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice

2 Tbsp reserved chickpea liquid (or water)

 

*recipe courtesy of http://bit.ly/geQPmV

Everyone got their own portion of hummus so they could dip their veggies, fingers and spoons in their yummy creation.  It was a hit!  

 

Junior Chef is such a wonderful momstown program.  Often moms will say that their kids will try things at Junior Chef that they wouldn't try at home.  It is exciting to see kids tasting new tastes, trying new things, and just having fun with food (especially vegetables!!).  Often as moms we underestimate our kids when it comes to them trying new foods, or we are too quick to say "he/she won't eat that".  We need to keep trying foods with our kids, because you never know when they will discover that the thing they have been avoiding for the last month is their new favorite!

Thank you Junior Chefs and mamas for coming out to our program this month!

To learn more about what momstown Milton is all about - Click Here

To register for a 6 week FREE trial membership - Click Here

If you are a business that would like to sponsor our events or advertise with us please contact info.milton@momstown.ca

 

Submitted by Paula Porter, a momstown Milton member and

 mother of two amazing girls.

momstown Milton Jr Chefs Explore Exotic Fruits!

Our momstown Milton Junior Chefs had a wonderful time being "little explorers"  with new and exotic fruits at our Junior Chef - exotic fruits event!

The beautiful display of colourful fruits on the table caught the eye of everyone. We started off with guessing the name of each fruit.  When we correctly identified the fruit, it was passed around the table for everyone to look at, touch and smell.  Pineapple and mango were easily guessed, but the others were a little more challenging.  The children enjoyed the guessing game, and everyone was happy to hold the fruits in their own hands.  

Once the fruit was passed around, it was time to dig in!  Each child got a butter knife, small plastic plate (or "cutting board") and a small plastic bowl.  It was time to guess what each fruit would look like on the inside!  Almost everyone guessed the papaya would be yellow, but they were surprised to see the beautiful salmon colour and black seeds.  Seeing the white flesh with tiny black seeds inside the dragon fruit (or "monster fruit" as one of our Jr Chefs called it) was surprising when the kids guessed "blue", "yellow" or "red" would be inside the vibrant pink skin.

The fruits we tried today were: Pineapple, dragon fruit, pomegranate, granadilla, mango, papaya, and star fruit.  Most of these fruits were very easy for our Junior Chefs to cut on their own with their butter knives. They also enjoyed picking out the delicious juicy pomegranate seeds from the yellow flesh.  Moms were close by to lend a helping hand, however the kids did a wonderful job making their own fruit salads. It was nice for the kids to be able to decide what they wanted to eat and when!  We were all so proud of them... everyone did such a beautiful job exploring the fruits and bravely tasted EVERYTHING!!
 

Us moms were especially amazed that each and every child tried the slimy, gelatinous yet crunchy, grey pulp of the granadilla (a kind of passion fruit).  Liam's face in the photo below is priceless.  He was a trooper... they all were!!
 

We had a really fun time today at Junior Chef.  It was wonderful to sit at the table for almost an hour, with all of the kids interested and taking part.  A part of the success of the event was the fun, bright and delicious fruit, but letting the children have their own knifes, bowls and cutting boards really seemed to make the experience special.  Sometimes the simple things are just so great.  

To learn more about what momstown Milton is all about - Click Here

To register for a 6 week FREE trial membership - Click Here

If you are a business that would like to sponsor our events or advertise with us please contact info.milton@momstown.ca

 

 

Submitted by Paula Porter, a momstown Milton member and

 mother of two children.

Holiday Cooking with Kids - Easy and Elegant Cheese Balls

momstown Milton mamas and their junior chefs created an easy yet elegant cheese ball that the little ones pretty much made all by themselves! Special thanks to Mary-Anne Scaturchio-Selwa from My Smart Hands Milton for this sweet and delightful cheese ball recipe. 

What you need

1. 1 package (8 ounces) cream cheese, softened

2. 3/4 cup coconut or chocolate chips or dried fruit (use whatever you have on hand!) 

3. 2 tbsp of Epicure Selections Mocha Cheese Seasoning

What you need to do

1. In a large bowl, add the Epicure Selections Mocha Cheese Seasoning to the cream cheese. 

2. Using a mixer, beat the cream cheese mixture until fluffy. 

3. Shape the cream cheese mixture into a ball. 

4. Roll coconut or whatever topping of choice (chocolate chips shown in pictures below) onto your cream cheese ball. 




This is how we roll!

With the holidays in full swing, this cheese ball making activity was a great way for our junior chefs to get into the festive spirit. They took simple ingredients and created a show stopping treat that could be proudly displayed on the holiday buffet table! 

 

Written by Liz Marques Kogan, a momstown Milton member and mother of two girls.

You can check out her blog at www.orchidaforever.blogspot.ca

momstown Milton kids get cooking with Nutella

Our momstown Milton moms and tots gathered together this week with Miss Mary-Anne for our Junior Chef program.The energy and excitement in the room could only be explained by one thing: Nutella! 

All little eyes and ears were on Mary-Anne as she explained what ingredients our Junior Chefs needed and what we would be doing, with a little help from mom, to make delicious Nutella Breakfast Bars. 

Nutella Breakfast Bars:

 

Directions:

1. preheat oven to 350°F and coat an 8*8 baking pan with cooking spray. 

2. In a large bowl, combine flours, baking soda, baking powder and cinnamon. Our Junior Chefs enthusiastically took turns at whisking together.

3. In another bowl, whisk sugar, butter or non-hydrogenated margarine, applesauce and egg. Add the applesauce mixture to the flour mixture and mixed just until combined. 
 

4. Fold in trail mix and spoon the whole mixture into the baking pan. The kids had a lot of fun patting and smoothing out the surface. 

5. Place in the oven to bake for 25 to 30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the centre comes out clean. 

Let cool for 15 minutes and cut into bars. 

Our Chefs had one more task to complete - spreading the oh so yummy Nutella across the top of the bars -  a little or a lot made no difference because the final product was true perfection!  

 

 

  Craft Time - favourite breakfast foods! 

Before beginning the next scrumptious treat, our Junior Chefs were given a fun craft that got them to put on their thinking caps too! They were asked to think about their favourite breakfast foods. And then they pasted colourful pictures of their special breakfast foods on a Breakfast Menu page that we encouraged the moms to take home and post on their refrigerators.

Recently Nutella released Canada's Breakfast Report citing that moms reported that the top three breakfast challenges included: a lack of breakfast ideas that the kids would like, picky eaters and a lack of time to prepare food in the morning. 

The breakfast menu was designed to help the kids "tell" moms what they prefer and act as a quick reference guide in the morning to help take the guess work out of what to serve.   The Junior Chefs enthusiastically composed their collage of foods and some of the moms were surprised at some of the foods their little ones indicated as favourites.

We weren't finished yet! Miss Mary-Anne announced it was time for another delicious Nutella recipe! 

Fruit 'n' Nutella Yogurt Parfait
(Serves 4) 

Mary-Anne led the Junior Chef group in explaining what they needed to make the Nutella parfait and how to make it. She also reminded the group that moms can make the parfaits in small mason jars for a breakfast on the go! 

 Ingredients

 

 

 

 

 

 

 Directions: 

The kids got busy layering 1 tbsp of granola, 2 tbsp of yogurt, 1/4 cup berries and of course the 1 tbsp Nutella just had to be on top!  They could then repeat with another layer depending on how hungry they were and if they could stand the wait before diving into the deliciousness.

 Each participant got to take home a full sized jar of Nutella, 5 easy-to-make and appetizing recipes and a handy "I love Breakfast" magnet - perfect for hanging our favourite breakfast menus craft on the fridge at home!  

We hold our Junior Chef program once a month.  If you'd like to join us for this program and our other amazing programs, sign up for your 6 week free trial today!

Written by Liz Marques Kogan, a momstown Milton member and mother of 2 girls. 
You can check out her blog at orchidaforever.blogspot.ca.