This fruit and nut salad is really easy for kids to make and a fun way to start talking about the rainforest.


Ingredients:
3 bananas
1/4 cup mango juice
1/4 cup goji berries
1/4 cup sweet cacao nibs
1/4 cup cashews

Step 1
Peel and slice bananas.


Bananas are an excellent food for kids to start practicing their knife skills. This crinkle knife is really safe and easy for the kids to handle.




We put on some samba music and the kids started drumming along to create more of a rainforest atmosphere.





 






This slicing knife from Curious Chef is also a great first knife to use.









Step 2
Add mango juice


While we were cooking we talked about the rainforest as a natural habitat and what kinds of plants and animals live in the canopy.




Step 3
Add goji berries, cacao chips, and cashews.  

You could also try brazil nuts and coconut flakes.




Step 4
Gently mix ingredients.



The kids are so sweet with the directions to be 'gentle' when they stir!




Step 5
Enjoy with your friends!

So delicious. Not quite as healthy as our usual fare, but worthy of a birthday celebration.

• 1 cup Whole Wheat Flour
• 1/2 cup Coconut Sugar
• 2 teaspoons Baking Powder
• 1-1/2 teaspoon Cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon Ginger Juice
• 1/2 teaspoon fresh Nutmeg
• 1/2 teaspoon Salt
• 4 Tablespoons Butter, cut into pieces
• 1 cup (heaping) Pumpkin Puree
• 1/2 cup Evaporated Milk
• 1 whole Egg
• 1-1/2 teaspoon Vanilla
• 1/2 cup Golden Raisins (optional!)

Step 1
Enjoy the scent of fresh ground nutmeg.  This hand grinder from Oxo is perfectly sized for kids hands.







Step 2
Make ginger pulp with a Chinese box grater, then squeeze the juice out of the pulp.







Step 3
Grease the muffin pan with coconut oil.








Step 4
Mix together pumpkin, evaporated milk, egg, ginger juice, and vanilla.







Step 5
Blend together really well with a whisk and set aside.








Step 6
Sift together flour, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, coconut sugar and salt.  We didn't have a sifter so we used this sieve and it worked great.

I love her strong sifting stance!




Step 7
Crumble butter into flour mixture and add raisins and wet ingredients to dry.







Step 8
Very gently combine the wet and dry ingredients until just mixed.  Then spoon into prepared muffin pan.






Step 9
Combine a little coconut sugar and cinnamon and sprinkle on top of the muffins before cooking for a delicious crunch on top.

Then bake for 15 minutes at 400 degrees.  Allow to cool, then top with frosting below if desired.


Step 10
Make cream cheese frosting by mixing 1/4 cup softened butter
4 oz cream cheese at room temp
1/2 pound powdered sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla

This took a little muscle to mix by hand so you might want to ask an older sibling for help.  It was worth the work as the kids were DELIGHTED to have frosting!

Step 11
Enjoy with your friends!

We served these mini frittatas with a sweet vegetable rice soup and snow peas with carrots.  This is a great recipe to make with a group of kids as there's enough eggs for everyone to crack one.  

Ingredients:
6 eggs, beaten
1/2 cup grated cheese
1/2 cup grated zucchini
1/4 cup milk
several pinches of salt
2 tsp coconut oil to grease pan

Step 1:
Oil the muffin pan






Step 2:
grate zucchini









Step 3:
grate cheese









Step 4:
crack eggs









Step 5:
mix eggs using an egg beater









or just a simple whisk will do!










Step 6:
add milk









Step 7:
add cheese and zucchini










Step 8:
Pour egg mixture into a small pitcher and pour into prepared muffin pan


Bake the muffins at 350 degrees for 12 to 15 minutes.




Enjoy with your friends!

These muffins are great re-heated in the microwave or fired up with a little butter.

Step 1:
Draw a design with glue.  black paper is great as the bright colors show up really well.







Step 2:
Sprinkle salt on top of the glue.










Step 3:
Shake off excess salt and save it for later projects on a paper plate.








Step 4:
Add 4 drops off food coloring to 1 TBS water.  Using an eye dropper put a small amount of liquid on top of the salty glue - watch the color race along the glue! 





The kids made lots of great sound effects as the colors spread!










This activity, like many of our art explorations is more about the process than the finished product as the color doesn't stick to the salt for long, but it sure is fun to make!

Ingredients:

1/2 cup almond butter (or other nut butter)
1/4 cup honey
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
3 cups puffed rice cereal





Step 1

Combine almond butter, honey, and vanilla extract.






Step 2

Using a rubber spatula, stir in cereal and mix well.






























Step 3

Place wax paper on a cookie sheet. Have a small bowl of water ready to keep hands moist and less sticky.






Step 4

With moist hands, roll mixture into 1 inch balls, and place them on cookie sheet.

Chill for 30 minutes and then serve. Store in a ziplock plastic bag.



Step 5

Enjoy with your friends!