Great and Easy Snack - Ants on a Log

I was a Brownie (young Girl Scout) when I was in elementary school and I remember, among other things, a snack that was listed in the Girl Scout handbook (I still have a copy of it somewhere). It was called Ants on a Log and I still eat it even today!! So for those of you who were never a Girl Scout, here is that wonderful snack that is fun and easy to make and your kids will love it!!

SUPPLIES:
Bananas
Peanut Butter
Raisins

Very simply, you peal the banana (the log) and smother with peanut butter (the bark) and sprinkle on some raisins (the ants). It is that simple!!

This is a very yummy treat indeed!! Happy eating!!

*Variations: You can use celery instead of bananas or use celery with cream cheese and cranberries or peanuts. You could also use pretzel sticks and chocolate sauce.

Homemade Version of Lunch-time Favorite

So many kids in my preschool class would bring those yummy frozen round peanut butter and jelly sandwiches for lunch. You know the ones I am talking about. They don't have crusts on them, cut in perfect round circles and stay in the freezer. They thaw out by the time the kids hit the lunch table. But when you buy them in the store they cost so much. I mean we are talking like $4-5 a box for only 4 of them!!! WHAT!!!

Here is a GREAT idea instead. Make them yourself. My friend Maria and her son would have a fun afternoon activity of making PB&J sandwiches from the whole loaf of bread to be frozen and saved for later. This was a great opportunity for them to talk about food and what goes into the things we eat and also getting him involved in making his own lunches. Kids are more likely to eat something if they have a hand in the preparation of it. Here is how you make your own, assembly line style.

SUPPLIES
Loaf of bread (white, wheat, doesn't matter, whatever your kids like)
Peanut butter
Jelly (my favorite flavor is strawberry)
Cookie cutter or wide-mouthed glass (you can make different shapes as well)
Ziploc bags
fork (to seal the edges closed)

Simply lay out the bread and slather with peanut butter and jelly. You may want to use the jelly sparingly as it will seep out the sides of the sandwich. Then, just cut out the center of the sandwich with your cookie cutter or glass and crimp the edges down with the fork (to seal the sandwich closed). Place in Ziploc bags and freeze. After the sandwiches have been in the freezer for about an hour, squeeze all of the air out of the bag so they don't get frost bite.

These will freeze for months and will thaw out by lunchtime.

Also, Pampered Chef makes a really awesome tool to use for this as well called the Cut-N-Seal(pictured below). This will save a few steps when making your own sandwiches. Make sure that you label the Ziploc bags with the date and the flavor of jelly or type of peanut butter if using multiple kinds. Happy Sandwich Making!!

Shake and Make Ice Cream

1 tablespoon sugar
1/2 cup milk or half & half
1/4 teaspoon vanilla
Rock Salt (in a box, not the regular table salt)
Ice
Ziploc bag
plastic container with tight closing lid (can also use a bigger Ziploc bag)

Mix up ice cream (sugar, milk and vanilla) in a bowl or pitcher and then pour some in the ziploc bag and secure closed.

Add ice and rock salt (amount doesn't really matter, just enough to coat the ice) to plastic container with lid or larger Ziploc bag. Place ice cream mixture bag into the container and close lid tightly (if using the plastic container, I like to stick the top of the mixture bag so that it is hanging out of the container, especially if you are going to eat out of the bag, that way the lip doesn't get really salty and ruin the ice cream).

Shake until ice cream is frozen adding ice and rock salt as needed (when it melts). If you have individual sized portions in the bags (abt 1 1/2 cups or so) this should take about 5-10 minutes to turn to ice cream, depending on how hard and fast the kids are shaking the container.

Shake away!! I would also suggest wrapping the container with a towel as it gets REALLY cold!!

Butter in a Jar

Making homemade butter is super fun for kids of all ages. You can use this time to talk about how we get our food or how butter was made in the "olden" days with a butter churn. This is a really simple activity and works great with preschoolers as well as "big kids".

Supplies:
small empty clean jar/container (baby food jar works well for smaller hands)
Whipping Cream (the liquid not to be confused with WHIPPED CREAM the solid)


To make the butter you just get an empty jar and put some whipping cream inside. Then you shake it until it becomes a solid (make sure the lid is tightly closed). It will take several minutes. If you have a video about cows or a book to read, now would be a great time to do so and the kids can continue shaking. If you have smaller children, they may need some assistance as it does get tiring and they can't shake as hard. You may want to add a clean marble to the jar for small children to help with the "churning" process.

Periodically have the kids check the jar and you will begin to notice that the milk will start to form small yellowish spots. It is really cool because it is a liquid for like ever and then all of a sudden, it hits the side and it is a solid ball. REALLY COOL.

I wouldn't necessarily advise eating it in this state. To be able to eat the butter you should pour out the left-over liquid and rinse with water to remove any excess liquid (known as buttermilk) and squeeze out the liquid in cheese cloth or press with a wooden spoon against the side of a bowl and then add salt if desired.