Healthy & delicious recipes so easy, even the kids could do it!

During the summer, especially during the holidays, a lot of us end up eating way more food than usual. It's not just a problem for us adults, it's a problem for the kids too.

To make eating more a little bit healthier, Katie Kimball from Kitchen Stewardship, shares some of her favorite recipes that are so easy to make that the kids could do it.

Farmer's Cheese

• 1/2 gallon of milk
• 1/4 cup white vinegar
• 1 tsp. salt
• Olive oil

1. Heat 1/2 gallon of milk over medium to almost a boil until it reaches about 175-185F.
2. Add 1/4 cup white vinegar and stir. The milk will separate into curds and whey.
3. Drain the whey off through a cheesecloth or tea towel and mesh strainer over a bowl.
4. Season the curds with either 1 tsp salt plus olive boil and herbs, or pureed fruit, maple syrup and vanilla. Store cold and serve with crackers.

Fruit Pizza

• Crust:
  • 1 c. (2 sticks) softened butter
  • ¼ c. sugar OR sucanat
  • 2 c. white whole wheat flour
• Frosting:
  • ¾ c. yogurt cheese, softened
  • 1-4 Tbs. real maple syrup (or honey or powdered sugar in a pinch)
  • ½ tsp. vanilla or almond extract (optional)
• Toppings
  • Bananas
  • Kiwi
  • Strawberries
  • Peaches
  • Pineapple
  • Berries of any kind

Crust:

1. Cream butter and sugar.
2. Starting with 1¾ cup, stir in flour and finish by hand. It might be very crumbly and you’ll think it will never come together, but persevere. Add the last ¼ cup of flour as you can, and you can also go shy on the flour if it seems like it will get too crumbly to hold together. Try using your hands to squeeze pieces together.
3. Press a handful at a time into a buttered pan: small cookie sheet, 9x13 glass dish or Pampered Chef style baking stone.
4. Aim for a thickness of about ¼″, no more. If using a stone, you can roll flat gently with a rolling pin.
5. Bake in a preheated 350-degree oven for 15-20 minutes. As soon as you see brown on the edges, it’s done!
6. Cool completely before frosting.

Frosting

1. Mix ingredients together, adding sweetener and tasting until you enjoy it.
2. For a real frosting consistency, whip it with an electric mixer for a minute.
3. Spread the frosting on the crust once completely cooled, and arrange fresh fruit on top.
4. Cut into 2x2" squares to serve.

Fruit Parfaits

• Yogurt
• Raspberries
• Blueberries
• 1/4 tsp. Baking Soda

To make the blueberry puree a lighter shade of blue, mix the blueberries with 1/4 tsp. of baking soda. Once this is finished, scoop yogurt into a bowl and put raspberries and blueberry puree on top.

100% Fruit Juice Gelatin

Homemade Granola Bars

• 1 c. butter, softened
• 1 c. honey
• 4½ c. rolled oats
• 1 ½ c. whole wheat or spelt flour
• 1 tsp. vanilla
• 1 tsp. baking soda
• Add-ins to equal 2 cups total:
• mini semi-sweet chocolate chips
• chopped walnuts
• dried fruit
• sunflower seeds
• coconut

1. Lightly butter a 9”×13” glass pan. In a large mixing bowl, cream butter, honey, and vanilla. Tip: If your butter isn’t softened, use a rolling pin and roll it between two sheets of wax paper. Or mash it with your hands while in the wrapper. Our secret.
2. Add the oats, flour, and baking soda. Beat well until combined. Stir in add-ins by hand. Press mixture hard into pan. (You can use your hands!)
3. Bake at 325 degrees F for 15-22 minutes until just golden brown on the edges. You will think they are too soft. They are not. Just remind yourself that there's not even any egg in the recipe, so you can't hurt anybody if you underbake.
4. Allow to cool for at least 10 minutes before cutting into bars. Let bars cool completely in pan before removing and serving. Store at room temperature or freeze.

All recipes and information provided by Katie Kimball. For recipes, blog posts and more, visit KitchenStewardship.com.