Baxter’s Carrot and Orange Soup
Baxter thinks this soup is nutritious, delicious, and easy to make!
Ingredients:
12 large carrots, 1½ to 2 lbs, peeled and chopped
4 cups chicken stock
1 cup fresh orange juice
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
Grated fresh orange zest to taste
Directions:
Add carrots and chicken stock to pot, bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer until carrots are very tender, about 30 minutes. Pour the soup through a strainer and transfer solids to a food processor or food mill with 1 cup of the cooking stock. Process until smooth. Return puree to the pot and add the orange juice and the remainder of the stock. Add orange zest. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Simmer until heated through and serve immediately.
Makes 4-6 servings
Baxter’s B Healthy Tip: Carrots contain the antioxident beta-carotene that helps keep your eyes and heart healthy!
Buck loves dipping fresh veggies! Whip up his favorite dill dip recipe to pair with freshly chopped vegetables!
Ingredients:
1 cup light sour cream
1 cup low-fat plain yogurt
2 tsp. dill weed
3 tbsp. parsley flakes
4 tbsp. fine chopped onion
*Substitute onions with 4 tbsp. of finely chopped cucumber
Directions:
Mix the sour cream and yogurt until blended. Add dill weed, parsley flakes and chopped onion and mix all together. Now you are ready to dippity dip your veggies!
Buck’s B Healthy Tip: Experiment with recipes by substituting mayo with low-fat plain yogurt. Low-fat plain yogurt is a great source of calcium and pro-biotics.
Bitsy’s Victorious Veggie Personal Pizza
Bitsy thinks pizza with veggies is a win-win!
Ingredients:
1 Whole Wheat English Muffin
⅓ cup fresh, shredded mozzarella cheese
2 tbsp. low sodium tomato sauce
Fresh veggies of your choice: brocolli, peppers, mushrooms, tomato
Directions:
Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees. Spread tomato sauce on split english muffin halves. Add vegetable toppings of your choice. Cooked brocolli, peppers, mushrooms, and tomatoes are some of Bitsy’s favorites. Sprinkle with fresh mozzarella cheese and bake in the oven at 350 for 8 minutes.
Fun activity to do at your next playdate or party! You can make a veggie topping bar and let everyone create their own healthy pizza!
Bitsy’s B Healthy Tip: Adding fresh vegetables to pizza helps you get the vitamins and nutrients you need!
Buck’s Scrumptious Spinach Salad
Buck wants to be healthy and strong. He knows spinach is a super veggie!
Ingredients:
2 bunches fresh spinach
1 can sliced water chestnuts (drained and washed thoroughly)
Fresh bean sprouts
Turkey bacon
1 pkg. slivered almonds (NUTS OPTIONAL)
3-6 green onions
3 hard-boiled eggs diced
Mushrooms
Grated cheese
Directions:
Combine all ingredients and toss with your favorite dressing. Refrigerate and serve.
Buck’s B Healthy Tip: If you use canned vegetables, always drain and wash thoroughly to get rid of excess sodium!
Bitsy’s Lovely Loaf of Bread (Makes 2 loaves)
Bitsy loves to bake. Her homemade bread is healthy to eat and fun to make!
Ingredients:
2 cups oatmeal
2½ cups boiling water
⅓ cup wheat germ
2 packages dry yeast
½ cup honey
½ cup lukewarm water
¼ cup dark molasses
3 cups whole wheat flour
2 tbsp. salt
3 ½ cups unbleached white flour
¼ cup safflower oil
Directions:
Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees. Combine first 6 ingredients in large bowl; pour boiling water over and then let sit until lukewarm. Dissolve yeast in ½ cup lukewarm water and add to the first mixture. Add flour, 1 cup at at time, until dough is fairly dry. Knead thoroughly; cover with a cloth and set aside to rise and double in bulk. Punch down. Kneading and punching the dough is a fun way to include your kids in the process. Divide into 2 parts; form each into a loaf. Place loaves in greased loaf pans. Let rise until almost double.
Bake at 350 degrees for 45-50 minutes.
Bitsy’s B Healthy Tip: Your growing body needs the benefits of the healthy grains you eat. Include a serving of grains with every meal.
Baxter loves to nibble on carrots. He finds them extra tasty dipped in hummus.
Ingredients:
2 large carrots
½ cup of hummus
Directions:
Peel and wash carrots. Slice carrots into rounds. Dip them in hummus for an easy and flavorful snack.
Baxter’s B Healthy Tip: Hummus is made primarily from chickpeas. Chickpeas are a good source of protein.
Buck loves to play in the dirt, but don’t worry—these ants aren’t real.
Ingredients:
Celery
Almond butter
Raisins
Directions:
Wash celery. Cut celery stalk in 4-5 inch pieces. Spread almond butter into the center of celery stalk. Top with raisins.
Buck’s B Healthy Tip: Raisins are a great source of energy for children! **Always make sure you follow proper guidelines on feeding children nuts and be aware of other children’s allergies!
Buck thinks playing with his food is pretty bodacious. Let’s make banana boats. Ahoy, matey!
Ingredients:
Bananas
Almond butter
Carob chips or raisins
Directions:
Peel the banana, cut in half and then slice down the middle. Spread almond butter on each piece. Top with carob chips or raisins.
Buck’s B Healthy Tips: Bananas are a good source of potassium and are a great on-the-go snack!
Buck thinks frozen fruit is pretty brilliant, especially on a warm, sunny day!
Ingredients:
1 banana
¼ cup low-fat plain yogurt
¼ cup of your favorite Bitsy’s Brainfood snacks, finely crushed
Craft stick/popsicle stick
Directions:
Peel the banana and cut in half. Insert craft stick into banana half. Stir yogurt and place in bowl. Dip banana into yogurt, covering all sides. Roll banana half in crushed Bitsy snacks. Enjoy fresh or freeze for a bodacious frozen treat.
Makes two pops per one banana.
Buck’s B Healthy Tip: Bananas are a good source of potassium and are high in fiber.
When it comes to fruits and vegetables, Bitsy knows it’s important to eat your colors. Fancy Fruit Kabobs can be made in a rainbow of colors!
Ingredients:
1 apple
1 banana
Green seedless grapes
Pineapple chunks
Use plastic straws instead of skewers for safety
Directions:
Wash the apple and cut into small cubes. Peel the banana and slice into thick round pieces. Wash the grapes and cut in halves. Cut pineapple into chunks. Slide the fruit pieces onto the straw and design your kabob. Repeat.
*Use plastic straws for safety when making kid-friendly fruit kabobs.
Bitsy’s B Healthy Tip: Fruits provide nutrients that are important for good health.
Baxter’s Smart Sweet Potato Chips
Baxter loves a sweet snack. Baked sweet potato chips are a smart choice.
Ingredients:
2 or 3 sweet potatoes, washed
3 tbsp. of minced rosemary
Extra virgin olive oil
Directions:
Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees. Slice sweet potatoes into ¼ inch wide pieces. Place sweet potato pieces on cookie sheet. Brush extra virgin olive oil on sweet potato pieces. Sprinkle minced rosemary on top. Bake at 350 degrees until cooked and crisp. Approximately 25 minutes in oven. Serve warm or cool.
Baxter’s B Healthy Tip: Sweet potatoes contain an antioxidant called beta-carotene which converts to vitamin A in your body.
Baxter’s Banana Strawberry Blast Smoothie
Baxter thinks smoothies are a blast to make and a healthy way to start your day.
Ingredients:
8 large frozen strawberries
½ cup orange juice
½ banana
1 (8 oz) container of low-fat plain yogurt
Directions:
Combine all ingredients in blender. Blend until smooth.
Pour into a glass and serve!
Makes approximately two 8oz servings.
Baxter’s B Healthy Tip: Opt for fat-free or low-fat milk or yogurt more often than cheese. Milk and yogurt have more potassium and less sodium than most cheese!
Pumpkins—they’re not just for Halloween. Buck enjoys pumpkin in his smoothies all year long!
Ingredients:
½ cup canned pumpkin (canned pumpkin — NOT canned pie filling)
½ banana peeled
½ cup crushed ice
¾ cup vanilla soy milk
1 tbsp. honey (remember: never give honey to a child younger than 2)
1 tsp. cinnamon
Directions:
Place all ingredients in a blender and process until smooth.
Pour into a glass and serve!
Buck’s B Healthy Tip: Pumpkins are loaded with vitamin A and fiber.
Bitsy’s Outrageous Orange and Goofy Green Apple Water
Bitsy knows she needs her H2O to go, go, go. She boosts the flavor by adding some of her favorite sweet fruits.
Ingredients:
4 cups of water
1 orange sliced
½ lemon, sliced
2-3 slices of green apple rubbed with lemon juice
Directions:
Combine all ingredients in the refrigerator for 24 hours and then sip away!
Bitsy’s B Healthy Tip: Drink water instead of sugary drinks! Children should drink even more water when it’s hot outside or when they are feeling sick.
Bitsy loves to use her imagination, especially when dreaming up fun new recipes in the kitchen!
Ingredients:
1 ripe avocado
grape tomatoes
½ cup of corn niblets, cooked
red pepper
green pepper
bite-sized carrots
Directions:
Prep and wash all vegetables. Cut avocado in half. Place on plate with round side facing up.
Cut grape tomatoes in half. Cut peppers in strips. Use your imagination to create funny faces and designs on the avocado. Bitsy loves using the different vegetables to form a flower!
Hint: use tomatoes for petals and green pepper for the stem—or try making a face by using tomatoes for the eyes, corn to form a mouth, carrot for the nose and pepper for a hat!
Makes 2 designs.
Bitsy’s B Healthy Tip: Avocados contain good, unsaturated fats, which are known to be important in supporting healthy brain development.
Buck’s Do-It-Yourself Molding Clay
(For playing, not snacking—probably not so yummy, but fun!)
Do-It Yourselfers can save money! Here’s a great way:
Ingredients:
1 cup flour
1 Tablespoon oil
½ cup salt
2 teaspoons
Cream of tartar
1 cup water
Food coloring
Directions:
Cook over low heat 3 minutes, mixing well. Be creative and PLAY!
Buck’s B Healthy Tip: Let your kids create the colors of the dough using food coloring. Always encourage children to use their imagination.
