Healthy, fruity snacks help make fall fun
Sep. 11, 2024
By Mary Wade Burnside and Sarah Moore
Everybody loves a good snack, and of course that includes kids. Sure, you can buy them at the supermarket, but here at WIC Kitchen, we thought with some preparation and cooking time, plus ingredients that you might already have in the fridge and pantry, you can make healthier versions that are delicious.
Fruit Leather snacks are similar to fruit roll-ups, except these aren’t processed and are free of dyes, which is a pretty big topic among parents these days.
Like the Strawberry Chia Granola Bars, these feature strawberries, which are high in vitamin C and antioxidants. Antioxidants are great for helping to combat back-to-school germs.
Oatmeal is also great for the immune system, as it contains beta-glucan, zinc and selenium. It’s also high in protein, which we need to build muscles.
Both recipes are great to make on the weekend and eat throughout the week as a lunch side or a health after-school snack.
We tested them on a nearly 3-year-old and she loved them and asked for more! We thought they were pretty tasty too. Enjoy!
Fruit Leather
Ingredients:
1 pound fresh or frozen fruit of your choice.* Applesauce works too. We used strawberries, mango and applesauce.
1 tsp lemon juice*
Honey to taste
Directions:
Preheat oven to the lowest temperature possible. We did 170 degrees Fahrenheit.
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Puree fruit in a high-speed blender until super smooth.
Add lemon juice and puree again.
Spread smooth fruit puree onto the lined baking sheet.
Dehydrate fruit leather in oven for three to four hours, until the center is not sticky to the touch.
Remove from the oven and let fruit leather cool completely on the baking sheet.
Slide the parchment paper off the baking sheet (this is a good size for this recipe) onto a cutting board. Using a pizza cutter or knife, cut into five strips lengthwise, then cut across all of them crosswise, to make 10 pieces total.
To make fruit roll-ups, roll the individual strips, preferably together with the parchment paper to prevent sticking, but without is fine as well.
Strawberry Chia Granola Bars
Ingredients:
1 3/4 cups rolled oats*
1/4 cup oat flour*
1/4 cup chia seeds
1 1/2 cups freeze-dried strawberries, crushed
1/3 cup coconut oil, melted
1/2 cup pure maple syrup
1/2 cup raw cashews
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 cup white chocolate chips melted with 1 tsp coconut oil
*Oat flour can be purchased or made using this recipe: Put the desired amount of oats into a blender and blend until it’s a fine powder. 1 cup of oats equals 1 cup of oat flour.
Directions:
Preheat your oven to 300 F.
In a blender, pulse your oats and cashews for 30 seconds until chopped.
Transfer them to a bowl with the oat flour, chia seeds, 1 cup of the crushed freeze-dried strawberries and salt.
In a separate bowl, whisk together the melted coconut oil, maple syrup and vanilla extract for at least one minute until it thickens.
Pour wet mixture into the dry ingredients and stir together until a sticky batter forms.
Line an 8 x 8 pan with parchment paper and press mixture down. Bake for 25-30 minutes, until edges are golden brown.
Let bars cool for at least an hour.
After cooled, drizzle melted white chocolate over them and top them with the remaining 1/2 cup freeze-dried strawberries,
Gently slice into 10-12 bars using a large, sharp knife. Once the white chocolate hardens, store them in an airtight container on the counter for up to one week or refrigerate (preferred) for two weeks.
*Ingredients with an asterisk next to them are available through Monongalia County Health Department WIC. Call us at 304-598-5181 for more information.