Peanut Butter Waffley Muffins

Peanut butter is almost a universally recognized kid's favorite flavor for anything, so these Peanut Butter Waffley Muffins are probably going to receive thumbs-up reviews from the kids in your house. This is an easy to fix recipe (of course, kids will need adult supervision), so plan on letting little hands help you along the way.

These muffins are shorter and more dense than more traditional muffins, hence the name - Waffley Muffins.

The fun first step is a great way for even the little helpers to have a hand in making these muffins ... rather than using shortening to coat the muffin tins, instead use your favorite style of peanut butter, either crunchy or smooth.

This recipe is for 4 muffins, so coat 4 tins. This is what it will look like after the inside of the muffin tins are coated in peanut butter and ready for you to fill with batter.

It might not be the prettiest coating for muffin tins, but it will do the job - keeping the batter from sticking to the muffin tins and  adding just the right amount of tasty peanut butter to the muffins - and getting that slippery coating over the muffin tin is a great excuse for kids to play with their food.

In a small mixing bowl, use a fork to mix together 1 cup pancake baking mix, 2/3 cup milk, 1 tablespoon vegetable oil and 1 egg just until all ingredients are moist and unlumpy. Pour the batter into the muffin tin, almost to the top. Since this batter is heavy, like waffle batter, it won't rise much over the tin. Sprinkle a bit of brown sugar  on top.

Bake in the oven for about 15 minutes at 425 degrees. You'll know they're ready to take out of the oven when they're golden brown. To remove the muffins from the tin, gently slip a knife down between the edge of the muffin and the tin and circle around the outer edge loosening the muffin away from the tin, then lift them out. If any of the peanut butter remains at the bottom of the tin, spoon it out and put it on the top of the muffin.

These are great warm, so they're ready to eat as soon as they come out of the oven just as they are. Or add a pat of butter or margarine. Or your favorite jelly. Whatever waffle toppings you like will taste great on these muffins. Do you and your kids like maple syrup? That's how they're served here.

Stuffed Orange Fruit Cups

With this recipe, kids can have fun stuffing as many bite-sized chunks of fresh fruit into the orange cups as possible, and then enjoy eating their creation, probably without even realizing how healthy this snack is for them.

For four fruit cups, you'll want 2 oranges, and any fresh fruit choices that you and the kids in your life enjoy, such as strawberries, grapes, bananas and apples. Feel free to add any other tasty ingredients that you might have in your pantry - like walnuts or coconut - or stir in a favorite flavor of yogurt - lemon is especially delicious with the fresh fruit.

Cut 2 oranges in half, trying to keep all halves about the same size. If there is a bumpy surface on the bottom side, trim a small slice off so that the orange cup will sit level and not roll around.

Scoop out the orange segments (over a medium size mixing bowl) using a small sized spoon, like a teaspoon. The easiest way is to push the tip of the spoon down between the orange and the rind for each segment, then push the spoon downward and toward the center of the orange to scoop out as much of the segment as you can. Try not to push or scrape too hard so you can keep the orange cup in one piece.

If the segments don't come away from the rind in neat pieces, don't worry. Just scoop out the orange pieces into the bowl and let all the orange juice run into the bowl. This will add great flavor to the other fruits.

Add all the other fresh fruit choices to the same mixing bowl and stir it with a large spoon so all the fruits (and yogurt, if you add that too) are combined.

When that's done, fill the orange cups to overflowing with the fresh fruit mixture. That's it! They're ready to eat!

If you're going to make the orange cups ahead of time, you can wrap them individually in plastic wrap and use a twisty tie to seal them. Set them in the frig and they'll be a great cool treat for after school or late night, or next morning's breakfast.

Wrapping them and tying them with a bright ribbon also makes a colorful and tasty party or picnic idea.

You'll probably have some leftover mixed fruit, so invite the kids to refill their orange cups for a second helping! This is one treat you can fix where it's okay for the kids to get stuffed too!

Adults will want to make sure, as always, to supervise kids in the kitchen. And after snack time is over, a couple of empty orange cups and a bucket of water can make for lots of splishy splashy fun time, especially for kids on hot summer days!

"What's That In My Soup?!" Soup

As most parents can tell you, there are many ways to hide vegetables so that kids will get at least a few bites at meal time. But you might want to consider giving vegetables center stage at the table by cloaking them in a mysterious, maybe even a little creepy, allure - just enough to arouse their interest and overcome those "I don't like vegetables" mantras.

Zucchini can almost instantly transform from a yucky squash into a "cool creature" by poking a few spaghetti "legs" into it before cooking. Here's an idea for making a delicious, fresh soup with a sizable portion of vegetables that is so bizarre that kids can't help but like it. Start with a few firm zucchini like these.

You can use any type of pasta for the legs. If you cut the zucchini into approximately 3/4 inch slices, angel hair pasta cooks in the same length of time. If you use a wider type of pasta, cut the zucchini into longer pieces so it doesn't get over done.

While you're slicing the zucchini and poking in the pasta "legs", bring chicken broth (seasoned as you like with salt, pepper, fresh herbs) to a boil. Gently drop the zucchini "creatures" into the broth. Add any other quick cooking vegetables to the pot that you'd like - kids will be so distracted by the sight of legs coming out of the zucchini that they will forget not to eat whatever other veggies you add. Fresh spinach (which you might want to rename "swamp grass") and frozen corn (aka "frog molars") are good additions.

Cilantro gives a fresh boost to many dishes, even "Creature" Soup.

Older kids who are learning their way around the kitchen might enjoy making this soup, and younger kids might want to get involved by sticking the "legs" into the "creature's" body. Of course, as always when cooking or crafting, kids need adult supervision for safety.

No matter what you call it, this soup makes eating vegetables not so scary for kids.

Seedy Art

When you bite into an apple or slice open a pear (maybe to make Pear Banana Delight), you can stock up on a unique, natural craft supply by saving the seeds. Rinse the seeds off and once they're dry, you can use them to add three-dimensional effects to art and craft projects.

Here's one suggestion - hand-made gift card tags. Draw, paint or sketch personal messages to give a special touch to gifts. With just a dab of glue, seeds make excellent rabbit ears, like this happy bunny.
 

You can bring a smile to the face of the lucky person who receives one of your custom creations.

Pear Banana Delight - Mash it up!

In between your kid's craft projects, they'll probably be glad to have a snack to keep their energy level up. With this Pear Banana Delight recipe, kids can continue the crafting theme by making this snack and then enjoying the fresh fruit taste on their favorite cookie or cracker. Of course, as with any craft project, kids need adult supervision and help with any cutting or using sharp utensils. And, just like any kids' craft project, feel free to make any substitutions or additions that you or your child would like, based on what you have on your shelves today.

This is a perfect recipe for pears that have been gone a little beyond their crunchy prime stage. Pears at that point, looking something like the ones in the picture above, are easy to peel and their soft texture makes them easy to mash into a spreadable consistency. That's the fun part for kids. After you peel the skin off of 2 or 3 pears and scoop out the seeds, let your kids mash them up. With a fork, with a spoon, with their hands. All are good options.

Then add 1/2 to 1 mashed banana to the mashed pears and stir so it's mixed well. That's it. Very simple and very delicious. Add a sprinkle of cinnamon if you'd like. Or a few raisins. It makes a great topping on cookies, crackers or a dipping sauce for apple slices.