Pancake day is my favorite day of the year! Who doesn’t enjoy having breakfast for supper? Most kids love the fun of getting either a toy, money or a special treat in their pancakes today. Why not combine your Pancake Day with Valentines Day tonight and serve these healthy pancakes in heart shapes. Try serving them up tomorrow as well as a special Valentines treat at your KES Club. Serve with red fruit and milk to ensure it’s a festive and a balanced breakfast.

Healthy Valentines Whole Wheat Oatmeal Pancakes

Ingredients

• • 1 cup uncooked rolled oats
  • 1 cup whole wheat flour
  • 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1/4 cup brown sugar
  • 2 tablespoons dry milk powder
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1 egg
  • 2 cups milk
  • 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 banana, mashed

Directions

1. Place the rolled oats into the jar of a blender and blend until the texture resembles coarse flour. Whisk together the blended oats, whole wheat flour, all-purpose flour, brown sugar, dry milk powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a bowl; set aside.
2. Whisk together the egg, milk, vegetable oil, and vanilla. Stir in the mashed banana. Pour the egg mixture into the flour mixture and stir just until moistened. Let the batter stand for 5 minutes.
3. Heat a lightly oiled griddle over medium-high heat. Drop batter by large spoonful’s onto the griddle, and cook until bubbles form and the edges are dry, about 2 minutes. Flip, and cook until browned on the other side. Repeat with remaining batter.

Recipe sourced from: http://allrecipes.com/recipe/166601/whole-wheat-oatmeal-and-banana-pancakes/

We are all aware getting fresh produce in Newfoundland and Labrador can be difficult, especially in the winter months with the countless weather delays and cancellations.  Our volunteers and Club Coordinators always look for the best deals when shopping for our KES Clubs and they always need to consider availability when creating menus.  When fresh fruits are not available, there’s no doubt that purchasing frozen fruits may be the best option.  However, some volunteers are often stuck on what to do with frozen fruit….you can basically do anything you can with fresh fruit; of course you’ll have to take the juices of the fruit into consideration.

When purchasing frozen fruits this winter, or at anytime throughout the school year, here are some ways to mix it up and serve your fruit:

• Fruit and berry smoothies
• Fruit and berry yogurt parfaits
• Warm oatmeal breakfast bar, frozen fruits and berries (thawed) offered for your toppings
• Homemade blueberry pancakes or waffles
• Fruit salad
• Frozen fruit cups
• Frozen berry yogurt cups or bark
• Berry or fruit muffins

* The day before using your frozen fruits, don’t forget to take them out to thaw in the refrigerator so that they are soft and juicy when you’re ready to serve them!

To view recipes of some of the above, visit our blog page at: http://old2018.kidseatsmart.ca/blog

Janel Genge is a Registered Dietitian with Kids Eat Smart Foundation Newfoundland and Labrador

What could be better than a homemade breakfast bar to start your morning off right. Try this nutritious recipe that includes beans as a great source of protein. Prepare them ahead of time and refrigerate. Warm them in the morning to have a warm breakfast for the kids as they arrive to breakfast club. Serve with milk and fruit for a balanced breakfast.

Blackberry Breakfast Bars

Ingredients

• ³/₄ cup – blackberries
• 1 tablespoon – chia seeds
• 3 tablespoon – maple syrup, pure
• 15 ounce – cannellini (white kidney) beans, canned
• ¹/₂ cup – applesauce, unsweetened
• ¹/₄ cup – coconut oil
• 1 cup – oats, dry
• 1 teaspoon – baking soda
• 1 teaspoon – cinnamon
• ¹/₄ teaspoon – salt
• ¹/₂ cup – almonds, sliced (depending on school allergies)

Directions

1. In a medium bowl, squish a 6 ounce package of blackberries with a fork. Stir in 1 tablespoon chia seeds and 1 tablespoon of the maple syrup (the rest will be used later). Set this blackberry jam aside to congeal.
2. Grease an 8 x 8 inch baking dish and preheat the oven to 325* F.
3. Rinse and drain a 15 ounce can of white beans (cannellini or great northern). Add them to a blender or large food processor.
4. To the blender or food processor, also add: 2 tablespoons of maple syrup, applesauce, melted coconut oil (or butter), rolled oats, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt. Blend until a batter forms.
5. Add 1/2 cup of almonds and blend until combined, or just mix in if you want added texture.
6. Pour 2/3 of the blender bean mixture into the prepared 8 x 8 inch pan. Spread it out evenly. You’ll want about 1 cup of batter set aside.
7. Pour the blackberry jam on top of the bean layer and carefully spread evenly.
8. Drop small spoonful’s of the set aside bean batter on top, covering evenly. Not all the blackberry jam will be covered and that’s okay. Optional: sprinkle extra almonds or oats on top for texture.
9. Bake for 30 minutes at 325* F. Allow to cool to room temperature and then refrigerate overnight. Cut into nine squares and serve cold or warm.

Recipe and Image sourced from: https://www.superhealthykids.com/blackberry-bean-breakfast-bars-recipe/

Kristin Hedges is a Registered Dietitian with Kids Eat Smart Foundation NL.

Encouraging students to volunteer is a great way to get kids involved in our Kids Eat Smart Clubs.  Many students participate each day by helping prepare, serve and clean up our Breakfast Clubs. Many of our Clubs have students take a major role in running the club.  Allowing students to volunteer allow them to build many life long skills such as leadership, confidence, organization and responsibility. Our younger children are able to serve food and our older children are able to take on the responsibility of organizing menus, preparing specific recipes and developing volunteer schedules. Many of our older students are also able to build up volunteer hours they require to graduate. Another bonus is that they are able to complete our Food Safety Training presentation which gives them necessary food safety skills to be able to prepare and serve foods safely. Ask your students to assist in your KES Club today!

PWC students in Ms. Woolridge’s class put on their gloves and hairnets each day to help prepare breakfast for their schools KES Breakfast Club. Today they attended a  food safety training session with Janel….thank you, Ms.Woolridge’s class!

Kristin Hedges is a Registered Dietitian with Kids Eat Smart Foundation NL.

During this time of year access to a variety of fresh fruits and vegetables on a consistent basis can be hard. Bad weather for our Province can mean delayed boats, planes and trucks.  With these delays it sometimes leaves our grocery shelves looking bare. When access to fresh fruits and vegetables is an issue there are always frozen and canned alternatives to get us through.  If all of the fruit in this particular recipe are not available substitute for those that are. Peaches, pears, mandarins and pineapple are a common item found in the canned fruit section and are available all year round. Try this fresh salad at home or in your KES Club this week:

Winter Fruit Salad