Festive Food Fun!

Written by Jodie Fitz

 Grab the kids, head to your Price Chopper/Market 32 Supermarket, grab some key ingredients and get ready for holiday fun in the kitchen!  What’s up this month?

• A healthier version of Grinch Pancakes

• A little snack/appetizer yum fun

• A fruit kabob activity that’s delish

Grinch Pancakes

1 cup fresh baby leaf spinach

4 oz. PICS cinnamon applesauce

1 PICS egg

1 cup PICS milk

¼ cup PICS sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 1/2 cups PICS all-purpose, unbleached flour

1 tablespoon PICS baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

PICS non-stick cooking spray

Place the spinach, applesauce, egg, milk, sugar, and vanilla into the blender.  Blend the ingredients together; until the spinach is very fine and the mixture looks green.

In a separate bowl, stir together the flour, baking powder and salt.  Add the liquid from the blender into the dry ingredients.  Whisk all of the ingredients together.

Cook the pancakes over medium to low heat on a griddle pan that has been coated with non-stick cooking spray. 

Drizzle the pancakes with yogurt glaze.

Jodie’s Yogurt Glaze

½ cup PICS Greek vanilla yogurt

¼ cup PICS low fat milk

1 tablespoon PICS honey

Whisk the yogurt, milk and honey together well.  Drizzle the mixture on the pancakes.

 

Lessons for the kids:

  • • Measuring
  • • Blending safety
  • • Whisking
  • • Stovetop safety
  • • Pancake flipping
  • • Drizzling

Spinach Wraps

1 red bell pepper

1 green bell pepper

½ cup PICS cream cheese

½ cup shaved Parmesan cheese

½ teaspoon onion powder

½ teaspoon Italian seasoning

NOTE:  You cannot taste the spinach in this recipe.

Wash and dry the bell peppers.  Remove the seeds and cut them into thin strips.

Stir the cream cheese, Parmesan cheese, onion powder and Italian seasoning together.

Spread the cheese mixture onto a large spinach wrap.  Place the green peppers on the cream cheese mixture; approximately 12 strips of pepper.  Roll the wrap and carefully slice.

Repeat the process with the red pepper. 

Note:  The cheese mixture should yield three rolls.

Build a tree:  You can eat these sliced rolls as is or you can create a little holiday fun and build a tree with a yellow star (see the photo).  You can create the star on top by cutting a yellow bell pepper with clean kitchen scissors.

Lessons for the kids:

  • • Cleaning vegetables
  • • Stirring
  • • Spreading
  • • Slicing
  • • Knife safety
  • • Food creativity

Fruit Kabobs & Pomegranate Dip

Great party food (or just for a yummy, fun snack).

1 honeydew melon

8-10 kiwi

1 pineapple

1 pomegranate

6 oz. Greek vanilla yogurt

6 oz. low fat vanilla yogurt

1 tablespoon pomegranate juice

Rinse the outside of the honeydew melon.  Cut it in half, remove the seeds.  Cut the halves into half and remove the rind.  Use a small round cookie cutter or a large circle fondant cutter to create circle pieces of honeydew melon.

Rinse the kiwis.  Cut off the ends of each kiwi.  Peel them.  Slice them into circles.

Rinse the pineapple.  Remove the top and bottom of the pineapple.  Cut it into slices and use a small star cookie cutter or large fondant cutter to create yellow pineapple stars.  Note:  Cheat and buy already cored pineapple at your Price Chopper/Market 32 Supermarket.

Rinse the pomegranate.  Remove the seeds from the pomegranate.

Fold together the Greek vanilla yogurt, low fat vanilla yogurt and pomegranate juice.  Stir in ¼ cup of pomegranate seeds and top the dip with 2 tablespoons pomegranate seeds.

Serve the honeydew melon circles, the cut kiwi and the pineapple stars in individual bowls with skewers available so that the kids can create their own fruit tree kabob and then dip it into the pomegranate dip.

Lessons for the kids:

  • • Cleaning Fruit
  • • Prepping different fruits
  • • Stirring
  • • Folding
  • • Slicing
  • • Knife safety
  • • Food creativity

I’ll be out in the community and schools cooking up some fun, and here’s where you can see me this month:

December 7th

Jingle Bell Bash

Halfmoon Town Hall

Halfmoon, NY

This event is open to the community. 

 

The Kids Cooking Club is also visiting the following this month:

St. Mary’s Elementary School, Troy, NY

Schuylerville Elementary School – Schuylerville, NY

Mohonasen Schools, Rotterdam NY

Broadalbin Middle School, Broadalbin, NY

Northville Elementary School, Northville, NY

If you would The Kids Cooking Club to visit your school or event please email me at [email protected]

Cheers to a Tasty Month ~ Jodie

P.S.  I can’t wait for next month’s recipe shares and starting the New Year in the kitchen with you all!

 

 

How many times has this happened – you have a busy week, not sure you will be able to get everything done, and then – the weather slows you down (or stops you completely), or someone gets sick, and your whole plan is out the window? We can help you restore some of the balance to your week with grocery delivery or click and collect pick up! A few minutes shopping with us online could get back on track with your busy holiday season. And, if you are trying to stay focused on your giving and gifting, check out our meal ideas to make that cyber shopping even faster!

The weather outside may be frightful, but these meals are just delightful! Keep everyone happy at the table with tender Certified Angus Beef Braciole, substitute Botticelli Pasta Sauce for the tomatoes and spices in this recipe for Slow Cooked Beef and Mushroom Braciole, paired with a Fresh Express Salad Blend and Bakery Italian Bread to kick off the week. Leftovers, (if you have any), make a great lunch for work the next day. Keep the second loaf of bread and jar of sauce handy for an easy, cheesy dinner made with frozen PEDE Ravioli, made right here in Schenectady County by one of our home.grown. local partners.  The Botticelli Sauce and Bakery Italian Bread will get everyone to the table in a flash! In between, enjoy some NEW fresh stuffed fish – salmon, cod and haddock options mean something for everyone. Tender and quick cooking, each with a savory filling, paired with fresh asparagus or baby carrots is a seafood and produce power play. If you don’t have time to cook fresh, frozen is right there waiting – PICS Steambag Veggies, Green Giant Boxed Frozen Veggies, or Pict Sweet Farm Favorites. Double up servings of your favorite frozen produce for an easy way to eat more vegetables – only 1 in 10 of us get enough! Eating more seafood and produce are both smart moves – together they bring you closer to meeting nutrition recommendations for children and adults alike.