PUMPKIN PATCH MUFFINS

 These moist, wholesome muffins are loaded with vitamin A.

1 cup Pumpkin Mush or canned pumpkin
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 cup melted butter or margarine
2 eggs
2 cups flour (or 1 cup flour and 1 cup whole-wheat flour)
2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. In a large mixing bowl or bowl of an electric mixer, mix or blend the Pumpkin Mush, brown sugar, melted  butter and eggs.   In a separate bowl, sift the flour with the baking powder and salt.  Add the dry ingredients to the pumpkin mixture and stir or blend only until combined. Spoon the batter into a 12-cup muffin tin lined with paper liners. Bake the muffins for 20 minutes.

  Makes 10 to 12, depending on their size.

Edible Snowflakes

Using the same technique as cutting out paper snowflakes, make snowflake shapes out of flour tortillas.  Be sure and sanitize the children’s scissors and you may need to warm the tortilla in the microwave first to make it more flexible. Put a touch of oil in a pan and fry tortilla until it is crisp

Top with one or more of these ideas:

· Sprinkle it with powdered sugar or cinnamon & sugar.

· Spread peanut butter on one side of the tortilla.

Make a snowflake sandwich using turkey, ham or cheese

Cottage Cheese Polar Bears

Cottage Cheese

Raisins

Pineapple Chunks

Let the kids build their own snack with an ice cream scoop and a melon baller. Scoop a ball of cottage cheese for the head on to a plate. Use the melon baller or smaller scoop for the ears. Then raisins for eyes and a pineapple bowtie!

Reindeer Chow

1 lb white chocolate or almond bark

3 cups rice Chex

3 cups corn Chex

3 cups Cheerios  
2 cups stick pretzels
2 cups dry roasted peanuts
1 12 oz bag M & M's candies

Directions

Slowly melt chocolate in double broiler over water.  Combine remaining ingredients, then pour chocolate over top and mix well. 

Add a little “Science Learning” to the mix and share with the children what reindeer really eat.  For more information about reindeer visit www.deer-library.com.

 Yule Log Roll-Ups

· Remove the crust from a slice of bread. You can use whole wheat, white sour dough, etc.

· Flatten the bread with a rolling pin.   Spread bread with your favorite filling such as jelly, peanut butter, banana, etc.Roll into a log.

 LUNCH RECIPES

Cheesy Crockpot Chicken

6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

10 oz. can condensed cream of chicken soup

10 oz. can condensed Fiesta cheese soup

Place chicken breasts into crockpot.  Pour the undiluted soups over the chicken and stir to combine. Cover crockpot and cook on low 6 to 8 hours, until chicken is tender and thoroughly cooked.  Serve over rice or noodles.   Serves 6-8

Sweet & Sour Chicken

2 lbs. boneless, skinless chicken thighs

26 oz. jar sweet and sour simmer sauce

16 oz. pkg. frozen broccoli, carrots and peppers, thawed and drained

Cut chicken thighs into 1-1/2" pieces.  Mix with simmer sauce in slow cooker. Cover and cook on LOW setting for 8-10 hours or until chicken is tender and no longer pink. Ten minutes before serving stir in vegetables.  Cover, increase heat to HIGH and cook for 10-15 minutes or until vegetables are crisp-tender.                                              Serves 6-8

Fun Tuna Rounds

2 (6 ounce) cans tuna packed in water, drained

3 tablespoons mayonnaise, or to taste

1 teaspoon celery salt

1 teaspoon onion powder

1 teaspoon garlic powder

1/3 cup chopped celery

1/3 cup chopped onion

2 tablespoons butter

3 English muffins, split

6 slices American cheese

Preheat oven to 200 degrees. Mix tuna into a medium bowl. Mix in the mayonnaise, celery salt, onion powder, and garlic powder. Stir in celery and onion. Butter English muffin halves, place them on a baking sheet, and bake 3 minutes in the preheated oven, until lightly browned. Remove from oven. Spoon tuna mixture onto each muffin half, and top each with a slice of cheese. Return to the oven, and continue baking until the cheese has melted, about 8 minutes. Cool and serve. Serves 6

Sweet Baby Carrots

2 lb. bag baby carrots

1-1/2 cups water

1/4 cup honey

2 Tbsp. butter

1/4 tsp. salt

1/8 tsp. pepper

Combine carrots and water in crockpot.  Cover and cook on low for 6-8 hours or until carrots are tender when pierced with a fork.  Drain carrots and return to crockpot. Stir in honey, butter, salt and pepper and mix well.  Cover and cook on low 30 minutes until glazed.                                                 Serves 6-8

CHEESY BROCCOLI

6 cups cooked broccoli

1 (10 3/4 ounce) can cream of mushroom soup

1 cup Hellmann's mayonnaise

1 teaspoon lemon juice

1 1/2 cups cheddar cheese

Put the broccoli in a baking dish. Mix all the other ingredients except the cheese. Spread on of broccoli mixture. Sprinkle cheese on top. Cook at 350°F degrees until cheese is melted. You can also do this recipe by adding chicken with the broccoli, it is really a delight. Serves 10- 12

TURKEY CROCKPOT CASSEROLE

Quick and tasty way to use up left-over turkey.

2 cans cream of mushroom soup

2 1/2 cups water

2 1/2 cups uncooked converted white rice

1 cup sliced celery

2 cups cubed cooked turkey

2 cups frozen peas and carrots

1 teaspoon poultry seasoning

2 tablespoons minced onion

Pour soup and water into Crock-Pot and mix. Add remaining ingredients and stir. Cook 3 to 3 1/2 hours on High. Check from time to time to make sure rice does not get mushy.                Serves 8.

Crockpot Potatoes and Ham

4 cups potatoes, peeled and sliced

16 oz. ham, cut into chunks

1 - 10.5 oz can cream of mushroom soup

1 - 13 oz can of evaporated milk

2 tablespoons parsley flakes (optional)

Put potatoes into greased crockpot. Add cut up ham. Combine soup, milk and parsley flakes and add to crock pot. Cook on high for 2 to 2 1/2 hours or on low for 7 to 8 hours.

Yield: Approx. 10 servings Serving Size: 2/3 cup

Credit: 1/4 cup fruit/vegetable  and 1.5 oz meat/alternate

Stuffed Baked Sweet Potatoes

6 medium sweet potatoes

2 tablespoons margarine

1 8 oz can crushed pineapple, drained

1/2 cup pecans, chopped

Bake potatoes for 1 hour at 375º. Cut a 1-inch length wedge from the top of each potato. Carefully scoop pulp from shells. Mix potato pulp, margarine, and pineapple. Beat until fluffy. Stuff back into potato shell and sprinkle with pecans. Bake for 12 minutes at 375º.

Christmas Tree Sandwiches

Give children Christmas tree-shaped cookie  cutters and help them cut bread trees from slices of whole wheat or multi-grain sandwich bread.  Repeat with slices of ham or cheese and assemble the sandwich trees.  Using the cookie cutter also helps develop children's fine and gross motor skills.

Shake-It-Up Healthy Chicken Nuggets

1 3/4 cups herb-seasoned stuffing mix

1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese

3 tablespoons margarine

1/4 cup low-fat buttermilk

1/4 tsp. black pepper

2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.  Put  stuffing mix into a large baggie, seal shut and crush with rolling pin.  Add parmesan cheese to baggie and shake.  Put melted margarine,  buttermilk, and pepper in a bowl.  Cut chicken into nugget size pieces and dip into buttermilk mixture.  Put dipped chicken into baggie and shake to cover pieces with crumbs.  Place onto un-greased  cookie sheet and bake for 5 minutes, turn each piece over then bake for another 5   minutes.

Easy BBQ Chicken Sandwiches

One 3 to 4 lb rotisserie chicken

1 jar of mild barbeque sauce

Whole wheat buns

Pull the meat from the bones of the chicken and shred into small pieces.  Mix in barbeque sauce.  Serve on whole wheat buns.

Stroganoff Stew

1 lb stew beef, browned and cubed

2 cups of water

1 can cream of mushroom soup

1 tsp onion powder

¼ tsp garlic powder

1 tsp worstershire sauce

1 8 oz container sour cream

Cook beef in water until fork tender. Stir in remaining ingredients except for sour cream and warm over medium high heat until bubbly. Stir in sour cream and serve. Add cooked, drained egg noodles. Serves 6 to 8.

Pumpkin Pepperoni Pizza

Pizza is usually high in saturated fat but this whole-wheat pizza, topped with a sauce that provides extra beta carotene and fiber (thanks to the addition of pumpkin puree), is healthy and flavorful. 

1 whole-wheat pizza dough, thawed if frozen
1 cup canned unseasoned pumpkin puree
1/2 cup canned no-salt tomato sauce
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1 cup shredded part-skim mozzarella
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
2 ounces turkey pepperoni (1/2 cup)

Bake pizza crust at 450° until puffed and lightly brown (8 to 10 minutes).  Mix pumpkin, tomato sauce and  garlic powder in a small bowl.  Spread sauce evenly on baked crust.  Top with mozzarella, Parmesan and pepperoni. Bake until the crust is browned and cheese melts, (12 minutes).                  Serves 6-8
 

Use leftover tomato sauce and pumpkin to make a   second batch of pizza sauce. Refrigerate for up to 5 days or freeze for 3 months.

Potato Lasagna

3 medium russet potatoes
Cooking spray
1 can (15 ounces) pizza sauce
1 pound 85% lean ground beef
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1 1/2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
Cut potatoes into 1/4-inch-thick slices.

Spray a 1-quart microwave dish with cooking spray. 

Spread 2 tablespoons pizza sauce in bottom of dish. 

Arrange half the potatoes in a single layer on top of sauce. 

Crumble half the beef evenly over potatoes. Season with half the salt and pepper. 

Sprinkle with half the mozzarella cheese and half the remaining pizza sauce.  

Repeat layers with remaining potatoes, beef, salt, pepper, mozzarella cheese 

and pizza sauce. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.  Cover tightly with lid. 

Microwave on high for 20 minutes until potatoes and beef are done. 

Let sit for two minutes.                                Serves 4-6

BREAKFAST RECIPES

Pancakes

2 egg yolks                             1/2 tsp. soda

1 Tbsp. sugar                          3/4 cup rice iron fortified cereal

1 tsp. baking powder               1/4 tsp. salt

2 Tbsp. salad oil                     1/4 cup enriched flour

Beat egg, add remaining ingredients in order listed.  Beat with a spoon until only small lumps remain.  Grease heated griddle if needed.  Pour batter onto hot griddle.  Turn pancakes as soon as they are puffed and full of bubbles.  Cook until golden brown. **IRON FORTIFIED INFANT CEREAL RECIPES

Yield:  6—4” pancakes                                           Serving Size:  1 pancake

Waffles

Add 1 Tbsp. oil to the pancake recipe.  Bake about 5 minutes in a hot waffle iron

Muffins

2 egg yolks                               1 cup whole milk

1/4 cup oil                                 1/4 cup sugar

1 Tbsp. baking powder               1 1/2 cups rice iron fortified cereal

1/2 cup enriched flour                 1 tsp. salt

Heat oven to 400°.  Grease bottom of 12 medium muffin cups or use cupcake liners.  Beat egg and stir in milk and oil.  Mix in remaining ingredients just until flour is moistened.  Batter should be lumpy.  Fill muffin cups 2/3 full.  Bake about 20 minutes.   **IRON FORTIFIED INFANT CEREAL RECIPE

Yield:  12 muffins                                    Serving Size:  1 muffin

 .

Scrambled Eggs

2 egg yolks

2 Tbsp. iron fortified rice cereal

1 Tbsp. water or whole milk

Mix ingredients with a fork.  Heat 1/2 tsp. butter in skillet.   Pour mixture into skillet and cook over low heat until eggs are thickened.    Yield:  1 serving.   **IRON FORTIFIED INFANT CEREAL RECIPE

Sweet-Potato Pancakes

Sweet potatoes are a naturally sweet vegetable and are one of the most nutritious vegetables around.  Try this “kids favorite” recipe for a super healthy breakfast.

2 large eggs                                          

1 cup buttermilk

2½ tablespoons vegetable oil             

1 pinch nutmeg

1 cup store-bought pancake mix

1 small sweet potato, boiled, peeled, and mashed (about 1½ cup or use sweet potato baby food)

In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, buttermilk, and oil. Stir in the pancake mix and nutmeg until just combined. Fold in the sweet potato. If the batter seems too thick, add more buttermilk until it reaches the desired consistency.   Place a large, greased griddle or pan over medium-high heat.                             Approx. 6 servings

OTHER RECIPES