NOW YOU’RE COOKIN’: RECIPES {SNACKS}

MYO crackers

Homemade crackers are a snap to make and TASTY.

My family husband is a junk food junkie.  Our grocery list routinely states “Candy for Randy”.

It is like a staple at the top of the list: Milk, eggs, butter, candy.

I always feel a little odd when the cashier unearths these items.   Hidden under a mass of nutrition from the other end of the spectrum: Organic, organic, milk, milk, milk, organic, produce, produce, orange slices, sour cherry balls, anise dolls, organic, organic, produce…  I try to avoid eye contact.

Then there is the immediate foraging for snacks upon entering the door after a long days work.  After a quick greeting it is straight for the chips!

He will easily consume an entire bag in one sitting, before dinner.   We -he- was going through three or four bags of potato chips a week.  Concerned this may not be the ideal choice, I switched his snacking from conventional greasy potato chips to organic tortilla chips.  Still not exactly healthy, but better I thought.  This was the routine for several months.

Now I have reached the point where I am tired of spending the nearly $3.00 per bag and sick of throwing all those bags away.  Think of all the money and waste we would save by making our own snacks!

Get the recipe in my Monday post at the Green Phone Booth.

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Want your kids to eat more fruits and vegetables?
Bake them cookies!

That’s right, cookies. I am constantly augmenting my family’s meals with secret ingredients and these cookies are no exception. Ask the chitlins to eat zucchini and you will get the ewww gross face followed by a resounding NO. Put zucchini in these cookies and it’s all mmm…mmm…good! There is banana and raisins, too. My boy will not touch fruit with a ten foot pole, but these cookies disappear like candy the day after Halloween.

Oatmeal Raisin Cookies
(with banana and zucchini)

  • 1 cup whole-wheat flour
  • 1 cup old-fashioned oats
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 3/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar
  • 6 tablespoons butter, slightly softened
  • 1/2 cup banana puree*
  • 1/2 cup zucchini puree*
  • 1 large egg or egg white if you prefer
  • 1/2 cup raisins
  • 1/2 chopped walnuts (optional)
  1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Coat two baking sheets with cooking spray, or line with parchment paper.
  2. In a bowl, combine the flour, oats, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon, and stir to mix.
  3. In a large bowl, beat the sugar and butter with a wooden spoon until just combined; do not overmix. Add the banana and zucchini purees, and the egg (white), and stir just to blend. Add the flour mixture, raisins, and walnuts, if using, and stir to combine.
  4. Drop the dough by heaping tablespoonsful onto baking sheets, leaving about 1 inch in between. Bake until golden brown, 12 to 15 minutes. Let the cookies cool on the baking sheets for 4 to 5 minutes, just until they are firm enough to handle, then transfer to a rack to cool completely.
Do not use an electric mixer–it will make the cookies tough.

*To make zucchini puree trim off the ends and cut into 1-inch pieces. Steam for 6 to 8 minutes. In a food processor or blender puree for about 2 minutes, until smooth.
*Banana puree, peel banana and cut into chunks; puree in food processor or blender until smooth.

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