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After the shakeup with Melanie being fired, they’re trying all kinds of different things at  Sprout. One of them is the Sprout Diner campaign on healthy eating and cooking.

I like the idea of using children’s favorite cartoon characters to encourage them to eat healthy. Much better than getting them to buy toys and eat sugary cereals. The recipes are very creative, like Angelina’s Ballet Slippers (stuffed peppers) and Barney’s Purple Hummus Dip (you use beets to color the hummus).

Each recipe lists:

• ingredients
• equipment needed
• how preschoolers can help do the cooking
• nutritional information

There’s also a link to KidsHealth and a way to send the recipe via an electronic recipe card.

Finally the site features interactive games, printables, and a make your own placemat activity. So make a dinner reservation at the Sprout Diner today!

Rebecca blogs at An Irish Craftworkers Good Life about her craft business and making things like:

• hand painted pillow cases
• felt birds
• felted bowls (doesn’t the green one look like an inverse head of lettuce?)
• felt fish

Otherwise, she’s a stay-at-home mom to Aoife and Muireann. (Her husband also has a craft business and makes these gorgeous hobby horses.)

Being a creative person and coming from a family of artists, she came up with a marvelous way to teach her daughters about their world. The first step was the Tasting Game:

Taste
Choose several food items (you know your own children’s limits & allergies) from the fridge and cupboards. Spoon a small amount of each onto individual dishes (or pot lids). Aoife, aged 4, chose to be blindfolded, while Nana guided her finger to one of the samples for tasting. Muireann also wanted to play, but being a bit younger, opted to keep her eyes open. I played too, and without seeing the colour, it can actually be quite tricky to guess the flavour.

The children loved this game. Its quite exciting and can be very funny. One tip though, leave the chocolate spread sample until last otherwise the game is in danger of being discarded for repeated tastings of the same sample!!!

Possible samples : Try and cover a couple of different flavour experiences which include plenty of sweet (honey, syrup, raison, yogurt, chocolate spread), perhaps a mild sour (diluted lemon) and salt (only one grain, or a ready salted crip). Each of these flavour senses are located on a different area of the tongue. Don’t use anything yucky unless you want to lose the trust of your children!

She’s also done Sound twice and done Touch as well. I’ve managed to find several books on the senses that would go well with her activities:

• You Can’t Taste a Pickle With Your Ear: A Book About Your 5 Senses- for ages 4-8, this is clear, humorous look at the five senses will engage young children. Each chapter ends with a series of simple questions designed to encourage children to think about how they use their senses every day.
• Squishy, Squishy: A Book About My Five Senses - for ages 4-8
• Fun With My 5 Senses: Activities to Build Learning Readiness - for ages 4-8 and recommended for preschool, daycare, classroom, and home school lesson planning, this book presents a variety of activities to explore and understand the five senses.

Technorati tags: children’s books, the senses, learning

You know what happens when you Google "apple recipes"? You get over 2.14 million references, many of which are state apple recipe links. So join me on a short tour of apples around the U.S.A.

Washington State
The Washington Apple Commission’s gorgeous website is a terrific reference for any kind of apple recipe, from bars and snacks, to lowfat recipes, to entrees. There’s even a kids’ section that has a kid-friendly recipe for caramel candied apples and activities, like coloring and trivia. Recipes that stood out for me were Golden Delicious Risotta and this one for Washington Apple Pizza.

Washington Apple Pizza
(Photo courtesy of the US Apple Association)
Serves 6

Ingredients:

1. 1/2 cup low fat ricotta cheese
2. 2 tablespoons minced onion
3. 1/2 teaspoon dried dill
4. 1 16-ounce package pre-cooked pizza crust
5. 1 Jonagold or Golden Delicious apple, cored and thinly sliced
6. 1/2 cup thinly sliced sweet red pepper 3/4 cup shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese.

Directions:

1. Heat oven to 425 degrees F. In small bowl, combine ricotta cheese, onion, and dill; mix well. Spread on pizza crust.
2. Layer apple and red pepper on top of cheese mixture. Sprinkle with mozzarella. Bake 7 to 10 minutes or until cheese melts and pizza is heated through.

Nutritional Information:
Protein: 11g; Fat: 6g; Carbohydrate: 31g; Fiber: 1g; Sodium: 369mg; Cholesterol: 11mg; Calories: 216.

North Carolina
I like this apple recipe from the NC Department of Agriculture & Consumer Resources:

Baked Apple Dumplins with Lemon Sauce
(Photo courtesy of AOL Food)
Yield: 7 servings

Ingredients:

1. 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
2. 1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
3. 7 teaspoons butter, softened
4. 7 medium apples, cored, peeled
5. 2 cups buttermilk baking mix
6. 1/3 cup ice water
7. 1 tablespoon oil
8. 2 cups water
9. 1 cup sugar
10. 1 tablespoon butter
11. 1/2 teaspoon cornstarch
12. 1 tablespoon lemon flavoring

Directions:

1. Mix brown sugar and cinnamon in small bowl. Place 1 teaspoon butter and 2 teaspoons brown sugar mixture in each apple.
2. Combine baking mix, 1/3 cup ice water and oil in bowl; mix well. Roll to 1/4-inch thickness on floured waxed paper. Cut into 7 squares.
3. Place 1 apple on each square. Bring corners up to enclose apples; fasten with toothpicks. Place in greased 10×10-inch baking dish.
4. Combine 2 cups water and sugar in saucepan. Bring to a boil, stirring until sugar dissolves. Add 1 tablespoon butter and cornstarch dissolved in a small amount of cold water. Cook until thickened, stirring constantly. Stir in lemon flavoring. Pour over dumplings.
5. Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour.

Approx Per Serving: Cal 471; Prot 2.9 g; Carbo 88.7 g; T Fat 13.1 g; Chol 14.8 mg; Potas 267.0 mg; Sod 525.0 mg.

Maryland
Maryland’s Apple Promo Board has an online collection of Maryland apple recipes including several apple recipes for kids, like this one for Apple Jello Giggles.

Apple Jello Giggles
Fun for kids, but also makes an attractive garnish for a meat platter. Vary the flavors of gelatin and use both red and yellow apples for a variety of color combinations.

Ingredients:

1. 1 package (3 oz.) gelatin, any flavor
2. 1 cup boiling water
3. 1/2 cup cold water

Directions:

1. Dissolve gelatin in boiling water; stir in cold water and set aside.
2. Core apples leaving bottom of apple intact. Hollow out some of the apple flesh to make room for gelatin.
3. Pour gelatin in apple and place apples in individual bowls to keep them upright. Chill until gelatin is firm.
4. Cut in wedges to serve.

Virginina
Are you appled out yet? I hope not because VirginiaApples.org has some easy apple recipes including Slow-Cooked Apple Butter, Apple Brown Betty, and Apple Chicken Stir Fry.

New York
The land of the Big Apple has the NY Apple Country recipes including Apple Meatloaf, Apple Smothered Pork Chops, and Sweet Potato and Apple Casserole.

Vermont
VermontApples.org features several apple recipes like Curried Apple Soup, Kuchen, and Apple Cranberry Jelly (make sure your popup blocker is turned off to view the recipes).

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I got a call from my mom’s club crafts coordinator asking if I had any Usborne Books on Johnny Appleseed. Being apple season, she was planning a craft and snack around apples, and wanted to read the children a story about Johnny Appleseed. Sadly Usborne does not have any books on the American legend. However, there are a vast amount of terrific books on Johnny Appleseed by other publishers. You should also check out the VHS of Disney’s Melody Time, which features a 17-minute short on Johnny Appleseed. It’s considered a Disney classic.

First a History Lesson
Johnny Appleseed was born in Leominster, Massachusetts on September 26, 1774. His real name was John Chapman. He started his westward journey about 1797. "Johnny Appleseed" was not a scatter of seeds many people believe. He was a practical nurseryman. He realized that there was a real need and an opportunity for service in supplying seeds and seedlings.

For the most part, moving ahead of the pioneers, Johnny started many nurseries throughout the Midwest by planting seeds which he bought from cider mills in Pennsylvania. He owned many tracts of land throughout Ohio and Indiana. He used this land to plant apple seeds, transplant seedlings and set out orchards. He sold and gave trees to the pioneer settlers.

John Chapman spread religion as well as apples. A deeply religious man, John Chapman became a self-appointed missionary for the Church of the New Jerusalem. Johnny Appleseed died on March 18,1845 in Fort Wayne, Indiana after more than 50 years of travel. (Credit to Leominster Historical Commission)

Then Some Book Recommendations

• The True Tale of Johnny Appleseed - for ages 4-9
• The Story of Johnny Appleseed - for ages 4-8
• Johnny Appleseed - for ages 4-8
• The Sun, the Rain, and the Apple Seed: A Novel of Johnny Appleseed’s Life - for ages 9-12
• Who Was Johnny Appleseed? - for ages 9-12

Finally Some Additional Resources

• Wikipedia on Johnny Appleseed
• Apple Education Guide for Teachers from OhioApples.org
• Midge Frazel’s Johnny Appleseed Thematic Unit
• Johnny Appleseed Day from Homeschooling.About.com

Tomorrow Some Apple Recipes…

Technorati tags: children’s books, apples, Johnny Appleseed

Reading a recipe for Oatmeal Spice Cookies in today’s Denver Post got me thinking about Don’t Forget the Oatmeal: A Supermarket Word Book, Featuring Jim Henson’s Sesame Street Muppets. This book is a favorite of Nathan’s. It features Burt and Ernie going on a shopping spree at the grocery store, but nearly forgetting to buy some oatmeal for breakfast.

Burt loves oatmeal, which makes him my kind of guy. For I believe that there are four types of breakfast people in the world - those who like bread (pancakes, French Toast, bagels, oatmeal, etc.), those who like milk (yogurt and cottage cheese for example), fruit eaters, and those who like eggs and meat (bacon, sausage, ham, and so on).

Nathan and I are bread people who love oatmeal. He also likes fruit, especially cantaloupe in the morning, and I grew up eating Dannon’s coffee yogurt every morning. My husband is definitely an eggs and meat kind of guy, who can be persuaded to eat fruit and yogurt on occasion. Lucie is a bread and milk with an occasional side of bacon kind of girl (aren’t we all?). However, she would love to eat Oreos and Rice Krispie treats for breakfast instead if I’d let her.

Whatever kind of breakfast person you are, we can all agree that eating oatmeal is good for you. Per writer Jill Wendholt Silva:

…oats are high in vitamin B-1 and contain a good amount of B-2 and E. A whole grain, oats are also packed with phytochemicals and insoluble fiber that have a beneficial effect on cholesterol, blood pressure, blood sugar and intestinal health. And they’re a stick-to-your- ribs sort of food that can keep hunger pangs at bay for hours.

Other ingredients that make this cookie a real standout are walnuts, which offer healthful omega-3 fatty acids, and sunflower seeds, rich in iron. Spices are high in antioxidants. (In a just-released American Journal of Clinical Nutrition study, 13 of the 50 food products highest in antioxidants were spices, including cinnamon.)

Sometimes you have to disguise oats to get people to eat them. Healthy, low fat cookies are a great way to do this. So why not give them a try?

Oatmeal Spice Cookies
Makes about 5 dozen

Ingredients:

1. 1 cup sugar
2. 1 cup brown sugar
3. 2 egg whites
4. 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
5. 2 teaspoons vanilla
6. 1/3 cup fat-free milk
7. 1/3 cup unsweetened applesauce
8. 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
9. 1/2 cup whole-wheat flour
10. 2 teaspoons baking soda
11. 1/2 teaspoon salt
12. 2 teaspoons cinnamon
13. 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
14. 3 cups quick-cooking rolled oats
15. 1 cup raisins
16. 1/4 cup roasted, unsalted, shelled sunflower seeds
17. 1/4 cup chopped walnuts, toasted

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Spray baking sheets with nonstick spray coating.
3. Beat together sugar, brown sugar, egg whites and oil. Beat in vanilla, milk and applesauce. Stir together flours, baking soda, salt and spices; blend into sugar mixture. Stir in oats, raisins, sunflower seeds and walnuts.
4. Drop cookie dough by teaspoonfuls onto prepared baking sheets, about 2 inches apart.
5. Dip the bottom of a glass into sugar, then use bottom of glass to press cookie down lightly and evenly to 1/2 to 3/4 inch thick.
6. Bake 11 to 13 minutes or until golden brown. Remove to wire rack to cool completely.

Per cookie: 73 calories (17 percent from fat), 1 gram total fat (trace saturated fat), trace cholesterol, 14 grams carbohydrates, 2 grams protein, 64 milligrams sodium, 1 gram dietary fiber.

Technorati tags: children’s books, oatmeal, Sesame Street, cookies, recipes