Make-A-Meal Monday: Holiday Treats for Easter and Passover

Posted on April 18, 2011 by viviankirkfield

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Right now, we are in the middle of two important week-long religious celebrations…for Christians, there is Easter which is next Sunday, but the entire week has significance as yesterday was Palm Sunday and Thursday is Maundy Thursday and Friday is Good Friday. For those of the Jewish faith, there is Passover, which starts tonight with the first Seder and continues for an entire week. For more detailed information about either of these holidays, you can go to http://www.infoplease.com/spot/easter.html.

I thought it would be fun to see if I could find a recipe from my book for parents of preschoolers that would be appropriate for each of these important celebrations. When you invite your child to help with food preparation, you help build their self-esteem. It is also a wonderful way to teach young children about holidays and traditions that are important for your family.

CHILD-FRIENDLY NOODLE APPLE CASSEROLE

Here is a really simple recipe that is similar to Noodle Kugel, a delicious treat enjoyed by many during Passover week.

You will need: 4 cups cooked wide noodles, 2 eggs, ¼ cup honey, ½ tsp cinnamon, 1 cup grated apple, ½ cup raisins, 1 Tb margarine or butter, a large bowl and a 2-quart greased casserole dish.

1. In a large bowl, combine eggs, honey and cinnamon and beat well.

2. Stir in apples, raisins, noodles and butter.

3. Pour into a greased casserole dish, cover with aluminum foil and bake at 400 degrees for 30 minutes.

4. Be careful when you pull away the aluminum foil…there may be a lot of steam!

5. Makes 4 lunch-size servings or many more side dish, snack or dessert servings.

CHILD-FRIENDLY HOT CROSS BUNS

This simple recipe forgoes yeast and uses muffin tins…so easy and delicious; you’ll want to enjoy it all during the year, not just at Easter.

You will need: For the buns: ½ cup orange juice, ¾ cup seedless golden raisins, 2 cups flour, 1 Tb baking powder, 2/3 cup granulated sugar, 1 tsp cinnamon, ½ cup milk, 1/3 cup canola oil, 2 eggs, 2 tsp vanilla extract, zest of 1 orange, 3 mixing bowls and a 12-cup greased muffin tin. For the icing: 1 cup confectioner’s sugar, 1 Tb orange juice.

1. Combine orange juice and raisins in a micro-wave safe bowl and micro-wave on high for 1 minute.

2. In another bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder and cinnamon.

3. In a smaller bowl, whisk together milk, oil, eggs, vanilla and orange zest.

4. Add the milk mixture and the raisin mixture to the flour mixture and stir until just moistened.

5. Spoon the batter into the prepared muffin cups and bake at 400 degrees for 15-20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the muffins comes out clean and dry.

6. Remove the muffin tin from the oven and cool for 5 minutes before placing the muffins on a rack to cool completely.

7. When the muffins are completely cool, prepare the icing (in a small bowl, mix confectioner’s sugar and 1 Tb orange juice until smooth) and drizzle on top of each muffin to form a cross.

Please stop by tomorrow…and don’t forget that THE HOPPY EASTER EGGSTRAVAGANZA GIVEAWAY BLOG HOP starts here on Wednesday…and at over 200 other blogs. You will be able to enter to win a copy of Show Me How! Build Your Child’s Self-Esteem Through Reading, Crafting and Cooking and then hop over to the other blogs to enter their giveaways.

Cinema Sunday: PULL THE PLUG FOR CCFC’s SCREEN-FREE WEEK

Posted on April 17, 2011 by viviankirkfield

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Usually on Sundays, I review a movie that I feel others might find enjoyable. But today, I’m devoting my post to informing you about Screen-Free Week.

From April 18 – April 24, thousands (or maybe hundreds of thousands) of families across the country will be pulling the plug of their TV sets and computers in honor of the Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood’s SCREEN-FREE WEEK. Families can participate by turning off their TV’s and computers for entertainment and turning on to other activities.

What a fantastic idea!

Please don’t get me wrong…there definitely are some great programs on TV for adults and children…many of those can be found on your local PBS stations.

But no child should spend too much time in front of the television or computer screen, no matter how educational or valuable the show is.

How can your family benefit by taking part in this week-long event?

More family time together. “To be in your children’s memories tomorrow, you need to be in their lives today.” Sit down together and plan a family trip. As a family, go through those photos that have been piling up and put together a family album. Play board games or charades.
More time to go outside. With the obesity rate climbing in this country, both adults and children will benefit from outdoor exercise such as walking, hiking or other outdoor activities.

More time for reading, crafting and cooking with your children. If you need some ideas, please check out my book for parents of preschoolers which is an excellent resource. It highlights 100 picture books every young child should hear and provides an eco-friendly craft project and a child-friendly healthful recipe for each recommended story. And, if you have older children, how about having them participate by reading the story to their younger brothers and sisters and then assist with the craft and cooking activities.

For more information on this event and other family activities, you can go to the website of the Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood: http://www.commercialfreechildhood.org/screenfreeweek/

They have lots of other ideas of what you can do when you turn off your screens.

Earth Day 2011: Preserve, Protect, Promote…How Parents and Their Preschoolers Can Participate

Posted on April 16, 2011 by viviankirkfield

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Have you noticed how much your preschooler wants to be like you?

Look over at your child while you are engaged in some activity like reading, talking on the phone or even cleaning the house.

More often than not, you will see your preschooler mimicking you…the book may be upside down and the imaginary phone conversation may be on a toy…but emulating parents is what young children love to do.

With Earth Day 2011 quickly approaching (Friday, April 22), here are seven simple steps that parents can take to preserve the planet for future generations, protect our natural resources and promote environmental awareness with their preschoolers.

1. Buy gently used clothing and toys at consignment shops or places like Goodwill and donate your child’s gently used items as well. This cycle of recycling really helps.

2. Use homemade natural solutions to clean your home. They are better for your family and better for the planet. Here are a couple of links where you can find great “recipes” and other tips: http://housekeeping.about.com/cs/environment/a/alternateclean.htm, http://www.ehow.com/about_4777601_natural-homemade-cleaning-products.html, http://organizedhome.com/clean-house/pantry-recipes-homemade-cleaning-products. Happy cleaning!!!

3. Walk; don’t drive, to local destinations, if possible, like the store or the library.

4. Spend the day at a local park…bring a picnic lunch, gloves and a big garbage bag. Walk around and have your child help you pick up any garbage you find.

5. Bring your own bags when you shop…you might want to get smaller reusable bags for your young children so that they can help carry groceries in a more responsible way.

6. Buy local. I realize it is not always possible or feasible to buy organic, locally-grown or produced food. However, this not only benefits your family, but also the planet. The carbon footprint left by foods that are flown or trucked across the country is huge…and buying locally helps the growers and manufacturers who must compete with the large corporations. The nutritional benefits to your family include not having to worry about artificial colors, preservatives and genetically modified foods. If you are looking for healthful recipes, my book for parents of preschoolers, Show Me How! Build Your Child’s Self-Esteem Through Reading, Crafting and Cooking, includes 100 easy child-friendly cooking activities, as well as 100 simple eco-friendly craft projects.

7. Buy in bulk with as little packaging as possible. Many stores now have a special section where they offer a wide selection of foods that can be purchased by the pound or less. The price is usually significantly cheaper than buying the product in a box with a name brand listed on the front.

Seven simple steps…if you only do a few, you will be making an important contribution to the preservation of our planet for future generations.

Seven simple steps…if you allow your children to participate with you, you will be encouraging them to protect our natural resources.

Seven simple steps…if we all follow them, we promote environmental awareness and the well-being of the world.

You can “like” b-kind-2-earth-day and go here for more information about what lots of other people are doing: http://www.facebook.com/BKind2EarthDay/posts/139097546162617#!/BKind2EarthDay