Friday, September 16, 2016

Homemade Healthy Snacks

September marks the beginning of a season of busy days, especially for kids.It's running from school to dance class or soccer practice. It' also means snacking on the run. That means unhealthy nibbles here and there. Stop this with healthy snacks that are both flavorful and good for them.

All kids, from kindergarten to college love Pop Tarts. Yet those treats are full of sugar  and artificial flavors. They also have gotten away from their original fruit filling by offering wacky flavors like root beer and s'mores. This can been amended by making home made fruit tarts. First start with using whole wheat flour  and coconut oil along with flax egg (instead of using the real thing mix a tablespoon of ground flax with three teaspoons of water) along almond milk. Apple sauce and cinnamon  are also added.The trick is to cutting the dough into perfect squares to emulate the real thing. Use all natural preserves such as Bonne Maman jams for the filling. They have excellent flavors such as wild blueberry, peach  and strawberry. You could even put two flavors in the tarts for a fun surprise.. Hostess Fruit Pies, long a favorite with kids also has a healthy homemade version. Again use whole wheat flour  along with a melange of spices such as cinnamon , nutmeg, clove and ginger. Since it hast to be a flaky crust, use Earth Balance all natural margarine instead of butter. Fresh apples or pears can be used for the filling, Cook them with brown sugar and almond extract for that gooey pie filling texture.

Granola and power bars are part of any kid's diet. They 're great alleviating those hunger pangs along giving tots, tw'ens and teens a boost of energy.Yet most are filled with sugar  and even transfat. Don;t feed the these fat bombs masquerading as healthy snacks Make your own. It's an easy mix of oatmeal,almonds, vegan butter and dried fruit such as apricots or for more zing cranberries. Should chocolate be added, like the store bought ones? If the kids request it , then yes but add the dark chocolate morsels. The granola bars can also be coated in the melted seventy to eighty per cent dark chocolate. These bars have very little sugar but are packed with antioxidants. Vary the  granola bar flavors, Make a peanut butter or a crunchy peanut butter every so often,.Take  the granola one step further and make  cookies ith the healthy mix. Carry on the healthy vibe by using gluten free oat flour along with evaporated cane or coconut sugar to make it a bit more nutritious than the average snap. Cookies taste better with chocolate chips so add the dark chocolate ones to the dough.These can be fancied up for birthday parties by dipping them in melted seventy per cent chocolate and then dusted with coconut.The granola and chocolate can also be blended together to form a bark, a nice once a week treat .

Don't feed the kids bad snacks. Make these healthy treats to continue with nutritious and wholesome eating during the day. It'll not only satisfy hunger but fill them up with the good stuff.

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