Peanut Butter Pizza

prepared pizza crust
1 cup peanut butter
3 bananas, sliced
½ cup raisins

Bake pizza crust according to package directions. Spread crust with peanut butter and top with bananas and raisins. Bake at 350 degrees F for 10 minutes or until peanut butter melts.

Slice and serve. Makes 12.

Per Serving: 268 cal.; 8 g prot.; 4 g fat; 30 g carb.; 132 mg sod.; 0 mg. chol.

 

Banana Butter

3 small ripe bananas
½ cup creamy peanut butter
¼ teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon shredded unsweetened coconut
½ cup raisins

Mash bananas with a fork and mix with peanut butter. Add cinnamon, shredded coconut, and raisins. Blend well. Spread on bread, crackers, or fruit. Makes 2 cups.

Per 1/8 cup serving: 83 cal.; 2 g prot; 4 g fat; 11 g carb; 39 mg sod; 0 mg chol.

 

Red Berry Parfaits

½ cup ricotta cheese
1 tablespoon sugar
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups fresh raspberries or ½ tablespoon plain low-fat yogurt
sliced strawberries
toasted wheat germ or chopped nuts, optional

Place ricotta cheese, yogurt, sugar, & vanilla in a blender container and whirl until smooth. Set out four small clear-plastic cups. In each cup, place 2 tablespoons berries; add ¼ of the ricotta mixture, then another 2 tablespoons berries. Garnish with toasted wheat germ or chopped nuts, if desired. Makes 4 parfaits.

 

Peanut Butter & Jelly Rollups

8 flour tortillas
2 oz. light cream cheese, softened
¼ cup jelly or preserves
peanut butter (smooth, not crunchy)

Remove tortillas from refrigerator. Let stand at room temperature while preparing jelly. In a small bowl, combine cream cheese & jelly. Spread one tortilla with a thin layer of jelly mixture. Top with another tortilla. Spread top tortilla with peanut butter. Gently roll up tortilla.

Wrap each roll in plastic wrap. Refrigerate one hour or overnight. To serve, slice rolls in half or into 1-inch bite-size pieces.

 

Cheese Puggs

1 cup shredded cheese
¼ cup vegetable oil
1 cup whole-wheat flour water

Stir cheese, flour & vegetable oil together. Add enough water to moisten. Refrigerate dough about 15 minutes. Then roll the dough into small balls and place them on a greased cookie sheet. Bake 12 minutes at 400 degrees F. Makes about 24 cheese puffs.

 

Fruit in a Cone

¾ cup cut up fresh fruit (strawberries, bananas, raspberries, pears or grapes)
1 teaspoon honey
1 teaspoon granola
1 ice cream cone per child

Put fresh fruit in ice cream cone. Drizzle with 1 teaspoon honey. Sprinkle with 1 teaspoon granola.

 

Broadwalk Strollers

1 (11 oz.) package no-bake cheesecake mix
1½ cups milk
1/3 cup dry roasted peanuts, chopped
6 ice cream cones
1/3 cup fudge sauce

Prepare cheesecake filling according to package directions using milk; stir in crumbs. Chill 15 minutes. Scoop mixture into ice cream cups. Freeze until firm, about 3 hours.

To serve, dip cheesecake mixture in fudge sauce; roll in peanuts.

 

Sunset Parfait

½ gallon vanilla low-fat frozen yogurt, softened
food coloring: yellow, orange, red, purple & blue
low-fat or non-dairy whipped cream

Materials Needed: ice cream scoop or spoon, 5 medium-sized bowls, 8 parfait or other tall transparent glasses

Tint the frozen yogurt any colors you like and layer them into the parfait glasses. Substitute sugar-free vanilla pudding for frozen yogurt.

 

Chocolate Rice Pudding

1 quart milk (skim, low-fat, 2%)
2/3 cup white rice
½ cup sugar
¼ cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
2 eggs
½ cup evaporated milk
½ cup sugar
1½ tablespoons flour
1 teaspoon vanilla

Place milk, rice, & sugar in large saucepan. Simmer over medium heat; stir continuously.

Reduce heat to low; simmer uncovered until rice is tender, about 25 minutes. Check to make sure rice doesn’t scorch. Add chocolate and stir until melted.

Beat eggs, evaporated milk, sugar, flour, & vanilla in medium bowl until smooth.

Gradually beat egg mixture into rice mixture. Stir continuously; cook over medium heat until thickened, about 5 to 7 minutes. Do not allow pudding to boil. Pour pudding into medium bowl. Cover and chill.

Per Serving: 325 cal.; total fat: 9 g; sat. fat: 5 g; chol. 74 mg.; sod. 94 mg.

 

Flutter -Byes

4 stalks celery
1 cup low-sugar, low-fat peanut butter; low-fat cream cheese; OR low-fat spreadable cheese
16 large twist-type pretzels, plus a few extras
32 raisins

Clean celery stalks and cut into 4 inch pieces. Fill celery pieces with peanut butter, cream cheese, or spreadable cheese. Place a pretzel on either side of celery to form butterfly wings. Use extra pieces to make the antennae. Add raisins to make eyes or body decorations.

 

Chocolate Fondue

¼ cup margarine
2 cups light cream or half-n-half
¼ cup creamy peanut butter
1 (4 serving) package chocolate
cake cubes & fruit pieces
pudding & pie filling

In 2-quart microwavable bowl, microwave margarine and peanut butter at HIGH (100% power) for 30 to 60 seconds, stirring until melted & smooth. Stir in pudding mix and cream or half-n-half. Microwave 4-5 minutes more or until mixture is thickened, stirring every minute. Cool slightly (cover pudding surface with plastic wrap to prevent skin from forming). Serve warm with cake cubes and fruit pieces for dipping.

 

Beetle Juice

raisins
1 (16 oz.) bottle cranberry juice cocktail
1 (12 oz.) can lemonade concentrate, thawed

Materials Needed: ice cube tray, large pitcher and 6 clear glasses

Several hours before, prepare ice cubes by pouring water into ice cube tray and add 3 or 4 raisins to each section to make “beetles.” Freeze until firm.

At serving time, pour cranberry juice cocktail, lemonade concentrate and 4 cans water into the pitcher. Stir. Pour beetle juice into glasses and serve with one or two beetle ice cubes.

VARIATIONS: Mix the lemonade concentrate with lemon-lime soda for a carbonated, bubbly drink. Add more raisins to the ice cubes to make the drink crawling with beetles.

 

Oatmeal Chews

1 cup raisins
½ teaspoon cinnamon
¼ cup unsweetened apple juice concentrate
1 teaspoon vanilla
½ teaspoon salt
 3 cups rolled oats
2 bananas, sliced
½ cup nut-like cereal or chopped nuts
¼ cup vegetable oil
¼ cup peanut butter

Heat raisins and apple juice concentrate in a saucepan until raisins are soft, about 3 minutes. Pour raisins and juice into a blender and puree. Mash bananas in a bowl and add puree and remaining ingredients. Mix well and let stand 5 minutes for oats to absorb moisture. Press into a greased 9 by 13-inch baking pan. Bake at 350 degrees F for 25 minutes. Cool and cut into squares. Makes 4 dozen squares.

 

Peanut Butter Honey Bees
100 bees
Preparation Time: 1 hour 45 minutes
Chilling Time: 30 minutes

2 cups peanut butter
1 container chocolate icing
½ cup margarine, softened
sliced almonds
2 cups powdered sugar
chow mein noodles
3 cups graham cracker crumbs

In large mixer bowl, combine peanut butter and margarine; beat at medium speed until creamy (1 to 2 minutes). Reduce speed to low. Add powdered sugar; beat until well mixed (1 to 2 minutes). By hand, stir in graham cracker crumbs. Shape rounded teaspoonfuls into 1½-inch ovals. Place on wax paper-lined cookie sheets.

Place chocolate icing in small plastic resealable food bag. Cut very small tip from one corner of bag. Pipe three chocolate stripes on each oval. Insert 2 almond slices for wings. Insert 2 chow mein noodles in head for antenna. Insert 1 short chow mein noodle for tail. If desired, make small chocolate dots for eyes. Refrigerate until firm (at least 30 minutes). Store refrigerated.

TIPS: Substitute disposable pastry bag for plastic resealable food bag. If dough is too soft, stir in additional graham cracker crumbs 1 tablespoon at a time, until desired consistency.

Nutrition: 70 cal.; 2 g prot.; 7 g carb.; 1 g dietary fiber; 4.5 g fat; 0 mg chol.; 55 mg. sod.

 

Wormy Apples

8 red apples
1 cup low-fat, low-sugar peanut butter
1 cup favorite low-sugar jam
8 worm-shaped gummy candy

Materials Needed: apple corer (optional), medium bowl, spoon, cupcake tin, 8 plates, & large, rectangular pan.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Remove apple cores, being careful to leave the bottom of each apple intact. Combine peanut butter and jelly in bowl. Stuff mixture into center of apples. Place apples in cupcake tin. Set tin in pan half full of water and bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes, until apples are tender. Cool; then place on individual serving plates. Insert gummy candies halfway into hole, with the rest hanging over the side, and serve.

 

Very Berry Snack Mix

3 cups teddy bear shaped graham snacks (any flavor)
1 cup dry-roasted peanuts*
1 cup raisins
3 pouches (half of 5.4 oz package) chewy fruit snack in bear shapes (any flavor)

*NOTE: Peanuts may pose a choking hazard for children age 3 and under.

Mix all ingredients in large bowl with wooden spoon.

Store snack mix in a sealed plastic bag or airtight container at room temperature up to 5 days. Makes 6 cups snack.

 

Dinosaur Dip

1 cup low-fat vanilla yogurt
1 cup fat-free sour cream
1 envelope ranch-style dressing mix

Mix ingredients together and refrigerate. Use with carrots, celery, fruit . . . nice healthy food.

 

Cat's Eyes

½ cup peanut butter
8 snack crackers
1 banana, cut into 8 slices
8 raisins

Spread peanut butter on crackers and top each with a slice of banana. Place a raisin in the center of each banana to form a cat’s eye and repeat for all topped crackers.

 

Bread Heads

1 slice bread per person
margarine or light cream cheese
variety of fruit & vegetables (to decorate)

Spread thin layer of margarine or cream cheese on bread slices. Add assortment of foods to form face: raisin eyes, nose, and mouth; sprouts, coconut or celery tops for hair; sliced olives for eyes; small sweet pickle spear for mouth; celery sticks for whiskers, etc.

 

Cheese Quesadilla

1 ounce cheddar cheese
2 flour tortillas

Grate cheese. Heat a skillet on medium-high. Place one tortilla on the hot skillet. Sprinkle tortilla with grated cheese. Top with second tortilla. Cook about 30 seconds, then flip.

Cook about 30 seconds on the second side. The quesadilla is done when both sides are golden brown and the cheese is melted.

Add Your Own Ideas, Too!

• Use corn tortillas
  

• Try different kinds of cheeses.
  

• Spread 2 tablespoons refried beans on tortilla before placing in skillet.
  

• Add chopped vegetables, tomatoes, lettuce, green peppers, etc.

To prepare in microwave oven:

Grate cheese. Add tomatoes, green peppers, or onions with grated cheese. Place one tortilla on a microwave-safe plate. Sprinkle tortilla with grated cheese. Top with second tortilla. Cover with damp paper towel. Microwave on high (100% power) about 1 minute. The quesadilla is done when cheese is melted.