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Sherrie Norris Lovin’ Spoonful Cooking Column: Healthy Snacks for Happy Kids

By Sherrie Norris

At the end of another school year, many families are already wondering how to keep the kids healthy and happy during summer break.

Routines are often knocked out of balance, including mealtimes, but with a few handy tips, we can keep the kids on track, nutritionally, anyway, by suggesting food and snacks that are fun to make and wholesome to eat. Hope this helps.

Scrambled Egg Melts
4 eggs
¼ cup milk
¼ tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. pepper
1 Tbsp. margarine or butter
2 English muffins, split and toasted
4 slices Canadian bacon
4 slices American cheese

In medium bowl, combine eggs, milk, salt and pepper. Beat until well blended. Melt margarine in medium skillet over medium heat. Add egg mixture, cook 3 to 4 minutes or until eggs are set, stirring occasionally. Place English muffins split side up on small cookie sheet. Place 1 slice Canadian bacon on each muffin half. Spoon scrambled eggs evenly over bacon. Top with cheese. Broil 3 to 4 inches from heat for 1 minutes or until cheese is melted, or toast in toaster oven.

Fruit Kabobs
1 apple
1 banana
1/3 cup red seedless grapes
1/3 cup green seedless grapes
Fresh pineapple
1 cup nonfat yogurt
¼ cup dried coconut, shredded

Wash grapes and apples, cutting apples into small squares; peel banana and cut it into chunks; cut pineapple into chunks. Place fruit on a plate or in a bowl.

Spread yogurt and coconut onto two large plates. Slide desired pieces of fruit onto a wooden skewer and design kabob as desired. Do this until the stick is almost covered from end to end. Hold kabob at the ends and roll it in the yogurt, lightly covering fruit. Then roll it into the coconut. Repeat steps with each skewer.

Peanut Butter Dip with Pretzels And Fruit
½ cup peanut butter
½ cup vanilla yogurt
¼ tsp. cinnamon
¼ cup raisins
2 cups miniature pretzel twists
Apple slices and banana chunks

In small bowl, combine first four ingredients. Mix well. Keep refrigerated. Serve with pretzels and fruit.

Oven-Fried Apple Pies
1 Tbsp. sugar
¼ tsp. cinnamon
1 large can Pillsbury Grands Refrigerated Biscuits
1 cup apple pie filling
4 Tsp. butter, melted

Heat oven to 375. Spray 2 cookie sheets with nonstick cooking spray. In small bowl, combine sugar and cinnamon, set aside.
Separate biscuit dough into 8 biscuits. Press or roll each to form 5-inch rounds. Place on sprayed cookie sheets. Place 2 Tbsp. pie filling slightly off center of each biscuit round on one cookie sheet. Fold biscuits over filling, press edges with fork to seal. Prick top of each 3 times with fork. Brush each with melted butter; sprinkle with sugar mixture. Bake at 375 for 15 to 20 minutes or until deep golden brown, noting that some of the filling may bubble out at edges. Repeat with biscuit rounds on second cookie sheet. Immediately remove from cookie sheet. Cool at least 5 minutes before serving.