Toddler Café Tuesday - Put Your Buns to Good Use

It's Toddler Café Tuesday. Our book has been out about a year now and I thought it was time to start sharing more of the recipes with you, my loyal readers. 

With summer on it's way  I thought I'd give you some ideas for leftovers. Last week it was using up all the crumbs in your pantry, this week how to use up buns!  You are sure to have a stray hot dog bun hiding in the back of the fridge after a fun weekend of cooking out. Put it to good use, try this recipe.

Banana Hot Dog

 

In a pinch, a plain old banana can become a hot dog! This is a funny and different way to serve this fruit. Put it in front of your child and watch their reaction. Let your kids help add the “mustard”—it may be messy, but it is sure to get them interested. And it’s a great way to use up your old hamburger or hot dog buns. Serve with banana chips for the ultimate tropical experience.

 

Makes 1 serving

 1 banana, peeled

1 whole-wheat hot dog bun

Jelly

Creamy peanut butter

Place the peeled banana in a bun. Fill 2 zip-top baggies, 1 with jelly and the other with peanut butter. Cut a tiny hole in the corner of each bag, and squeeze out onto the banana as you would mustard and ketchup. Eat and enjoy.

Variations:

•            Add crushed pistachios for a crunchy relish look-alike.

•            Cereal and dried fruit make great additional toppings.

 Toddler Tip:

•            Let your toddler have some fun squeezing out the peanut butter and jelly in crazy patterns on their plates.

 Recipe Note:

•            If you are weary of peanut butter, try soy nut or almond butter for a change.