Holiday Peanut Butter Bites

3 cups of all purpose flour
1-1/2 cups of whole wheat flour
1-1/2 tsp of molasses
3 tablespoons of peanut butter, unsalted
3 tablespoons of canola oil

~ Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

~ In a bowl mix the all purpose flour and the whole wheat flour together and set it on the side. In a separate large bowl stir the molasses, peanut butter and oil together. Then add the flours mixture into the molasses mixture and whisk it until it is smooth.

~ Use your hand to break the dough into small ball size pieces and roll each one into logs about 1/2″ in diameter.

~ Cut the logs into 1/8″ thick discs. Place the discs on ungreased baking sheets and bake for approximately 30 minutes or until golden brown.

~ Once done allow to cool completely before serving.

~ Store in an airtight container for up to 14 days, or wrap in freezer wrap and keep them in the freezer for up to 60 days.

[image: flickr]

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Holiday Peanut Butter Bites for Dogs

These easy-to-make dog biscuits are made with canned pumpkin (make sure you’re not using the canned pumpkin pie mix!) and peanut butter for a tasty and healthy snack. They also smell pretty good while they’re baking!

Peanut Butter and Pumpkin Dog Treats
from allrecipes.com

2 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
2 eggs
1/2 cup canned pumpkin
2 tablespoons peanut butter
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

~ Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).

~ Whisk together the flour, eggs, pumpkin, peanut butter, salt, and cinnamon in a bowl.

~ Add water as needed to help make the dough workable, but the dough should be dry and stiff.

~ Roll the dough into a 1/2-inch-thick roll. Cut into 1/2-inch pieces.

~ Bake in preheated oven until hard, about 40 minutes.

[image: flickr]

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Peanut Butter and Pumpkin Dog Treats

They can be “dressed up” with more add-ins, such as sliced bananas, thinly sliced apples, and even jelly. Simply spread the marshmallow creme (or Fluff, as it’s more commonly known as) on one slice of bread, some peanut butter on the other, stick them together, and voila — instant childhood!

Fluffernutters are particularly popular in the northeastern United States, and have even been proposed as the Massachusetts state sandwich! It’s been referenced as far back as 1970 when it was mentioned by name in a song by the vocal group The Free Design. It’s also appeared in several pop culture references on television, in movies and in books.

A fluffernutter doesn’t have to be restricted to just sandwiches, though! You can knock off a few calories and turn it into a small snack by spreading peanut butter and then marshmallow creme on a rice cake instead of bread. You can add a bit of chocolate syrup if the sweetness isn’t already enough for you, or just put the chocolate on top!

You can also toast it a bit as you would a grilled cheese sandwich for a warm comforting snack, or spend a little more time on it and turn it into a delicious, decadent dessert.

When was the last time you had a fluffernutter?

[image: flickr]

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Fluffernutter Sandwiches

That’s what I used to think. Then I heard from a few parents of kids with peanut allergies.

More and more school children are suffering from food allergies, especially peanut allergies. Most often the reactions are little more than a cough or a sneeze, but some can be fatal. Overall, food allergies result in more than 30,000 emergency room visits a year.

A recent study found that half of patients with peanut allergies reacted to as little as one-fiftieth of a peanut. What makes peanut allergies so potentially lethal to those who suffer from them is that the peanut does not have to be eaten to be fatal. Some people react to inhaling peanut products or touching an object that has been in contact with the allergen. If my child were that allergic to anything, you’re damn straight I’d lead the fight to ban that product from the earth.

Creating a peanut-free zone, especially at a school, isn’t an easy undertaking. For starters, every surface has to be wiped clean of any possible peanut residue, and all lunches served at the school cannot contain peanuts, peanut butter or peanut oil. The school also has to communicate to the parents the importance of not packing lunches for their children that contain any peanut products. For those of us who have never had to deal with a food allergy, banning peanut products from our kids’ lunches may sound ridiculous. But talk to a parent of a child severely allergic to peanuts, and you quickly learn why making such a concession on our end is a small price to pay.

Says Marc McMorris, M.D., assistant professor of internal medicine and pediatrics in the division of allergy-immunology at the University of Michigan Health System, “I doubt any of us would want a child to have a fatal reaction in a classroom because another family neglected to follow the rules that have been laid forth by the school district.”

Source: University of Michigan Health System
Photo, Flickr, Matt Hurst

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Are School Peanut-Free Zones Necessary?

Not a girlie-girl's lunchbox!

I’m fine with that, except I have not clue what kind of lunchboxes kids carry these days. Yes, I want my son’s lunchbox to be the same design as all the other kids. The reason? My mother apparently waited until the last minute to shop for my lunch box so I ended up with a Six Million Dollar Man one. I was mortified. Back in those days lunchboxes were metal and clunky. I was fine with that, but Six Million Dollar Man? That’s a boy’s lunchbox. I ended up “accidentally” smashing it one day and after that my mother resorted to paper sacks.

This week I browsed Walmart and Target’s selections and even went online, but I’m just not sure what the most common styles are among elementary school students these days. And I can’t make plans to have lunch with my son to spy for myself – at least not until September. (They make us parents wait until then.) So, please help me with that.

Also, our school is a peanut-free zone. What exactly is a Mom supposed to make her son? I’m used to making peanut butter and jelly or peanut butter and honey sandwiches, but those choices are obviously out. I could do deli meat, but won’t the meat go bad before lunchtime? Or do I need to put one of those frozen ice packs in his lunch everyday? That would take up a lot of space. Is there a cool lunchbox that remedies that? Or are there other peanut-free lunch selections out there? Sigh…Am I really this clueless of a Mom? (Don’t answer that.)

Seriously, any help you can give on this matter would be appreciated. E-mail me or comment below, and I would be most appreciative.

Photo, RetroLand

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Please Help With My Kid’s Lunch Dilemma

I decided to do a jumble-sort of peanut butter cookie. I added oats, coconut, dried cranberries, and white chunks to the usual cookie recipe that I use. In addition, I cut the amount of butter used by one tablespoon. I probably totally made up for that with the coconut, but I wanted to see if the smaller amount of fat would make a difference in the cookie’s texture. Verdict? It was the same light, crisp cookie. My family wholly approved.

Peanut Butter Jumbles

Preheat oven to 375
1/2 cup, minus 1 TB of unsalted butter
1/2 peanut butter, either natural or traditional
1 – 1/4 cup of flour
1 cup white baking chips or chunks
1/2 cup of brown or raw sugar
1/2 cup oats
1/2 cup coconut
1 egg, large
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
Pinch of salt, I use kosher
*Optional – 1/2 cup of dried cranberries or cherries

Cream butter and sugars together with mixer until smooth. Add egg, vanilla, mix, then baking powder, baking soda, salt. Add flour, 1/2 cup at a time, beat until smooth. Stir in oats, coconut, baking chips, and optional dried fruit.

Take a spoon of dough (about 1 inch diameter)  and shape it into a ball in your hands. (Refrigerate dough, it’s it’s hard to handle, chilled do stacks stuck together better). Place on a cookie sheet (line the sheet with parchment paper if you want, it’s easier at clean-up time), then use a fork to push dough down. Make criss-cross marks with the fork, tines one way, the lift, and place them down across the first set.

Bake the cookies in a 375 oven for 8-10 minutes. I go for the higher number of minutes, because I’m a fan of browned cookies.

Makes approximately 38-40 cookies.

Image credit: Michelle Smith

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Peanut Butter Jumbles

With contaminated peanut butter in the news so much lately, who needs to take the chance?

Image: Think Geek

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Perfect peanut butter

1. Milk (I like Horizon)
2. Potatoes
3. Peanut butter
4. Ketchup
5. Apples

Need some more guidance? Check out these resources:

• Eating Fabulous
• Veggie Chic

And be sure to leave your tips in the comments!

Contents © Copyright 2007 Kristen King

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Adding Organic Foods to Your Diet in 5 Easy Steps

1. Chicken Breast
2. Turkey
3. Tuna
4. Salmon
5. Eggs
6. Milk
7. Cottage Cheese
8. Almonds, Peanuts, Cashews
9. Peanut Butter
10. Yogurt

Visit the original post for more info on portion sizes.

Contents © Copyright 2007 Kristen King

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10 Healthy Sources of Protein

My Mom’s Delicious Peanut Butter Rice Pudding

*Preheat oven to 450*

• 2-3 cups of cooked rice
  Lively Tip: Use brown rice instead of white for some extra fiber.
• 3 eggs
  Lively Tip: Go organic with brown eggs from free-range chickens
• 3/4 to 1 cup sugar
  Lively Tip: Substitute raw local honey for sugar.
• 3/4 to 1 cup chunky peanut butter
  Lively Tip: Make your own sugar-free, all natural PB at your local organic market or Whole Foods grocery store.
• Handful of raisins
  Lively Tip: Mix regular raisins with golden ones for a tasty flavor combo.
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

Combine all ingredients in a large bowl and mix well. The peanut butter should be totally mixed in with the eggs and it will all be coating the rice evenly. Transfer into a soufflé dish. Pour in milk (Mom always used 2% but I don’t think it matters) to about 1″ below the top of the pan.

Place soufflé pan in another dish (like a 9×13 casserole dish) and put both in the oven. Pour 2-3 cups of hot tap water into the outer pan.

Bake at 450 for 15 minutes and then at 350 for 40-45 minutes. You’ll know it’s finished when a knife inserted into the center comes out mostly clean (it’ll never be completely clean, but there should be only a teeny bit of pudding on it.)

Let set while cooling for about 20 minutes before serving. Drizzle on a little organic heavy cream (I like Horizon) when you dish it up for an extra treat. Enjoy!

Contents © Copyright 2007 Kristen King

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Healthy Dessert You Can Make Tonight: Peanut Butter Rice Pudding