Trick or Treat for Healthy Halloween Treats

Submitted by Active Member Powers Strickland

It's hard to believe Halloween is this Thursday! As many people prepare for trick or treaters with bags of candy, we thought we would bring you some healthy Halloween treats for your ghosts and goblins. Did you know that 20 pieces of candy corn equals 33 grams of sugar? That's a whole lot of sugar! What better way to steer clear of all the sugar than with some fun, tasty treats you can make with your kids?

Here are a few quick and easy treats I tackled in my kitchen! 
(Disclaimer: Yours will be a lot cuter than mine!)

Mummy Dogs

Package of hotdogs or cocktail sausages
Refrigerated crescent roll dough
Yellow mustard

Wrap the hotdogs or sausages in thin strips of the crescent roll dough, creating a "mummy" effect. Bake in oven as directed on the crescent roll dough container. Once golden brown, remove from oven and let cool for a few minutes. Squeeze two dots of yellow mustard for the mummy dog eyes. Serve with mustard or ketchup and enjoy!


Banana Ghosts

One banana
Peanut butter
Chocolate Chips

Cut the banana in half. Attach two chocolate chip eyes and a mouth to the top of the banana using peanut butter. Enjoy!

For those with peanut allergies, I think a frozen whipped cream or some sort of icing would work just as well.



Spider Crackers

Round crackers (I chose whole wheat for an added healthy kick!)
Peanut butter (or icing or frozen whipped cream, for those with peanut allergies)
Thin stick pretzels
Chocolate chips

Put a table spoon of peanut butter on one side of a cracker. Place eight pretzels in the peanut butter sticking out of the sides for the spider's legs. Place a second cracker on top. Attach the chocolate chips using peanut butter as the spider's eyes. Enjoy!

Playing With Your Food

Submitted by Active Member Lisa Hockenberry

Do you remember the scene in Mermaids where Cher’s character would make the craziest concoctions for her family to eat? She adorned foods with marshmallows and sprinkles in hopes of being a “good mom”.

Recently my girlfriend informed me that she made Puppy Chow for her upcoming Tennis Holiday Party. “What is that?” I inquired. She said her mom made it growing up! I may be the only person out there that has not heard of puppy chow, but I have a sneaking suspicion it is not for puppies…

However, it got me thinking about all the fun food ideas my mom would whip up for me so that I would eat my food. I don’t think I was a picky eater, but it is a lot less hassle for kids to eat healthy when they think it actually a fun snack! I am not talking laborious make your own baby food, just easy, creative kid-friendly snacks.

Banana Hot Dog Sandwich

1 hot dog bun

2 tablespoons peanut butter

1/2 banana

1. Toast the bun.

2. Take the peanut butter and spread onto bread.

3. Top with banana.

Bugs on a Log

1 stalk celery

2 tablespoons peanut butter

Raisins or chocolate chips

1. Cut the celery into thirds.

2. Fill with peanut butter.

3. Top with raisins or chips to resemble bugs

Dirt Cups

1 package Instant Pudding Mix

2 cups milk

16 oz Oreos

3 1/3 cup Cool Whip

8 gummy worms

1. Pour milk and pudding mix into a mixing bowl. Whisk for about 2 minutes. Let set about 5 minutes.

2. Crush the Oreos. Mix the cool whip and about 1/2 the Oreos into the pudding.

3. To make the cup: Place a spoonful of Oreos into a small clear plastic cup. Top with pudding mixture until about 2/3 full. Top with remaining Oreos to create the top “dirt” layer. Push a Worm into each cup.

English Muffin Pizza

6 oz tomato sauce, I like to buy the small can just for this…no waste

6 English Muffins split, I like the whole wheat kind

Garlic powder, oregano, basil

Mozzarella cheese, shredded

Turkey Pepperoni

Black olives, diced green peppers, etc., if your kids like them

1. Toast the English Muffins to get a firm base.

2. In a small bowl, mix together the sauce and a few spices to your liking.

3. Spread a thin layer of sauce on each 1/2 of muffin. Top with a layer of cheese. Add whatever toppings to your liking.

4. Put back into toaster oven and toast one final time to melt the cheese.

Bunny Salad

1 chilled pear, half

1 lettuce leaf

2 raisins

1 red cinnamon candy

2 blanched almonds

cottage cheese ball

1. Place the lettuce leaf on a plate. Place the pear upside down on top of it.

2. Use the top of the pear for the bunny’s face. Take the raisins for eyes, the candy for the nose and the almonds for the ears.

3. A small scoop of cottage cheese makes the tail.

Forget the Fryer - Healthy Kids Go Oven-Baked

Recently, President Obama proclaimed September 2013 as National Childhood Obesity Awareness Month, “encouraging Americans to get involved in promoting healthy eating and physical activity for our kids nationwide.” You can check out the announcement on the Let’s Move! website.

The vision of the Junior League of Columbia is to strengthen the health and well-being of children and families in the Midlands. Because of this vision, we focus on healthy children through events such as Kids in the Kitchen, the Healthy Kids Fun Fair, Healthy Kids with Special Needs and more. We are excited to bring healthy recipes, tips and news on a monthly basis to JLC’s blog.

Today, we bring you a healthy recipe that the kids can even get involved in making. We found this Almond-Crusted Chicken Fingers recipe on the Eating Well website, which has some great healthy kid-friendly recipes. The great thing about these chicken fingers is that they are baked in the oven, and not fried! You can serve them with some great vegetables and sides for an easy and healthy meal for the whole family.

(Image from Eating Well's website)

Almond-Crusted Chicken Fingers

Original Recipe Here (Eating Well®)

Makes 4 Servings

Active Time: 20 Minutes

Total Time: 40 Minutes

INGREDIENTS

Canola oil cooking spray

1/2 cup sliced almonds

1/4 cup whole-wheat flour

1 1/2 teaspoons paprika

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

1/2 teaspoon dry mustard

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/8 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

1 1/2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil

4 large egg whites

1 pound chicken tenders, (see Ingredient Note)

PREPARATION

Preheat oven to 475°F. Line a baking sheet with foil. Set a wire rack on the baking sheet and coat it with cooking spray.

Place almonds, flour, paprika, garlic powder, dry mustard, salt and pepper in a food processor; process until the almonds are finely chopped and the paprika is mixed throughout, about 1 minute. With the motor running, drizzle in oil; process until combined. Transfer the mixture to a shallow dish.

Whisk egg whites in a second shallow dish. Add chicken tenders and turn to coat. Transfer each tender to the almond mixture; turn to coat evenly. (Discard any remaining egg white and almond mixture.) Place the tenders on the prepared rack and coat with cooking spray; turn and spray the other side.

Bake the chicken fingers until golden brown, crispy and no longer pink in the center, 20 to 25 minutes.

TIPS & NOTES

Ingredient note: Chicken tenders, virtually fat-free, are a strip of rib meat typically found attached to the underside of the chicken breast, but they can also be purchased separately. Four 1-ounce tenders will yield a 3-ounce cooked portion. Tenders are perfect for quick stir-fries, chicken satay or kid-friendly breaded “chicken fingers.”

NUTRITION

Per serving: 174 calories; 4 g fat ( 1 g sat , 2 g mono ); 66 mg cholesterol; 4 g carbohydrates; 0 g added sugars; 27 g protein; 1 g fiber; 254 mg sodium; 76 mg potassium.