Snack Ideas

• For after-school programs, there are two fun and healthy snacks you can make with kids. Ants on a log is an old time favorite and requires minimal preparation. Ingredients include: celery, peanut butter and raisins. Wash and dry the celery stalks. Cut the celery in half. Fill the cut celery stalks with creamy peanut butter. Then place raisins on top of the peanut butter. For children with peanut allergies, replace the peanut butter with ricotta cheese, cream cheese or do a hummus/olive combination instead of peanut butter/raisin.
  
  Another easy and yummy recipe is chex mix. Before you start, preheat the oven to 250 degrees Fahrenheit. Combine 3 cups of each: wheat chex, rice chex and corn chex into a large, greased glass, oven-safe pan (15 inches by 10 inches is recommended). Then in a separate bowl melt 6 tbsp. of butter in the microwave. Once the butter is melted, mix 2 tbsp. of worcestershire sauce in with the butter. Then add 1 1/2 tsp. of seasoned salt, 3/4 tsp. of garlic power and 1/2 tsp. of onion powder together with the butter/worcestershire mixture. Mix thoroughly so there are no clumps and pour the sauce over the Chex cereal in the oven-safe pan and place in the oven. Cook for an hour, but check and stir the mixture every 15 minutes or so to avoid burning.
  
  

Dessert Projects

• Since everybody loves sweets, kids will love making desserts. Cookies, both the dough and final product, are always enjoyed! If you're concerned with raw eggs in the dough, use Egg Beaters or another egg substitution. Resist the temptation of the quick and easy, premade frozen cookie dough. It's important that children understand the process, so working from scratch is educational and also a lot of fun!
  
  Other dessert ideas include yummy brownies, a quick and gooey dessert. Ingredients include one 14 oz. package of graham crackers, 1/2 cup of butter, one can of sweetened condensed milk and 2 cups of chocolate chips. Before you start, preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Smash the graham crackers until they are crumbs. This can be a fun activity for a child, but it's recommended that you have them smash them in a plastic bag or in a pan. You can also put them in a food processor to smash them evenly and quickly. Once you have crumbs, melt 1/2 cup of butter in the microwave. Mix the melted butter in with the graham cracker crumbs and press the graham cracker/butter mixture onto the bottom of a greased 9 inch by 13 inch glass, oven-safe pan to make a crust. Open the sweetened condensed milk can and pour over the graham cracker crust. Then sprinkle the chocolate chips over the sweetened condensed milk. Bake for 25 minutes. Let cool for an hour and enjoy.
  
  To make another favorite, Lincoln Logs, take one graham cracker and break in half. Cut the half piece into two smaller pieces. Try to break the graham crackers according to the dotted lines that appear on the cracker. If you have trouble breaking them, use a dull knife to make the cut as precise as possible. Take creamy, room temperature peanut butter and slab a nice coat onto one side of a graham cracker piece. Press the other graham cracker piece against it to form a cookie. Press firmly so it is secure. Dip the peanut butter graham cracker cookie into melted chocolate and then place on a greased, drying rack. Allow several minutes to cool.
  
  

Make the Kitchen Accessible

• As children grow and explore, it's important they feel empowered to do things on their own. Teaching them about cooking, food and nutrition will educate and enable them to make and eat the right things. Let them feel comfortable in the kitchen and discuss things they can do on their own. The kitchen should be accessible to them. Reserve a special drawer at their height where they can store sippy cups, plastic dishware or other items that they use frequently. Find a stool or step for them to use to reach the counter. When making your kitchen accessible, remember that there are dangerous items as well. Explain the consequences of using sharp knives or touching the stove top or oven. Once they understand the harm of these items, they'll be less likely to explore out of curiosity. They also should understand the responsibility of using the kitchen and the need to clean up after they cook.