If you head out for a family outing, don’t forget to pack a snack along with lots of water!   Snacks help to keep you fueled up and ready to have fun in the sun!  Here are a couple of snacks that are perfect to pack up and enjoy outside.

Chicken Feed 

A Snack to Take on a Hike!

Ingredients:

  • 2 cups toasted oat cereal
  • 1 cup peanuts
  • 1/2 cup sunflower seeds
  • 1/2 cup raisins
  • 1 cup small chocolate candies (such as M&M’s®)

Directions: Remember to Wash Your Hands!

1. Combine all ingredients in a large mixing bowl and stir gently.
2. Serve in paper cups or small bags.

Helpful Hints:

Individual bowls of ingredients can be set up, and children can take one spoonful of the ones they want to eat in their cup. They may go through the line again after everyone has been through once.

Power Bites

A backpack snack!

 Ingredients:

  • 1/2 cup brown sugar
  • 1/3 cup applesauce
  • 1 egg
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • 3/4 cup grated carrots
  • 1 cup whole wheat flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/2 cup oats (quick or old fashioned)
  • 1/4 cup chopped pecans, optional
  • 1 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1/2 cup raisins 

Directions: Remember to Wash Your Hands!

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. and lightly coat 9×9-inch pan with cooking spray.
2. In a large bowl, combine brown sugar, applesauce, egg, vanilla and carrots.
3. Add remaining ingredients and mix well.
4. Pour mixture into prepared pan.
5. Bake 20 to 25 minutes or until golden brown around edges. Let cool and cut into bars.

Helpful Hints:

Power Bites are low in fat and high in healthy ingredients. There’s
fruit — applesauce and raisins; vegetables — carrots; and whole grains — oatmeal and whole wheat. Individually wrap Power Bites to take on a hike for energy along the way.

Cooking is a math lesson right in the kitchen. How do you measure 3/4 cup carrots? (Use a 1/4 cup and 1/2 cup measure.) Stir flour before spooning into the cup and leveling off for accurate measure. Use a ruler to measure baking dishes to find one that is 9 inches square. This recipe makes 18 bars about 3×2 inches each. How will you cut the bars in the dish? ( Six bars one way by 3 bars the other way will make 18.)

Safety Tip:

Just as important as washing your hands before cooking is cleaning the countertops. The best way to sanitize the kitchen counter is to put 1 teaspoon bleach in a quart spray bottle of water. Spray the counter, wipe with a paper towel and then throw the towel away. Change the water in the spray bottle daily.

Grating carrots is a fun cooking experience for kids, but it can also be a real “knuckle-scraper.” Adult supervision and “how-to” instructions are important for kids.

You can find more Kids a Cooking Recipies at: www.kidsacooking.ksu.edu