Blueberry French Toast Muffins!

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Our KES Clubs are always looking for an easy way to serve a hot breakfast to their kids each morning. Having a hot breakfast prepared is always a nice way to start the day, especially on these cold winter mornings. This is a great recipe that can be prepared in bulk and served at your KES Club this week. This a great way to serve eggs for breakfast if you school has no allergies.

Blueberry French Toast Muffins

  • 4 large eggs
  • 1 cup milk, any type
  • 1 tablespoons pure maple syrup
  • 1 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla
  • 12 ounces whole grain bread, cut into small pieces (about 6 cups)
  • 1 cup fresh or frozen blueberries
  • Optional toppings: maple syrup or yogurt

Preparation

  1. Preheat oven to 350°F.
  2. Whisk the eggs, milk, maple syrup, cinnamon, and vanilla together in a large bowl. Add the bread and stir to combine well. Fold in the blueberries.
  3. Spray a 12-cup muffin pan with cooking spray. Spoon equal portions of the bread mixture into the muffin pan, filling the wells almost all the way to the top.
  4. Bake in the oven for 20-25 minutes until muffins are puffed up and cooked through. Remove from oven and cool. Serve muffins plain, or top them with a little bit of maple syrup or yogurt on the side.

Recipe and Image sourced from: https://www.blueberrycouncil.org/blueberry-recipe/blueberry-french-toast-muffins/

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

New Year – New Breakfast!

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The New Year is all about trying things new and fresh.  Many of those at home and in our Kids Eat Smart Clubs will be looking to start the New Year off with some new healthy choices for breakfast.  This recipe is a nutritious way to start your day and can easily be included in your breakfast routine.  When serving at your KES Club be sure to check for egg allergies before adding to your menu.

Breakfast Burrito

Ingredients

  • 2 eggs
  • 2 tbsp milk
  • 1/2 small red pepper, diced
  • pinch each salt and pepper
  • 2 tbsp shredded Cheddar cheese
  • 1 small tortilla

Directions

Whisk eggs, milk, green pepper, salt and pepper in small bowl.  Spray skillet with cooking spray.  Heat skillet over medium-high heat until hot enough to sizzle a drop of water.  Pour in egg mixture and immediately reduce heat to medium-low. As eggs begin to set, gently move spatula across bottom and side of skillet to form large, soft curds. Cook until eggs are thickened and no visible liquid egg remains, but the eggs are not dry.  Sprinkle with cheese.  Spoon the eggs in the center of the tortilla and top with salsa. Fold up the bottom and then the sides to enclose filling.

Recipe sourced from: https://www.eggs.ca/recipes/breakfast-burrito

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

Red Nose Reindeer Snack!

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Over the holiday’s it’s always nice to spend quality family time at home with the kids.  Movie time is a great time to enjoy a festive holiday snack.  Most snacks can be made festive by simply placing them in holiday themed shapes.  Try this fun reindeer snack with your kids this holiday season.

Red Nose Reindeer Snack

    • 1 small apple, cut into 8 slices
    • 16 pretzel sticks
    • 4 red grapes, halved
    • 16 mini dark chocolate chips

Directions:

Place apples on plate. Break 8 pretzel sticks in half. Assemble reindeer by placing pretzel sticks for antlers, grapes for nose and two chocolate chips for eyes.

Recipe and Image sourced from: https://www.produceforkids.com/recipes/red-nose-reindeer-snack/

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

Christmas Morning Breakfast!

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Keep the excitement of Christmas morning going and have the kids jump in to help prepare your special breakfast.  Get creative by arranging fruits in festive shapes.  With all the special holiday meals it is important to include balanced meals and snacks all throughout the day.  Ensuring we have fruit and vegetables with every meal allows us to reach our recommended servings each day.

Try this easy fun recipe for your Christmas Morning Breakfast:

Santa Pancakes 

Ingredients

  • Pancake
  • Banana
  • Strawberry
  • Raspberry
  • Blueberries
  • Cashew

Directions

Place bananas for beard, hair and eyes. Place strawberries for hat with a banana for the tassel. Place blueberries for eyes. Place raspberry for mouth and cashew for nose (if nut allergies use blueberry for nose).

Recipe and Image sourced from: https://mobile.thevegetarianrecipesclub.com/vegetarian-recipes/healthy-santa-pancakes

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

 

Festive Berry Smoothie!

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Smoothies are a great addition to any KES Club menu all year round, but why not try a new festive smoothie this week as a fun addition to your breakfast.  Smoothies can include two of the four food groups when adding milk or yogurt and fruit (fresh or frozen).  Smoothies are always a hit with the kids. Smoothies can easily add 2-3 servings of fruit to our daily intake depending on the size of the smoothie and quantity of  fruit added. The more fruit the better! Try this Holiday Smoothie this week at home or at your KES club:

Festive Berry Smoothie

Ingredients                                                                                                                                                                                          (makes 5 smoothies)

  • 1 cup strawberris, frozen (sliced or whole)
  • 1 cup raspberries frozen
  • 1 cup vanilla yogurt
  • 1 1⁄2 cups milk

Directions

Blend ingredients and serve.

Recipe & image sourced from: https://www.geniuskitchen.com/recipe/red-berry-smoothie-395747

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

Grinch Fruit Kabobs!

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We see this one pop up at our Kids Eat Smart Clubs each year.  It’s a fun festive way to enjoy fruit and get kids excited about Christmas.  It’s an easy and fun concept. There is some prep work needed but this is a great one to get the kids involved in helping out  – little hands make a great help.  Adults can prepare and slice the fruit and the kids can help assemble.

Grinch Fruit Kabobs

What you’ll need: 

  • strawberries
  • bananas
  • green grapes
  • mini marshmallows
  • toothpicks

Directions:

  1. Cut the greens and stems off the strawberries to make a flat surface.
  2. Slice off the top of the green grapes to make a flat surface.
  3. Slice the bananas into 3 millimeter slices (do one banana at a time to avoid them turning brown or squeeze some orange juice over them to keep them from discoloring).
  4. On a toothpick or mini plastic skewer place one grape (flat side up), slice of banana, strawberry (flat side meeting banana) and finally the mini marshmallow on top.

Recipe and image sourced from: http://www.diychristmasdecorations.net/grinch-fruit-kabobs-edible-christmas-treats-kids/

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

 

O Christmas Tree!

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We encourage all of our KES Clubs to serve fruit on a daily basis.  Fruit trays work great for our Clubs as they allow kids to see many different kinds of fruits, and may encourage kids to try fruits they have never tried before.  With younger kids, be sure to have volunteers help serve the fruit for food safety reasons.  You can do fun Festive fruit trays all month long at your KES Club. All you’ll need to do is place your fruit in fun shapes such as the Christmas Tree below.  Adding Festive fun to your Club can get kids excited about healthy eating.

Christmas Tree Fruit Tray

  • Honeydew melon
  • Raspberries
  • Cantaloupe
  • Blackberries
  • Pineapple
  • Watermelon for star
  • Pretzel sticks for tree

(you can use whatever fruit you have on hand)

Directions

  • Place in shape of a Christmas tree on platter
  • Serve with vanilla yogurt for dipping

Recipe and image sourced from: www.pinterest.ca

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

Very Merry Christmas Bark!

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We featured this fun festive recipe in our Kids Eat Smart Recipe Box this month and hope you can try it!  It’s a great time to try something different and get kids excited about the holidays.  This is a recipe that can be prepared ahead of time and left in the freezer to easily serve up in the morning.

Very Merry Christmas Bark

Ingredients

  • 2 cups Greek yogurt (plain or vanilla)
  • 1 cup mixed fruit (kiwi, strawberry, mango, blueberries)
  • 1 small tree shaped cookie cutter
  • Parchment paper

Directions

Thinly slice fruit lengthwise.  Using a tree shaped cookie cutter, cut a tree from each slice. Line a rimmed baking sheet with  parchment paper. Pour the yogurt onto the baking sheet and spread evenly.  Place mixed fruit throughout yogurt.  Freeze until  solid.  Cut into sections and place in baggies.  Return to freezer until ready to serve.

Recipe adapted from: https://www.healthylittlefoodies.com/christmas-frozen-yogurt-bark/

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

 

 

 

 

 

 

Festive Veggie Platter!

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With December here, we are looking forward to all the Christmas festivities we have in store.  Christmas is a great time to have fun with how we serve breakfast.  Serving fruit and vegetables in fun and exciting ways helps kids get excited about healthy eating.  Serving up vegetables for breakfast is a great way to ensure we are getting enough veggies each day.  Serve this fun vegetable tray at your KES Club over the month of December to get kids in the spirit of the holidays and enjoying their veggies:

Festive Veggie Tray

All you’ll need:

  • Broccoli
  • Cherry tomatoes
  • Cauliflower
  • Yellow peppers
  • Pretzel sticks
  • Ranch dressing

Directions:

Arrange on a platter in the shape of a Christmas tree. Serve with ranch dressing for dipping sauce. 

Image and Recipe Sourced from: https://www.bettycrocker.com/recipes/christmas-tree-vegetable-platter/652abef8-2f37-4200-8dc6-c38a4350ba96

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

Vitamin D in the Winter Months!

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Calcium and Vitamin D are two main nutrients we all need in our diet for healthy growth and development, especially in children. Calcium helps us build and maintain strong bones and teeth, very important for growing children attending our clubs!  What many people don’t realize is that one of the main roles of vitamin D is to help absorb the calcium in our bodies from the foods we eat.  In turn, eating calcium rich foods can be of no benefit if your body does not have the vitamin D it requires to help you absorb it.  Since vitamin D is known as the “sunshine vitamin” and we live in a climate that we get limited sun exposure throughout the year, we may have to consume a little bit extra of those foods that are a good source of vitamin D.

We encourage all of our KES Clubs to serve milk daily but here are some other ideas to help ensure we are getting enough Calcium and Vitamin D rich foods in our KES Clubs, and at home.

Calcium:

  • milk, cheese, yogurt
  • fortified orange juice (labels will say this)
  • spinach, turnip greens
  • salmon, beans, almonds

Vitamin D:

  • milk, yogurt, eggs (specifically the yolk)
  • margarine
  • fortified 100% orange juice
  • pork, salmon, trout, tuna