Easy, Healthy Snack Recipes

Spacefood

2 quart-size zip lock bags
4 whole graham crackers (8 squares)
2 Tbsp. peanut butter
2 Tbsp. ground flax seeds
2 tsp. honey

Put 2 whole graham crackers in each bag. Crumble the crackers into sand consistency. Divide peanut butter, flax seeds, and honey equally into the bags and mix thoroughly with the graham cracker crumbs. Once mixed, squeeze all ingredients into one corner of the bag. Using scissors snip off a small corner of each bag. Have your kids cover the hole with their lips and squeeze the snack into their mouths-just like astronauts!

Makes 2 snacks.

Homemade Granola Bars

2 cups rolled oats
1 teaspoon cinnamon
½ cup chopped nuts, such walnuts, almonds, pecans
½ cup chopped dried fruits, raisins, figs, dates, "fruit bits"
3 Tbsp. vegetable oil, plus enough to grease baking pan
¼ cup natural sweetener, such as honey or maple syrup (if you use brown rice syrup or barley malt syrup, use ? cup)
2 Tbsp. fruit juice, such as apple, pear, or white grape
1 banana, mashed
1 egg, beaten (can omit egg and use 1½ mashed bananas)

Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease 9-inch-square baking pan with oil (or line with parchment paper). Mix together oats, nuts, fruit, and cinnamon in a bowl. In another bowl, combine 3 Tbsp. oil, sweetener, and juice. Mix well and then add egg and mashed banana. (Note: If you grease the measuring cup before you pour the sweetener in, you'll get a more accurate measurement and clean up will be easier.) Blend this mixture into the oat/nut mix and blend well. Press mixture into the prepared pan. Bake for 20-25 minutes. When cool, cut into squares.

Peanut Butter-Banana Curls

½ cup peanut butter
? cup vanilla yogurt
1 Tbsp. orange juice
2 ripe bananas, sliced
4 8-inch whole wheat tortillas
2 Tbsp. honey-crunch wheat germ
¼ tsp. ground cinnamon

Combine peanut butter and yogurt, stirring until smooth. Drizzle juice over bananas; toss gently to coat. Spread about 3 Tbsp. peanut butter mixture over each tortilla, leaving a 1/2-inch border. Arrange about 1/3 cup banana slices in a single layer over peanut butter mixture. Combine wheat germ and cinnamon; sprinkle evenly over banana slices. Roll up. Slice each roll into 6 pieces.

Makes 6 4-piece servings.

Black Bean Hummus, Turkey, Avocado, and Tomato Roll-Ups

Store hummus in the refrigerator for up to one week.

3 cups cooked black beans
3 cups cooked lima or butter beans
½ Tbsp. cumin
3 Tbsp. sesame tahini
3 Tbsp. lime juice
½ cup olive oil
Salt and pepper, to taste
¼ lb. sliced deli turkey
1 avocado, thinly sliced
1 vine ripe tomato, diced
1 tortilla-whole wheat, spinach, or other flavor

Combine beans, cumin, tahini, lime juice, and oil in a food processor and blend well. Add salt and pepper to taste. Cover and chill.

To make roll-ups, spread black bean hummus on tortilla from end to end. On the lower quarter of the tortilla, place turkey, tomatoes, and avocado. Roll tortilla tight. Use a dab of hummus to seal the tortilla. Slice in ½-inch slices to create pinwheels.