Admittedly, I am not a Pop Tart fan, but something drew me to Kellogg’s® Pop-Tarts® Gingerbread.  I don’t know if it was the attractive blue box with the cute gingerbread man on the front, or the fact that I was curious to see the picture on each tart.

These are okay for kids.  I placed the box in my office, and my 8^th grade boys scooped them up almost as quickly as I brought them in. The cute packaging, with the 2 tarts per package wrapped in silver cellophane, included an imprint of a red ribbon and was set up like a gift tag. Nice detail, but I am not sure the extra effort would be noticed my kids.

The tarts?  Extremely sweet with sugar sprinkled on the outside and a royal icing-like filling, I would be nervous giving this to a child first thing in the morning. Later in the day, or as a snack, may be a better fit. Gingerbread Pop-Tarts® are in limited edition, so I am not sure if they are even readily available anymore.  If not, no big deal.  There are better things for a grab and go.

A good start is with school, since that is where I see so many overweight teens and even a larger number of eating fouls. One preferable way to begin is having children brown bagging it and not purchasing the school’s lunch. (Now, I know all schools are different and some school nutrition programs are making great strides.  But not all are there yet.) The Alliance’s link, Tips for a Healthier Lunch Box, offers great, non-invasive, non-wallet breaking tips.

There is also 10 Tips for Keeping Kids Active During the Winter which, judging from the weather I see happening across the use, should prove helpful! Still skeptical because of busy schedules?  I sent my sister, who recently found herself a single mom, 12 Healthy Snacks for Super-Busy Moms.

What is on your New Year Opportunity list?  What will work for you and your schedule?  Many of us may not be able to do everything we “should”, but we can all do something. How will your first chapter begin?

Two other quick links to healthy eating:
Healthy Quick Meals
Healthy Meal Resource through the USDA

A fun favorite, is the Hot Chocolate Cone.  In fact, the Hot Chocolate Cone was included in Oprah’s Favorite Things Show.  You can find the cones in a variety of stores, from CVS, Swoozies, to higher end stores. But why spend between $5 – $15 for one when you can make several for the same amount?  Spatulatta, Family Fun, Associated Content all have how-tos, but in brief — a few items are all you need, including:

• clear disposable cake decorating bags*
• hot chocolate mix
• mini marshmallows
• candy or chocolate chips for flavoring**
• small rubber bands
• ribbon* Can’t locate find disposable cake decorating bags? Use sandwich baggies or cellophane gift bags.
  **Spice up your mix by including cinnamon, butterscotch, white chocolate, or cherry chips!

Individual 1-quart canning jars can be used for a lot more than pickling and preserves.  What about gifts in a jar?  Who doesn’t like chocolate chip cookies? Brownies?  Bar cookies? Carefully layer a cookie recipe’s dry ingredients in the jar, tie a ribbon around the lid, and a recipe card that includes the missing (wet) ingredients to the ribbon and voila!  Instant dessert happiness.  For help, click below for recipes and how-tos:

• Family Crafts
• Christmas Cookies
• Organized Christmas (has downloadable M&M Cookie gift tag PDF file!)
• PastryWiz

To add that extra oomph, why not decorate the jar itself, as well?

Have fun!

While perusing Family Fun, you can’t help but notice all the great activities, treats, and recipes. I instantly became enamored with the Marshmallow Pilgrim Hats.  As families gather, cooks prep in the kitchen, and sports fans become armchair quarterbacks, go ahead and enlist the help of the kids.  The Marshmallow Pilgrim Hats are so easy, offer perfect opportunity for family time and conversation, and allow the young ones to move away from the gaming systems.

Jango Mango, the National Mango Board’s mango ambassador, is now promoting his Jango Geography. An online game for our young ones, Jango Geography teaches children about mangos and the countries from where they come. According to the November 7th press release, here are “a few of the exciting learning opportunities they’ll encounter are:

• Amazing Amazon Card Matching with Salvador the Snake in Brazil: Kids practice knowledge retention and their short-term memory as they find matching cards with colorful Brazil-inspired characters.
• Ultimate Mango Adventure with Peru Pete: Motor skills come into play as kids maneuver Jango Mango across the jungle while collecting mangos.
• Ecuador Turtle Race with Gail the Galapagos Turtle: Hand-eye coordination is key as kids race Gail around the island enjoying a speed burst with each mango she eats.
• Spot the Difference with Haiti Hal: Children strengthen their detail and comparison skills by examining two brightly colored pictures to find the five differences.
• Guatemala Catch-a-Mango with Miguel the Monkey: Miguel challenges kids to improve their reaction time by catching the most mangos as he throws them from trees.
• Mexico Mango Mountain Maze with Jango Mango: Kids carefully maneuver through the maze — while thinking abstractly — so they don’t get stuck.”

It is important to note that “the new Jango Geography game is one of many programs that The National Mango Board offers on Mango.org. A kid-centric section called ManGO Kids houses a host of fun activities and educational materials. In fact, Jango Geography got its start during a partnership in 2007 with Scholastic’s Instructor magazine that introduced and educated children about the world of mangos through activities in the classroom.”

There are a ton of fun Halloween ideas out there. In case you’re in need, check out a Pillsbury to help you. 

I find myself always wanting to craft fun and creative things when Halloween comes around.  Whether it’s a batch of quick witch hats or gum paste cake toppers, I try to do something new every year.  But, I notice that the items gobbled up first are the simple festive foods that are easily identifiable and not difficult to eat.  Case in point?  Cupcakes.

I made these vanilla cupcakes with basic buttercream icing last week.  They disappeared as fast as Dracula in daylight. They will be perfect for any holiday party.

Vanilla Cupcakes
(a Martha Stewart Recipe)
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
¾ teaspoon salt
12 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature (1 ½ sticks)
1 ½ cups sugar
4 large eggs
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1 ¼ cups milk

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Line cupcake pan with paper liners; set aside. In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt. In another mixing bowl, cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about 4 minutes. Add eggs one at a time, mixing until incorporated and scraping down sides of bowl; beat in vanilla. Add flour mixture and milk alternately, beginning and ending with flour. Scrape the sides and bottom of bowl to assure the batter is thoroughly mixed. Divide batter evenly among liners, filling papers about 2/3 full. Bake on the center rack of the oven until tops spring back to touch, about 20 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Makes 24.

Icing for cupcakes
2/3 cup butter
½ teaspoon salt
2 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 pounds sifted confectioners sugar
6-8 tablespoons milk

Cream butter, salt, and vanilla, beating until light and fluffy. Add sugar gradually, beating after each addition. Add 6 tablespoons milk, beating until smooth. Beat in more milk until you have your preferred spreading consistency. (Add a couple of dabs of Wilton coloring, with a toothpick, to get to the color you want.) Makes about 5 cups of frosting (good for about 24 cupcakes)

Because this mac & cheese includes whole grain pasta, the health benefits are vast.  Whole grains may lower the risk of diabetes and heart disease.  And, if at least three servings of whole grains are eaten daily, it takes care of about half of the recommended daily grain intake. So, since we need to make sure we feed our bodies, might as well meet our body’s needs in a yummy and fun way.

The only thing I would do next time is change the consistency of the cheese sauce.  When prepared according to the directions, I found it a little thin.  I like my cheesy sauce to have a little “oomph” to it. 

Be sure to check out all Annie’s has to offer by checking out their site.   

Now that school is in session for most, if not all, areas, Stretch Island Fruit Co.’s  Fruit Leather strips are a snack lunch-packers should consider when filling superhero or princess lunch boxes.  A little more money than Roll Ups, usually 33 cents each, or 3/$100, the Fruit Leathers are much healthier.  And how can you put a price on healthy living? Don’t be deterred by its name; the Fruit Leathers’ texture are fairly soft (with some fruit flavors softer than others), even though they are a lot thicker than the Roll Ups.

Check out other Fruit Leather postings on Kids Cuisine by clicking here or here (for smooshed fruit).

• “On any given day, 90 percent of Americans enjoy a snack, compared to only 75 percent who eat breakfast and 88 percent who eat lunch.
• A quarter of American adults (25 percent) often snack between meals.
• Americans spend more than $61 billion a year on snack foods.
• Nine our of 10 Americans savor salty snacks, which is a billion dollar industry ($21 billion annual U.S. sales).
• Women tend to indulge in more sophisticated and premium flavored snack foods and are open to trying new experiences that hold some familiarity.
• More than a quarter (26 percent) of adult women snack one or more times per week in their car.
• Nearly 25 percent of adult women’s total calories per day come from snack foods.
• Seventy percent of working women reported snacking between meals.”

Eagle™ Snacks have been around for a long time, since the ’70s.  Once a part of Anheuser-Busch, the company eventually sold Eagle™ Snacks to Reserve Brands Inc. Reserve Brands Inc. recently introduced Poppers™ and Bursts™ to snackers everywhere.  According to their maker, “Eagle™ Snacks’ Poppers are crunchy potato spheres with a zest-packed punch you will crave. Eagle™ BURSTS™ are delectable corn puffs that will tantalize your taste buds with their smooth flavors and melt-in-your-mouth texture.” But, of course they have to say that.  What do non-company people think?  Fast forward to the taste test….

My initial thought, as I got home from the gym energized and famished, was to sit at my kitchen table and eat my way through each bag Eagle™ Snacks – Habanero Poppers™, Honey Barbeque Poppers™, Salt & Vinegar Poppers™, White Cheddar BURSTS™, and Caramel Dulce De Leche BURSTS™. However, I realized my opinion would be skewed since I am not a fan of hot/spicy foods or anything Barbeque. What to do, what to do… Middle School Taste Test!

I originally thought it would be neat to have kids participate in the taste test, but I think my boss might have questioned what middle school Georgia Performance Standard an Eagle™ Snacks taste test would fall under.  In the interest of preserving my job security, I enlisted the assistance of the office staff, a couple of teachers who were on their planning time, and one of my fellow administrators.  Interestingly , the opinions varied more than I predicted. The overall consensus is that we would enjoy eating at least one of the flavors again.  In general, thoughts were that, regardless of flavor, Poppers™ offered a great crunch, not greasy, and did not include so much spice coating that it was impossible to clean your fingers. Similar, but not as salty, as Munchos, each flavor had the right amount of “kick” for its individual taste.
Individually, thoughts were as follows:

Habanero Poppers™:  This is the only one that everyone liked and said they would purchase for themselves, or for an occasion. The spice was very evident and tended to hang out on your tongue for some time, but in a good way.  They were actually a bit addictive!  After the first few testings, the spiciness lead us to guide others to taste Habanero Poppers™ last.   One of the office ladies, who is Indian and includes spicy foods in her daily diet, loved them and was excited when I handed over the bag with the remaining Poppers™.
Honey Barbeque Poppers™: According to the comments, I surmised honey barbeque flavoring is a personal decision.  One teacher ooh’d and ahh’d while smiles and chewing prevented him from speaking and another thought the sweet /savory combo was on point.  Others thought they were too salty, to honey-y, and/or too sweet. Again… a bag of personal preference, I think.
Salt & Vinegar Poppers™:  Many of us proceeded with trepidation when it came to these, as previous experiences from other chip brands brought memories of overseasoned, greasy, salty chips that cause twitching eyes as the vinegar collides with taste buds.  Not these!  While several testers admitted Salt & Vinegar would never be the first grabbed off the shelf, the agreement was that the Poppers™ had the right amount of seasoning to prompt Salt & Vinegar lovers reaching for more.
White Cheddar BURSTS™:  These little bite size squiggles didn’t fare as well as the chips.  While I (selfishly) kept the Caramel Dulce De Leche BURSTS™ at home for me, my verdict mirrored those from the test.  An initial thought when everyone read White Cheddar was excitement.  Then once in our mouths, opinions quickly changed. The balance of cheddar flavoring was fine, although not as much as you may find on other popcorn brands.  But, the texture killed White Cheddar BURSTS™ for all of us.  The “melt-in-your-mouth texture” lead is to believe that if we ever ate styrofoam, this is what it would be like. The consistency was very odd, not like anything we had eaten before. Strangely enough, while none of us thought we would choose these at the store, we did keep eating them… and eating them… and eating them.  The Principal’s assistant said it perfectly,  “I don’t like these, but would find myself not able to stop sticking my hand in the bag wondering the whole time why I continue to snack.”

Nutrition content differed from bag to bag.  The calories were all around 160-170ish per serving, total fat from 9 to 13+ grams with 0% trans fat, and sugar was low.  Sodium varied greatly as the Salt & Vinegar Poppers™ had a whopping 670 mg, while the bursts had 290mg.

Glad I was able to try these.  The Poppers™ are a great size, around the same diameter as a quarter, only round – like a hollow waffle-like sphere, or oversized Rice Chex. I think kids would enjoy them.  I know I am looking forward to seeing if Eagle™ Snacks are in my grocer.   In the meantime, check out the website.