Earth Day Snacks

Earth day is coming up on Monday, April 22nd.  It’s a wonderful time to talk to your kids about the planet we live on and the ways we try to help care for it.  I still remember winning an Earth Day contest in elementary school for my “protect the endangered panda bears” poster.  Yes, poster contests were a thing in the 80’s.

Earth day is also a wonderful time to make some healthy and fun recipes with your kids. I have two yummy and healthy recipes perfect for Earth Day.

Earth Day Smoothies

0DV_6749

Ingredients:

2 Bananas, frozen

1/2 cup Spinach

1/2 – 1 cup Coconut Water

1/2 cup Blueberries, frozen

1/2 cup Greek Yogurt, Plain

Add a banana, spinach and coconut water to a blender and purée until green and creamy, pour into a glass.  Rinse your blender and add the other banana, blueberries, yogurt and a little coconut water (if needed) and purée until smooth.  Pour into the middle of the green smoothie.  Kids love using a straw to swirl the two colors of smoothie to make an earth design in their cups…almost as much as they love drinking this sweet and creamy treat!

Granola Nests

0DV_6777

Ingredients:

2 cups Oats (I used Gluten-Free)

1 cup Sunflower Seeds

1/4 cup Chia Seeds

1/2 cup Raisins

1/2 cup Brown Rice Syrup

1/2 cup Sunflower or Almond Butter

1/4 cup Chocolate Chips

In a large bowl combine oats, sunflower seeds, chia seeds and raisins, stirring until well blended. Combine the brown rice syrup, sunflower or almond butter and chocolate chips in either a small saucepan and melt over low heat until warm. Or microwave in a glass dish for 1-2 minutes on 50% power. Stir till well combined.  Pour the sticky mixture over the dry mixture and fold until well combined.  Roll into small balls, then press into a nest shape (kids love this part).  We added dried cherries, pistachio nuts and organic jelly beans for eggs.  If you have leftover mixture simply press into a pan and refrigerate for a few minutes, cut into rectangles and you have granola bars!  Store in an airtight container.  My girls had fun talking about birds, their nests and how we can help protect them and their homes while gobbling these treats up.

0DV_6782

Tara
Tara is mom to two energetic daughters Bianca and Iyla. Passionate about inspiring others to cook healthy, delicious and allergy-friendly food, she owns Yummy Sprout, which provides healthy culinary adventures through classes and more. Check out yummysprout.com. Tara has been featured in the Wisconsin State Journal and on Channel 3 WISC-TV on topics including “making your own baby food”, “cooking with kids” and “packing healthy school lunches”. She adores living in Madison and all it has to offer family life. Her favorite ways to spend time include messing up her kitchen while recipe testing, running, yoga, writing, painting, traveling and reading books with her girls.

4 COMMENTS

LEAVE A REPLY

Please enter your comment!
Please enter your name here