Homemade Fruit Snacks

 Ingredients:

• 1 (3 oz) package gelatin, any flavor
• 2 (.25 oz) envelopes unflavored gelatin
• 1/3 c. water

Directions:

1. Sprinkle the gelatin over the water in a small saucepan. 
2. Heat over medium heat and stir until gelatin is completely dissolved. 
3. Pour into molds and allow to set at least 20 minutes.

PB Pita Pockets

Prep: 15 min Serves: 4, 1/2 pita Cost per serving: $1

Ingredients:

• 2 fresh fruit, such as: apples, pears, bananas, peaches, or mangoes
• 2 med whole wheat pita pockets
• 1/4 c peanut butter

Directions:

1. Wash & slice fruit.
2. Cut pitas in half to form 4 pockets.
3. Warm each pita in the microwave for ab 10 seconds to make them flexible.
4. Carefully open ea pocket & add ab 1 Tbs peanut butter to its inside walls (you may need to warm the PB as well).
5. Fill each pocket with sliced fruit.
6. Serve at room temp with a cold glass of milk.
   

Mozzarella Bites

Preheat: 325 F Prep: 10 min Bake: 8 min Serves: 15, 2 sandwiches ea.

Ingredients:

• 1 pkg, 8 oz, low-moisture part skim milk mozzarella cheese
• 60 Ritz style crackers
• 1 c marinara sauce

Directions:

1. Cut cheese crosswise into 15 slices, then cut each slice in half.
2. Top 30 crackers with cheese & top each with another cracker.
3. Place sandwiches onto a 15x10x1 in pan.
4. Bake until cheese begins to melt.
5. Heat marinara sauce in microwave until warm.
6. Serve.
   

Fruit Kabobs & Dip

Prep: 15 min Serves: 8

Kabob Ingredients:

• 2 c fresh fruit chunks, such as: Apple, Cantaloupe, Grapes, Honeydew, Kiwi, Pineapple, Strawberries, Watermelon, etc.

Dip Ingredients:

• 1/2 c berry applesauce
• 1/2 c low-fat vanilla yogurt

Directions:

1. Prepare dip: Blend applesauce & yogurt in a small bowl until thoroughly combined.
2. Prepare Kabobs: Divide fruit chunks evenly & place on skewers to form kabobs. Optional: lightly grilling fruit can heighten the flavor of some fruits.
3. Cover & chill until ready to serve.
   

White House Fruit & Oatmeal Bars

Time:
About 50 minutes, plus time cooling

Ingredients:

• 6 tablespoons grapeseed oil, or other neutral oil, plus extra for brushing pan
• 2 cups rolled oats
• ½ cup mixed seeds, such as pumpkin, sunflower and sesame
• ½ cup honey
• ½ cup dark brown sugar
• 1/3 cup maple syrup
• Pinch of salt
• 1 ½ cups mixed dried fruit, such as raisins, cherries, apricots, papaya, pineapple and cranberries (at least 3 kinds, cut into small pieces if large)
• 1 teaspoon ground cardamom or cinnamon
• 2 tablespoons of butter
  

Directions:
1. Heat oven to 350 degrees. Line a 9-inch-square baking pan with parchment paper or foil, letting a few inches hangs over side of pan. Brush with oil
2. Spread oats and seeds on another baking pan and toast in oven just until golden and fragrant, 6 to 8 minutes, shaking pan once.
3. In a saucepan, combine oil, butter, honey, brown sugar, maple syrup and salt. Stir over medium heat until smooth and hot. In a mixing bowl, toss together toasted oats and seeds, dried fruit and cardamom. Pour hot sugar mixture over and stir until well combined.
4. While mixture is warm, transfer to prepared pan, pressing into pan evenly with an offset spatula.
5. Bake until brown, 25 to 30 minutes. Transfer pan to a rack and let cool completely. Using the overhanging foil or paper, lift out of pan and place on a work surface Cut into bars, about 1 ½ inches by 3 inches.

Banana Bread

Prep: 20 min Preheat: 350 F Bake: 60 min Serves: 10 or more Cost: $

I have vigorously attempted to make this a lower calorie/sugar bread. All attempts have failed to yield a successful batch. I have used Splenda, applesauce as well as several other things. I've given up. After 6 batches that were nearly inedible, had the texture & taste of cardboard, I have returned to tell everyone this is the best recipe I have ever made & well worth the extra fats & sugars!

Ingredients:

• 2 c whole wheat flour
• 1 tsp (sodium free) baking soda or 3 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp cinnamon, nutmeg, or pumpkin pie seasoning
• 1 tsp salt (optional)
• 3/4 c dark brown sugar
• 8 Tbs unsalted butter
• 1/4 c buttermilk or regular milk
• 2 Tbs vanilla extract
• 2 large eggs
• 3 over-ripe bananas
• 1 slightly green banana
• 2+ Tbs raw, coarse sugar

Optional Ingredients:

• 1 c crushed walnuts or pecans
• 1 c blueberries
• 1 c baking chips, (chocolate, peanut butter, butterscotch, white chocolate...)
• 1/2 c coconut
• 2-3 Tbs honey
• top with butter crumb

Directions

1. Sift together: flour, baking soda, cinnamon, & salt in a large bowl.
2. In a separate bowl cream together brown sugar and butter.
3. In a third bowl beat eggs, buttermilk, & vanilla.
4. Peel the over-ripe bananas & add to egg bowl, mash but don't over mash.
5. Pour creamed sugar & mashed bananas to the sifted dry ingredients bowl & mix until flour is moistened.
6. Peel the slightly green banana and cut into centimeter sized cubes.
7. Gently fold the cubed banana into the dough.
8. Pour dough into a lightly grease a loaf or muffin pan.
9. Evenly coat the top of the dough with coarse sugar.
10. Bake.
11. Allow to cool, remove from loaf pan & cut into desired thickness (in my house its just under 1 in per slice)
12. Serve topped with butter and a glass of milk.

PB&J Muffins

Preheat: 375ºF Prep: 15 min Bake: 20 min Yields: 12 muffins

Ingredients:

1. Non-stick cooking spray
2. 2 c wheat flour
3. 1 1/2 tsp salt
4. 1 Tbs baking powder
5. 1 c milk
6. 2 lg eggs
7. 2/3 c sugar
8. 1 c creamy peanut butter
9. 1/3 c vegetable oil
10. 1/2 c seedless jam or preserves
11. 1/4 c raw, coarse ground sugar

Directions:

1. Spray muffin pan with no-stick cooking spray.
2. Stir together flour, salt & baking powder in a large bowl.
3. Add milk, eggs, 2/3 cup sugar, peanut butter & oil to bowl.
4. Combine ingredients on low speed of electric mixer, just until moistened. Do not over beat!!!
5. FILL prepared muffin cups evenly with half of the batter.
6. Place 2 level teaspoons jam or preserves in the center of each muffin.
7. Evenly divide remaining batter between muffin cups.
8. Sprinkle with 1/4 cup coarse sugar.
9. Bake.
10. Remove from oven.
11. Cool in pan 5 minutes.

Spider Dip Bowl

Preheat: 350ºF Prep: Bake: 25-30 min
Courtesy: rhodesbread.com

Ingredients:

1. 2 loafs Rhodes™ Bread Dough, thawed
2. 1 egg, beaten
3. 2 raisins

Directions:

1. Form one loaf into a round ball.
2. Place on a large sprayed cookie sheet.
3. With other loaf, cut off end and form a small round ball (about one eight of loaf) and place above body.
4. Horizontally, slice remaining dough into 8 strips and roll into ropes for legs.
5. Place under head and upper body.
6. Place raisins on head for eyes.
7. Brush with beaten egg and cover with sprayed plastic wrap.
8. Allow to rise 30 minutes.
9. Remove wrap and bake.
   
10. Allow to cool on rack.
11. Slice off top of body and hollow out.
12. Line with lettuce and spoon in your preferred dip.

No Bake Snack Mix

Prep: 5-10 min
Category: Snack, Child Friendly

Possible Ingredients:

1. Pretzels
2. Popcorn
3. Cereal
4. Small Crackers, such as: Animal Crackers, Cheez-its, Wheat Thins, etc.
   
5. Granola
   
6. Nuts
   
7. Dried Fruit
8. Chocolate Chips
9. Marshmallows
   
10. Small Candies: M&Ms, Chocolate covered raisins, jelly beans
    

Directions

1. Add handfuls of each ingredient, less for the sugary sweet ingredients, into a medium to large sized bowl that has a lid.
2. Mix together.
3. Seal & store.
4. Serve about 1 c snack mix per person when needed.
   

Yogurt Popsicles

Prep: 15 min
Category: Snack, Dessert, Child Friendly

Ingredients:

1. 1 c Plain or Vanilla yogurt
2. 1 c Fruit, cubed or pureed; such as: apples, berries, bananas, kiwi, peaches, nectarines, starfruit...
3. 1 c fruit juice; such as: apple, orange, or white grape
   
4. Granola
   

Directions:

1. Combine yogurt, fruit and fruit juice in a medium sized bowl, stir thoroughly.
   
2. Pour mixture into Popsicle molds.
3. Top with 1 tsp granola per Popsicle.
4. Insert sticks.
5. Freeze.
   

Pinwheel Sandwhiches

Prep: 5 min Serves: 1
Category: Appetizer, Lunch, Snack, Child Friendly

Ingredients:

1. 1 slice bread, white, wheat, sourdough, etc.
2. Your choice of sandwich filling, such as: peanut butter & jelly, meat & cheese, ham or tuna sandwich spread, cream cheese & cucumber, peanut butter or cream cheese & fruit slices, etc.
   

Directions:

1. Roll bread flat with a rolling pin.
2. Place sandwich filling on bread.
3. Roll.
4. Cut roll into round disc shaped slices.
5. Serve.
   

Classic Ants on a Log

Prep: 5 min
Category: Snack, Child Friendly

Ingredients:

1. 4 celery stalks; washed, dried & cut in half
2. enough peanut butter to fill all of the celery sticks
   
3. 1/4 c raisins (or dried cranberries for red ants)

Directions:

1. Fill celery stalks by spreading peanut butter evenly with a butter knife.
2. Remove excess peanut butter by running the butter knife along the top edges of the celery sticks.
   
3. Arrange raisins in a single file line down the center of the peanut butter.
4. Serve.

Optional Ingredients:

1. Cinnamon sprinkled lightly over each stick.
2. Cream Cheese instead of peanut butter.
3. Kraft Old English cheese spread instead of peanut butter.