Homemade Pirate Booty, a healthy after school snack

Over the past year I have been working with my business partner to try and open a kid friendly healthy, fun restaurant. In that time I have been contacted by many people but one in particular has been the most passionate. Recently she started her website Well Kiddos Improving Kids Menus “One Restaurant at a Time.” With Manuela Seitz-Hipkins. Her passion to improve children's menus is infectious. She advocates providing children with healthy food choices when dining in or out. She will be reviewing restaurants, giving recipes and lots of other great information. I wanted to share her mission and this fun recipe!

I just love this recipe for Spirulina (“green popcorn”) Popcorn. This is a fun way to get kids to eat green stuff, (one of my major pass times!) I love the idea of green fingers instead of orange ones like you get from those cheese covered snacks (yes, you know what I am talking about)

If your kids avoid green foods then start small, just use a tiny bit of the spirulina at first. Make it again and add more and so on, you get the idea.

Green Popcorn

Recipe: These ingredients can be easily found in health food stores

You will need:

Spirulina powder

Nutritional Yeast (not brewer’s yeast)

Sea salt or mineral salt

Popcorn (we prefer organic popcorn)

Olive Oil

Coconut Oil (optional)

1 clean paper bag (shopping bag)

Air popper (we like using an air popper because it’s easy to use)

Prepare:

Mix equal amounts of Spirulina Powder, Salt (to taste) and Nutritional Yeast (we like 1 tablespoon per batch of popcorn from the air popper)

Melt coconut oil over low heat and mix with olive oil (1 teaspoon each or 2 teaspoons of olive oil if you omit the coconut oil)

Pop the popcorn, pour it warm into the paper shopping bag and pour oil over it; now pour the Spirulina/Yeast Mix over it, close the shopping bag by rolling it down a bit and shake it. Dance and jump, that’s part of the fun!

Is Chocolate Milk, Soda in Drag?

As if I didn't love Chef Ann Cooper enough, now she has this very cute video to help explain why chocolate milk in schools is bad, a negative, a negatory, a no no.

I am working with my local schools to reform school lunch, as the First Lady requested of us in DC in June. One of our big discussions centers around milk. Our local schools have already removed chocolate milk but many have not. It is just another form of empty calories for our kids who already are eating enough junk. Keep it as a treat once in a while and give them healthier drinks like water and white milk. Ann's experience along with her passion has given her a big voice for change. I could not have said it better so with out further adieu her she is.

AC vs. Chocolate Milk from Creative Intelligence on Vimeo.

Put Your Spuds in the Spotlight

Love Potatoes? Love creating recipes? How about entering this contest?

Prize Details

Grand Prize
The winning original potato recipe will be professionally photographed and published in the December 2010 issue of Family Circle magazine! The winner will also receive a George Foreman® Evolve™ Grill ($130 value), which makes it easier than ever to create healthy, delicious meals with one versatile appliance.

Second Prize
The Second Prize winner will receive a Potato Prize Pack from the USPB and a George Foreman® Hot Zone™ Griddle ($50 value), a versatile griddle which allows the flexibility to sear on one part of the cooking surface while cooking at lower temperatures on the rest of the surface.

Third Prize
The Third Prize winner will receive a $40 (VISA) grocery store gift card.

Prize Eligibility

Only persons residing in United States who are at least 18 years of age can enter.

Contest Starts

July 26, 2010 @ 03:00 am (PDT)

Contest Ends

August 23, 2010 @ 12:00 pm (PDT)

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Why Freeze a Peach in Summer?

I'll tell you why, because it makes the best summer treat! Last summer I was testing out my Food Saver machine and froze a bunch of fresh peach halves. The intention was to save them and use them during the winter when we so needed some sunny summer fruit. Well, time flies and the food in second freezers gets forgotten. In our case I kept thinking I'd use them but it never happened. I had nice ideas of throwing them on the grill with some fish in the grey rainy season to perk up our moods. Now we are in the height of peach season and I don't really need to be using frozen ones but after this little experiment we are hooked.

One day when Claire had a few friends over I was looking for a fun snack and I remembered about the lost peaches that time forgot. I took them out of the freezer and with a big chefs knife sliced them thinly into a beautiful bowl of frozen peach curls. They were gobbled up instantly with the little ones asking for more. Well. then I got smart...that shaved ice machine I have could be the answer. It is basically a snow cone maker and I am always trying to think of a great way to make healthy snow cones. Bingo! I cut up the peaches, turned the machine on and the rest is history. Perfect slices of frozen sunshine. Now we have to keep peaches and an assortment of other stone fruit in the freezer all year for our healthy quick treat.

The good news is that after one year the peaches were perfect, no freezer burn, and no taste issues. Remember to use your noggin and get creative!