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Deb's Pineapple Squash

Cut one large butternut squash in half and place innards down in a baking dish with a bit of water. Bake at 350 until soft (about an hour). Scoop out the seeds and then put the "meat' of the squash into a serving dish. Add a 8-12 ounces of crushed pineapple (juice and all). I also add a bit of nutmeg and 1/4 tsp of salt.

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To make:
1. Take a stalk of celery (your log) and slather some peanut butter on it.
2. Next you take raisins or "ants" and strategically place them along the log.
3. Voila! Ants on a log. Lucky for us all the peanut butter will keep these lil buggers in place. Yummy.
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Peanut Butter and Apple Sandwich with Honey (Bananas work too). The name alone tells you how to make it.

2 pieces of good, whole bread
Apple or banana slices
Peanut Butter (I like natural, crunchy PB)
Honey (raw is best).

Just assemble as a sandwich. Kids love it. At first they think it's weird to have fruit in the sandwich, but once it dawns on them that jelly is just processed fruit, well, they usually get it.


Oatmeal with fruit and cinnamon
I never liked oatmeal growing up and I know lots of kids don't, and I'm still no fan of packaged oatmeal. I buy the whole, raw oats from the bulk section, cook them down with milk, water, or soy milk, and serve it with some cinnamon and fruit (I like frozen raspberries, banana slices, etc.). If the texture of the oatmeal is a little weird for kids, I add a bit of milk when I serve it and that makes it much more palatable. I used to make this for my little brother Noel when he was a kid and he liked it.


Classic - frozen juice
I know this is the oldest snack in the book, but when I was a kid I used to love to visit my grandparents and have homemade pops. You got it - just make juice from concentrate, pour into ice cube trays, insert toothpick. Some things just work, and this is one of them. My grandmother used to make them in small tupperware containers and we'd eat them with a spoon like "Italian ice". Healthwise, there's not much to complain about in a small serving of fruit juice.



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A few years back I found this updated version of macaroni and cheese in Eating Well, my favorite cooking magazine. It's much better for you than the kind from the box, but still has that air of comfort food that even big kids like me love.

Updated Mac & Cheese
Makes 4 servings

Ingredients

3 tablespoons plain dry breadcrumbs
1 teaspoon extra-virgin olive oil
¼ teaspoon paprika
1 16-ounce or 10-ounce package frozen spinach
1 ¾ cups 1% milk, divided
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 cups grated extra-sharp Cheddar cheese (6 ounces)
1 cup low-fat (1%) cottage cheese
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
½ teaspoon salt, or to taste
Freshly ground pepper to taste
8 ounces (2 cups) whole-wheat elbow macaroni or penne

1. Put a large pot of lightly salted water on to boil. Preheat oven to 450�F. Coat an 8-inch square (2-quart) baking dish with cooking spray.

2. Mix breadcrumbs, oil and paprika in a small bowl. Cook spinach according to package directions. Drain and refresh under cold water; press out excess moisture.

3. Heat 1 1/2 cups milk in a large heavy saucepan over medium-high heat until steaming. Whisk remaining 1/4 cup milk and flour in a small bowl until smooth; add to the hot milk and cook, whisking constantly, until the sauce simmers and thickens, 2 to 3 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in Cheddar until melted. Stir in cottage cheese, nutmeg, salt and pepper.

4. Cook pasta for 4 minutes, or until not quite tender. (It will continue to cook during baking.) Drain and add to the cheese sauce; mix well. Spread half the pasta mixture in the prepared baking dish. Spoon the spinach on top. Top with the remaining pasta; sprinkle with the breadcrumb mixture.

5. Bake the casserole until bubbly and golden, 25 to 30 minutes.

To make ahead: prepare through Step 4. Cover and refrigerate for up to 2 days or freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw in the refrigerator, if necessary, then bake for 35 to 45 minutes

Nutrition Information

Per serving: 503 calories; 17 g fat (9 g sat, 2 g mono); 54 mg cholesterol; 60 g carbohydrate; 31 g protein; 8 g fiber; 935 mg sodium.

Nutrition bonus: Vitamin A (200% daily value), Calcium (60% dv), Folate (27% dv).
]]> http://action.publicbroadcasting.net/vpr/posts/list/716009.page#810821 http://action.publicbroadcasting.net/vpr/posts/list/716009.page#810821 GMT VPR Cooks two healthy and kid-friendly recipes for apple-carrot salad and a banana-yogurt shake (Click here for those recipes).

How do you encourage your kids to eat healthily? Share your favorite healthy and kid-friendly recipes with the whole VPR Community here in VPR Cooks. Recipes from all seasons (and healthy recipes for adults) are welcome, of course!]]> http://action.publicbroadcasting.net/vpr/posts/list/716009.page#807414 http://action.publicbroadcasting.net/vpr/posts/list/716009.page#807414 GMT