Snack Attack
If your kids are prone to having snack attacks on the trail or whenever you’re outside, try tiding them over with dried apricots!
Apricots are on and ready to be eaten but it seems they usually come on all at once, leaving you with more than you can handle. Nature For Kids encourages you to take your kids to pick the apricots and then bring them home and dry them to take with you on your next outdoor adventure.
We have a dehydrator like this
It does a great job with apples, bananas, apricots and a variety of other things. My kids love it!
If you don’t want to dry the apricots whole try making fruit leather. It’s just a matter of pureeing the fruit and pouring it out flat.
I got this recipe from EasyFunSchool.com. You can do this recipe with a dehydrator or your oven.
Homemade Fruit Roll Ups
SUPPLIES:
Fresh, canned, or frozen fruit
Blender
Non-stick baking sheets*
Non-stick baking spray (e.g. PAM is a commercial brand)
DIRECTIONS:
1. Wash and prepare fruit.
2. Puree fruit in blender until it is very smooth. To make a leather that is 18 inches x 14 inches x ¼ inches, you will need about two and a half cups of puree.
3. Add as little water or juice as possible when pureeing.
4. You may now add any sweetening or spices … but beware, the more liquid in your puree, the longer it will take to dry. You don’t have to use processed sugar for sweetening; try honey, cane syrup, molasses, maple syrup, brown sugar, etc. (See below for more ideas on flavorings and spices).
5. Lightly spray the baking sheet with non-stick spray.
6. Pour the puree onto the prepared sheet.. Slightly tilt the tray to spread the puree around evenly. You could also make 4 to 6 inch size pancake shapes instead of one huge sheet.
7. At this point, you make garnish your leather if you desire (see below for variations).
8. Preheat your oven to about 150 degrees (no higher as you will cook the fruit rather than dry it). Note: below is an option if your fruit leather dries too long that is really good.
9. Put your baking sheet in the oven and prop the oven door open. The drying is going to take a long while … the time depends on how much moisture is in your puree.
10. Remove the leather from the sheet while it is still warm and roll it up.
Just remember, whenever you get a snack attack and you’re eating dried fruit you need to be sure to drink a lot of water along with that. Enjoy!
recipe, outside, apricots, outdoor adventure
Muddy Buddies
It’s time for another trail snack recipe! Today we have Muddy Buddies!
No, not this….
This…
It seems like I never keep the muddy buddies recipe available because I always think it will be printed on the Chex cereal box but it isn’t. So I’ll make a permanent copy of the recipe here on Nature For Kids for you and me!
Muddy Buddies
Melt in a large pot:
1 Cup semisweet chocolate chips
1/2 Cup peanut butter
1/4 Cup Margarine
1 tsp. vanilla extract
After it is melted and smooth remove from heat and pour in 9 cups of Chex cereal (corn or rice). Put 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar inside a large plastic bag. Once the cereal concoction is mixed nicely put it inside the bag with the powdered sugar and give it a good shake.
Place a couple hanfuls in a sandwich bag and throw it in your backpack!
Corn Flake Cookies
I thought every once in a while here at Nature For Kids I’d share some hiking snack recipes with you. To kick it off we have corn flake cookies! I got this recipe from my sister-in-law, Jinger. My kids love them! These are perfect portions and very packable for a great hike!
Corn Flake Cookies:
Melt in large pot:
- 1Cup Peanut Butter
- 1/2 Cub Corn Syrup
- 1/4 bag mini-marshmallows
- 1/2 Cup sugar
When sugar is dissolved add 3 cups corn flakes. Stir it up until the flakes are covered well with all that gooey yumminess and then spoon out heaping tablespoon fulls onto wax paper. Let cool and then place them in a container or plastic bag.
Do you have any kids’ treats to share that would compliment their outdoor fun?
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