Kids Cuisine

My four-year-old son Zander is in a phase right now where he asks if everything he eats is healthy for him. When I acknowledge that yes, what he is eating is healthy, he smiles and gobbles up whatever it is. If I tell him that something is not healthy, but it’s okay to have treats sometimes, he really scrutinizes his snack to see if he wants to eat it. Most often, he continues with the treat, but lately he’s been setting the unhealthy food aside and asking for something healthy.

I clearly need to strike while this iron is steaming hot! Last week I made chocolate chip cookies, and while the whole family loves them, Zander got a sad look on his face and informed me that chocolate chips are not healthy for him. He still ate his share, but without the usual joy associated with a cookie. So I set out to find a healthier cookie that he could enjoy, and asked him what he would like in his cookies. His first answer was sunflower seeds, a relatively new discovery for him. We’ve found sunflower seeds to be a fantastic little snack, and they are great alone, in a cookie, or sprinkled on a salad. Sunflower seeds are a great source of Vitamin E, magnesium, and selenium, and they are also beneficial in the fight against high cholesterol. Sunflower seeds went in the cookie, along with heart-healthy oats and a bit of honey.

These cookies are a huge hit with Zander, who wants everyone to know that this is a healthy cookie, and perfectly acceptable snack food.
Honey-Seed Oatmeal Cookies

3 tablespoons butter — at room temperature
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup honey
1 whole egg
1/4 cup whole wheat flour
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1 1/2 cups rolled oats
1/4 cup sunflower seeds

Preheat oven to 350ºF. Spray a cookie sheet with cooking spray or line with parchment.

In a mixing bowl, beat the butter and brown sugar together until creamy. Add the honey and the egg and beat until combined. Add the flours, salt and baking soda and stir together. Add the oats and sunflower seeds and mix just until combined.

Drop the cookie dough by tablespoons onto the prepared baking sheet two inches apart. Bake in a 350ºF oven for 12-14 minutes, or until golden. Allow to cool on the sheet for 1 minute before removing to a rack to cool completely.

Makes about 32 cookies.

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Per Serving (excluding unknown items): 56 Calories; 2g Fat (31.7% calories from fat); 1g Protein; 9g Carbohydrate; 1g Dietary Fiber; 9mg Cholesterol; 57mg Sodium. Exchanges: 1/2 Grain(Starch); 0 Lean Meat; 1/2 Fat; 1/2 Other Carbohydrates.