Munchie Monday! G is for Granola

Good Granola

This brings back memories!
It sounds quite similar to a granola I used to bake for my children when they were young.
They love it!

Ingredients:
1 c. oatmeal
1/3 c. wheat germ
1/4 c. coconut
1/4 c. sunflower seeds
1/4 c. powered milk
1 tsp cinnamon

2 TBSP honey
2 TBSP oil
1 tsp vanilla

1. Mix the first 6 ingredients together.
2. Add the next 3 ingredients.
3. Mix well.
4. Spread on a cookie sheet.
5. Bake at 375 degrees for 8-10 minutes. (watch carefully so it does not burn!)
6. Cool on paper towels. ( I actually prefer wax paper, helps to prevent sticking)
7. Eat for a snack or for breakfast.

What do you think?
1. Taste each ingredient.
What happens to each as Good Granola toasts?
2. What makes the Good Granola stick together in little "clumps"?
3. What makes Good Granola good for you?

Try this!
1. Think of some nuts or dried fruit you would like to add.
2. With Good granola form a G g on your napkin.

Have a Radical RED Day!!

F is for Fresh Fruit Salad on Munchie Monday

Red Munchie Monday presents:

Fresh Fruit Salad!

Ingredients:

• 1 Banana
• 1 Tangerine
• 1 Apple
• 3 TBSP Plain Vanilla Yogurt
• 1 tsp vanilla
  

Instructions:

1. Slice banana
2. Dice apple
3. Peel tangerine, separate segments, cut remove seeds


4. Mix fruit together in a bowl
   
5. Mix yogurt and vanilla together
6. Pour over the fruit
   
   
7. Eat!

What do you think?

1. Compare the seeds of these fruits. Which can we eat?
2. Why is Fresh Fruit Salad good for us?
3. What does fresh fruit mean?
4. What kinds of fruit are not fresh when we eat them?
5. Which kind of fruit has the most vitamins? Dried? Fresh? Canned? Frozen?
6. How are Frozen fresh fruit and fresh fruit different?
7. When might fresh fruits be unavailable and dried or canned fruit good?


Try this!

1. Form the letter F for fruit with the banana peels.
2. Serve the Fresh Fruit Salad in the Coconut Shell you got went you made your "C is for Coconut" recipe.

Have an enthusiastic Red Munchie Monday!

Kathleen

E is for Egg Boat!

E is for Egg Boats!

This Glorious Red Monday we will be making Egg Boats.

Instructions:

1. Boil 6 eggs in water


2. Peel hard boiled eggs
3. Cut in half


4. Remove yolk
5. Mix with mayonnaise, salt, pepper to desired consistency and taste
   
6. Cut 2 paper triangles
7. Tape them to toothpicks

8. Put yolk mixture into the empty holes in the egg halve. I added a little paprika to one of mine for colour.
9. Put sail at the fat end of the egg


10. Sail egg boat into your mouth
    

What do you think?

1. What happens to the egg when it is boiled?
2. Do brown eggs look different inside than white eggs?
   
3. Can you cut a raw egg in half?
4. What does half mean?
5. What are the 2 parts of the egg?
6. What is the colour of each part?
7. What do eggs have that is good for us?
8. Where do eggs come from?
9. How can you tell the difference between hard boiled eggs and raw eggs when the are still in their shells? (you can spin a hard boiled egg, a raw egg will wobble)
   

Try this!

1. Write Ee for egg of the paper sails before you tape them to the toothpick
2. Enjoy your egg boats
   

You may notice that my eggs are shades of brown.
I gather them throughout the day from my flock.
You may also notice that the yolks of my egg is a different shade of yellow than yours is, if yours is store bought.
That is because my chickens are free range, or in other words they are allowed to eat what chickens naturally would eat; grass, weeds, snails, worms, slugs. (sounds gross, but the last three are excellant sources of protein.)

I hope you had an Energetic Red Monday!
Kathleen

It's a Red Munchie Monday! "D" is for Delicious Dip!

It is another Munchie Monday! Wow!

This week we will be making Delicious Dip!
Your children will have a lot of fun eating their veggies with this dip.
Your biggest problem may be having enough cut up veggies for them to eat!

Delicious Dip

Ingredients:
¼ c cottage cheese
2 Tbsp grated cheddar cheese
¼ tsp dill weed
½ tsp Worcestershire Sauce
¼ tsp salt

Mix cottage cheese with cheddar cheese
Add last three ingredients
Mash with a fork
Dip raw vegetables in and enjoy the flavor!

What do you think?
1. How are the 2 cheeses alike?
2. How are the 2 cheeses different?
3. Cheese belongs to what food group?
4. Smell the dill weed.
5. Where does dill weed come from?
6. Which ingredient adds lots of flavor?

Try this!
1. Which ingredient starts with "D" as in Delicious Dip?
2. Find the "D" on the Dill Weed jar.
3. Add bits of chopped celery, or bacon, parsley or pimento.

If you want to know more about Munchie Monday or the colours of the week click on the Rainbow Burst picture to the right.

A new week is beginning!
It'a a great day to be a Red day!

Munchie Monday! C is for Coconut

C is for Coconut

I love Coconut! I learned how to do this years ago. I usually drain the coconut milk into a glass and drink it later, if some of the "hair "of the coconut gets into the milk I just strain it.
Sometimes after I poke the eyes out I slide a straw in and drink straight from the coconut. Children really enjoy this. It is fun!

1. Position a shelf in the middle of the oven and preheat it to 350 degrees F.
2. A grownup must make holes in the coconuts eyes (use a clean screwdriver or an ice pick, hitting hard on the end of its handle with a hammer.)
3. Pour out the liquid
4. Break the Shell
5. Eat the Meat
6. Place the coconut on the middle rack in the oven and bake it until it cracks, about 10 to 15 minutes.
7. Remove the coconut with hot mitts and let it cool slightly.
8. Remove the shell--it will come off easily.
9. Peel the brown husk from the coconut meat with a vegetable peeler, and chop the coconut meat into uniform pieces.
10. A grownup can use a food processor or a hand grater to shred or grate the coconut to make fresh coconut flakes.


What do you think?
1. How do coconuts grow?
2. Where do they grow?
3. How many eyes does a coconut have?
4. What does the coconut feel like?
5. Shake it. What do you hear?
6. Have you tasted coconut before?
7. Where? What did it look like?
8. What is a liquid?
9. What is a solid?
10. Did you know that 1 medium coconut, weighing a pound or so, yields 3 cups of shredded coconut?

Try This!
1. Taste the coconut liquid.
2. Save the coconut shell to serve the Fresh Fruit Salad in.
(The recipe for this will come later.)
3. Make coconut milk by heating grated coconut in the coconut liquid just to the boiling point.
4. Cool and strain.


Have a GREAT RED Day!!
Kathleen

Munchie Monday - "B" is for Banana Bread

Whew! I cannot believe a whole week has slide by!
All my grandiose ideas of making daily entries is mere dust in the wind for last week, but what a week!
I had a fantastic time having my grandson overnight and for a full day. Talk about a go getter. I was trying to pack and get things ready for my trip to Reno. (This Sat. another grandson was participating in his annual piano recital) I would check on Owen, who was having a blast, and he was always busy with something.
One of the times I went to check up on him I found he had drug "his" ladder, a very small two step ladder, over to the baby chick pen and somehow he had gotten one of the chicks out and was sitting quietly on the ladder. He saw me and said, " I'ma just holding him for a minute gram mama.
Then later I found him in the larger pen, which requires his sliding a bolt lock that is located about five feet high, (he is only four). He was holding another baby chick, saw me and said, " I'ma just a holding him for minute gram mama.
Later still, I found him in a large shallow mud puddle,(remnants of our last rain fall) playing with the goose.
He was trying to get Jay-Jay to chase him. Jay-Jay was ignoring him for the most part, but Owen was loving it all the same.
Before his mother came to get him though, I brought him upstairs and turned the shower on him.
She actually took it well and was happy he had such a good time.
Well, it is another Red Day full of enthusiasm and energy!!
Here is our Monday Munchie Recipe:

B is for Banana Bread

Ingredients:
3 Ripe Bananas
2c. flour
1 tsp salt
1 tsp soda
½ c wheat germ
½ c butter
2 eggs
1 c apple juice concentrate

Preparation:
1. Mash: 3 bananas, set aside and save

2. Mix: 2c. flour
1 tsp salt
1 tsp soda
½ c wheat germ

3. Melt: ½ c butter in a big pan

4. Add: 2 eggs
1 c apple juice concentrate

5. Fold in: flour mixture and bananas
Bake in greased pan at 350˚

What do you think?
1. Why do we use ripe bananas?
2. How do bananas grow?
3. What does soda do?
4. Why do we “fold in” the last ingredients?

Try this!
1. Put some baking soda in vinegar.
Describe what happens.
2. Have toasted Banana Bread, milk, and fruit for Breakfast

Tomorrow is an Orange Day, Daring Tues!
Till then, Kathleen

Munchie Monday A is for Animal Cracker - Red Day

This blog is slowly evolving. It was originally just a connection between my grandson and I, a way to journal our home school journey together, but the more I read other blogs the more I want to be a part of this community and share what I have learned and am still learning about children. I am not sure how well I will be able to keep up with this, but for now it is exciting and I look forward to each entry. For me it is a reconnection and a validation with who I am and who I would like to be.
To do this I found that I would like to organize my blog a little more efficiently by attributing themes to each day of the week that I blog. Each day will also have its own colour.
Today is a RED day.
I think that is a good choice for a Mon.
Red has more personal associations than any other color. Recognized as a stimulant, red is inherently exciting.
What a great colour to begin the week with!

How the color red affects us mentally and physically
* Increases enthusiasm
* Stimulates energy
* Encourages action and confidence
* A sense of protection from fears and anxiety

Let's start the week off with a Healthy Delicious Snack that is also a great interactive between parent and child.
Let your little one do as much of the work as he or she is capable of. Remember that the more they do for themselves the more they will learn. This includes clean as you go and final clean up. Children are actually much more capable than we give them credit for.
One of my grand children is being raised the Montessori way and has been able to make sandwiches and other small meals on his own since he was 4 or 5. He has his own shelf in the kitchen where his dishes and kitchen tools are as well as his own child size pitcher of milk in the fridge. I have watched him make the meal and clean up the mess in amazement. He actually has turned down my offers of help saying no Ma.me.ma I can do it.
The recipes I will be sharing will be from the "Kinder-Krunchies Healthy Snack Recipes for Children" book that I have had forever. It was written by Karen Jenkins.
There are enough recipes in it to share with this blog for at least a year.
Karen's aim in the book was:
1. to help children learn basic concepts of good nutrition as well as to help them enjoy prepaing the food.
2. to help children develop "readiness skills", such as vocabulary and language development, understanding of numbers and letters as well as small muscle coordination.

When aiding your child in food preparation she emphasizes the need to:
1. always use correct terminology for the food, equipment and processes being used.
2. to be sensitive to your childs needs and interests so as to not overwhelm them with questions.
rather pick up cues from their talk.

For practice you could allow your child to measure and pour both liquids (water in the sink, bath or outside tub) and solids (sand, rice or cornmeal) using nesting measuring cups, graduated measuring spoons, and miscellaneous containers. This will also improve their small muscle control as well as help them in their understanding of volume.
Your can tell your child that Healthy food makes your body and mind healthier, so you have more energy to enjoy learning and playing!

Parents please use caution whenever sharp objects like knives or toothpicks are used. Please advise your child of the inherent danger and that these items should not go near their mouths or their eyes.

To begin:
1. read the recipe together
2. talk about what your are doing, the food, the equipment, the letters, the numbers.
3. encourage lots of counting and let your child do as much of the measuring as possible.

Animal Crackers

Ingredients:

½ c Oatmeal
2 tsp Honey
¼ - 1/8 tsp Salt
¾ c Flour
¼ t Baking soda
¼ c Butter
4 Tbsp Buttermilk

Tools:

1/4 c measuring cup
1/2 c measuring cup
3/4 c measuring cup
1/8 tsp measuring spoon
¼ teaspoon measuring spoon
1 teaspoon measuring spoon
1 Tablespoon measuring spoon

Preparation:
Grind 1/2 c oatmeal in blender until fine, add 2 tsp honey, 1/4 - 1/8 tsp salt, 3/4 c flour,
1/4 t baking soda. Cut in 1/4 c butter, add 4 Tbsp buttermilk.
Roll very thin. Cut with animal cookie cutters.
Bake at 400 degrees until brown. (approximately 10-12 min.)

What do you think?
1. Taste the oatmeal. Taste some oat flour.
2.Describe what happens.
3.Taste the buttermilk.
4.What is buttermilk?
5.Bake the leftover pieces
6.What do these interesting shapes remind you of?

Try this:
1.Make up a story about the animal crackers you made.
2.Make one cracker in the shape of an A a.

Hope you find this interesting, nest week we will have a recipe for Banana Bread!
If you send a picture of you and your child making this recipe I will post it.
Thank you, Kathleen