Amos 'n Andy

My mom used to call this snack "Amos 'n Andy," the same things as Egg in a Basket, Popeye, Toad in the Hole, Egg in a Nest, Egg in a Frame...whatever you call it, it is easy and tasty!

Use a cookie cutter and cut a shape out of a piece of bread. Butter that empty bread and put it into the frying pan. Crack an egg into the shape. Fry both sides.

What's cool about making this for kids, besides that it's an easy breakfast is that you can cut out any shape the kids will enjoy, think holiday and seasonal!

No-Bake Peanut Butter Cookies

Can I make a peanut butter cookie without baking it?

What is a mixture?

Can I follow directions and measure things correctly?

These simple cookies are fun to make together and require no baking time. A bonus blend of math and science too!
Making No-Bake Peanut Butter Cookies

Ice Cream Sundae Potluck

For your next celebration, how about an Ice Cream Sundae Potluck? Have each friend bring a unique ice cream flavor and a topping, while you provide plenty of bowls, sprinkles, and whipped cream for all.

Yeah, there's no nutritional value on this one, but factor in the "cool" points you'll get!

Tasty Toasty

You will need: Bread, milk, food coloring, q-tips, 4 paper cups or small dishes, toaster

Put a small amount of milk in each cup. Add two drops of food color to each cup. Using the q-tip (or a new/cleaned paintbrush) "paint" a design onto the bread with the colored milk. Toast and eat your masterpiece.

*Variation: Paint on a message before serving toast with a meal.

18-Way PB&J

End of summer nears. School looms. Regular ol' PB&Js bore. Check out these variations on a classic.

The Great PB&J Makeover, courtesy Welch's

Astronaut Puddin'

You'll need: pudding mix, zip top bag, milk

Directions: Put one Tbsp. pudding mix into a zip top bag. Add 1/4 c. milk. Seal. Mush and squish until it is pudding consistency. Snip off a tiny corner of the bag and eat your pudding like the astronauts do in space- without utensils!

Making Homemade Applesauce

When I think of fall and back to school, I think of apples! Making your own applesauce is a very simple process and one you can easily involve your preschooler in. Make a real trip of it and pick your own apples in the orchard or support your local farmer's market. A plastic knife or butter knife can further chop down apple slices.

We use this recipe from AllRecipes.com Note: The type of apple you use might affect how much sugar the recipe needs. We recommend "Pink Lady" apples, and use a little less sugar than the recipe calls for.

Sarah's Applesauce

Shake It Up, Baby

Materials: Ziploc baggies, sliced fruits such as bananas, apples, strawberries. Can use buttered toast squares too. Coatings: try cinnamon and raisins, hot chocolate mix, cinnamon and sugar, parmesan cheese, powdered sugar, ranch dressing mix, powdered drink mixes like strawberry flavor Nestle Nequik.

Pick a food and a coating. Here are some combos to get you started!

Sliced bananas + cinnamon-sugar + raisins
Sliced bananas + Nestle Nequik powder
Apple slices + cinnamon-sugar
Strawberries + powdered sugar
Toast squares + parmesan cheese
Sliced bananas + hot chocolate mix
Apple slices + parmesan cheese
Toast squares + ranch dressing mix

Kids can slice the fruit or toast and put it into the Ziploc bag. They can also measure and pour in the coating. Let 'em shake and eat their treat.

*Variation: Put heavy cream into a plastic jar that will seal tightly. Have children take turns shaking it (20 minutes or so) until it turns into butter. Serve with pancakes or toast or crackers.

Berry Basket Weaving

**Once you've enjoyed some summer berries (dipped in vanilla yogurt?), recycle the container by weaving pretty ribbons throughout.**

Share recycling with your children.
Is this the world you want to leave them?

Fruity Frogs & Monarch Munchies

As seen in Family Fun magazine and Parents magazine, respectively.

We made this snack after reading It's Mine by Leo Lionni, a book about 3 quarrelsome little frogs that find out life is better in the pond when you share.

You will need: Green apples, green grapes, cream cheese, chocolate chips, Pepperidge Farm butterfly crackers, hummus, currants, optional green paper plates for lily pads

Directions: Cut apple into quarters, core. Add green grapes to one quarter for feet. Put two globs of cream cheese on top with chocolate chips in them for eyes. Spread hummus on butterfly crackers, decorate with currants.