Summertime means the kids are home and that lunchtime just got more hectic.
Having some fun recipes that kids can help with can make the daily task of the mid-afternoon meal a more manageable one. Hands-on meals with minimal prep and clean up are a summertime must-have for parents to have in their arsenal.
Turkey and Cheese Crescent Rolls
Ingredients:
Deli Turkey
Can of Crescent Dough
Shredded Cheese
Preheat oven to 375. Unroll the package of dough and place on a lightly greased baking sheet. Put two slices of turkey on each crescent triangle and top with cheese. Roll each triangle up and press dough together to close.
Bake the crescents for 13-15 minutes or until crescents are golden brown and cheese has melted.
These hands-on sandwiches are quick and easy to make and fun for kids to eat on the go.
Peanut butter and Jelly Sushi Rolls
Ingredients:
Sliced bread
Jelly
Peanut butter
Start by cutting off the crusts of your bread slices; then flatten your bread out with a rolling pin. Cover flattened bread with a layer of peanut butter and then jelly. Roll the bread up, but be careful not to roll too tightly or you will have a mess of jelly and peanut butter squeezing out the ends. With a sharp knife cut the rolled bread into sushi-like slices. This lunch time meals goes great with milk and can be made with any kind of jelly or peanut butter combination. Thinly sliced bananas can also be added to make a delicious peanut butter, banana and jelly sushi roll.
Frozen Yogurt Fruit Bark
Ingredients:
Large container of plain yogurt
1 tablespoon of vanilla
2 cups of chopped fruit
Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper to aid in removing the yogurt later. Mix your yogurt and vanilla together then pour onto the covered baking sheet, be sure to evenly spread the mixture. Let your children sprinkle the mixture of fruit over the yogurt; then freeze for 3-4 hours. After the yogurt and fruit mixture has frozen, break apart the yogurt into pieces and enjoy a cool and fruity snack.
These meals and snacks can be a great activity for kids and parents in the summer time and can be a great time to teach children about nutrition and healthy eating. Take some time to explain the importance of different food groups while prepping these meals and snacks and explain why it is important to eat healthy.
Josh Sanders is the CEO of Keystone Foodservice. Keystone provides meal service at K-12 schools and fraternity and sorority houses across Oklahoma. More information is available at KeystoneFoodService.com.