Kid Friendly Treats for Summer Picnics

It is another playgroup or day at the park and once again I find myself making peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. While my son loves them, I am getting tired of the same old thing. Here instead are some other kid friendly, easy to make, delicious main choices (that I can eat too!) and a few special treats for the last of the summer picnics! Enjoy!

Peek-a-boo Muffins                      By Jacqueline Plant and Fraya Berg

Yield: 12 mini muffins
1 box (8.5 oz.) corn muffin mix
1 large egg
1/3 cup milk
2 Tbs. diced low-fat ham
3 Tbs. shredded Swiss cheese

Heat oven to 400°F. Coat 12 mini muffin cups with vegetable cooking spray. Prepare corn muffin mix according to package directions. Spoon half of batter into muffin cups. Place diced ham and shredded cheese in batter. Top with remaining corn-muffin batter. Bake 15 minutes.

Ham I Am Roll Ups                                          By Jacqueline Plant

Prep time: 5 minutes                                                        Yield: 8 roll-up halves
1 Tbs. Honey
1 Tbs. honey mustard
4 8" spinach-flavored flour tortillas
1 cup firmly packed baby spinach leaves
1/3 lb. sliced American cheese
1/3 lb. sliced ham

1. In small bowl, combine honey and honey mustard. Spread mixture over flour tortillas. Divide cheese and ham slices among tortillas, and top with spinach leaves. Roll up sandwiches. Cut in half and wrap tightly in plastic wrap. Pack in lunch box with a cooler pack.

Veggie Pockets                                                by Cindy A. Littlefield and Cynthia Caldwell

 Ingredients

Assorted fresh vegetables (cucumbers, carrots, avocados, peppers, etc.)
Pita bread
Lettuce
Croutons (optional)
2 tsp. salad dressing (recipe below)

Scrub and peel the vegetables. Lay each one on a cutting board and thinly slice it lengthwise into rulerlike shapes. Cut off the top of the pita bread and line the inside with lettuce. Fill the pocket with the veggies and tightly cover the sandwich with plastic wrap.

Honey Mustard Dressing (for above recipe)

1/3 cup olive oil
3 tbsp. balsamic vinegar
1 tbsp. honey
1 tbsp. Dijon mustard
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper
Whisk together all of the ingredients. Store in a covered bottle in the refrigerator.

Banana Chocolate Cookies                        By Jacqueline Plant

Prep time: 15 minutes      Bake time: 20 minutes                     Yield: 36 cookies
1 cup (2 large) ripe bananas
1/2 cup packed light-brown sugar
1/3 cup honey
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1 large egg
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup whole-wheat flour
3/4 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips

1. Heat oven to 375°F. Coat 2 large baking sheets with cooking spray. In large bowl, beat bananas, brown sugar, honey, oil, and egg until well-combined.

2. In medium bowl, combine flours, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Beat flour mixture into banana mixture until combined. Stir in chocolate.

3. Drop batter onto baking sheets in Tbs. measurements, spaced 10 apart. Bake 15 to 20 minutes, or until cookies are golden-brown. Cool on wire rack.

Instant Apple Crisp                           By Jackie Plant and Fraya Berg

Ingredients:
2 large apples, peeled and grated
1 cup unsweetened applesauce
1 pinch of pumpkin-pie spice
2 oatmeal cookies

Directions:
Place grated apples into a bowl. Stir in unsweetened applesauce and pumpkin-pie spice. Spoon into 4 ramekins. Crumble oatmeal cookies; sprinkle on top of apple mixture. Microwave 5 minutes. Let cool 3 minutes. (If making only 2 servings, microwave 3 minutes.) Makes 4 servings.