Tips and Recipes to Avoid Sugar Overload this Holiday Season
In response to recent state and federal initiatives looking to raise awareness of healthy eating and childhood obesity, Kendall College has committed to providing a venue where parents and educators can learn more about childhood nutrition. In fact, the Kendall College School of Education recently added a childhood nutrition concentration for early childhood educators, and wants to extend that knowledge to parents.
As we head into the holiday season, children will be constantly surrounded by tempting sweet treats. To help avoid sugar overload this holiday season and build a foundation for a lifetime of healthy eating, Kendall College has assembled the following suggestions for parents.
Kendall College suggests the following creative steps that parents can follow to reduce sugar intake, but still satisfy any sweet tooth:
1 - Replace refined sugars with healthy alternatives such as honey, maple syrup or agave syrup.
2- To increase the nutritive value of cookies, bars, etc. you can add dried fruit. It’s not necessarily as a replacement to other ingredients so be sensible and add a small amount.
3- Prepare healthy snacks/foods in holiday colors i.e. green and red peppers with yogurt dip for a snack.
4- Don’t keep unhealthy snacks around the house or make sure you ration them. For example, if you go to a cookie exchange, only put a few cookies out so kids can’t grab them every time they walk by the table. Parents shouldn’t be over-restrictive, but also shouldn’t give kids too many options.
Kendall College offers parents the following advice to encourage their children to make independent, healthy eating choices during the holidays and year-round:
1- Get children involved in helping prepare healthy meals. If they are involved in preparing the meal, they are more likely to eat it.
2- Take children to the grocery store and have a guessing game about fresh produce, etc.
3- Parents need to set a good example - at home or at holiday parties. If parents make healthy food choices then kids are more likely to do the same.
4- Make sure kids drink water when they are thirsty and encourage milk with every meal - rather than fruit juices, eggnog, etc.
5- Don’t send your kids to holiday parties hungry. Feed them something healthy and filling before they go so they won’t overindulge when they get there.
HEALTHY HOLIDAY TREATS
Renee Zonka, RD, CEC, MBA
Heidi Hedeker, MA, CEPC
CHUNKY APPLESAUCE CUPCAKES
Yield: Two dozen (24 servings) 2-oz cupcakes
All Purpose Flour 12 oz
Brown Sugar 7 oz
Baking Soda 2 tsp
Salt 1 ½ tsp
Applesauce 16 oz
Sunflower Seed Oil 9 oz
Eggs 2
Apples, preferably Granny Smith, peeled and cut into ½-inch dice 5 oz
1) Sift together dry ingredients.
2) Combine applesauce, oil and eggs in bowl using whisk. Mixture should begin to appear thick and homogenous.
3) Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients, stirring just until thoroughly mixed.
4) Fold in apple chunks.
5) Portion three-quarters full into muffin cups.
6) Bake at 375F for 25 minutes, until completely set.
LOWFAT CREAM CHEESE FROSTING
Lowfat cream cheese 4 oz
Margarine 4 oz
Powdered sugar 4 oz
Yogurt 2 oz
1) Cream together all ingredients.
2) Add yogurt at end of mixing process.
CRANBERRY-APPLE “JAMMY” TART WITH CHOCOLATE WALNUT CRUST
Yield: One 9-inch Tart, 12 servings @ approx. 3 oz each
Chocolate Tart Dough
Bittersweet Chocolate 4 oz
Walnuts, finely chopped 6 oz
Sugar 2 oz
Egg whites 2 oz
Salt pinch
Cranberry-Apple Jam
Cranberries 12 oz
Sugar 7 oz
Apples (preferable a tart, crisp variety, peeled and sliced) 5 oz
For Chocolate-Walnut Tart Shell:
1) Melt chocolate gently on top of a double boiler.
2) Combine sugar, egg whites and salt. Whisk thoroughly to completely disperse sugar and break down proteins in egg whites.
3) Whisk melted chocolate into egg white mixture.
4) Fold chopped walnuts into chocolate-egg white mixture.
5) Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate until firm, about 30 minutes.
6) Press evenly into 9-inch tart pan with removable bottom.
7) Bake at 375F for 25 minutes, until completely set.
For Cranberry-Apple Jam:
1) Combine sugar and water in a saucepan over medium-high heat . Bring to a boil.
2) Add cranberries and cook until they begin to pop and thicken.
3) While cooking cranberries, peel and slice apples.
4) Add sliced apples to cranberries after removing cranberry jam from heat; the residual heat will complete the cooking process.
5) Pour into fully baked chocolate shell (above) and chill thoroughly.
6) Slice tart into 12 pieces.
ZUCCHINI-CARROT-APPLE BARS WITH CARAMEL DATE GLAZE
Yield: ½ sheet pan, 24 servings (3 x 3 squares @ 3 ¼ oz each)
Carrot-Apple-Zucchini Bars:
Zucchini, shredded 9 oz
Apple, shredded 9 oz
Carrots, shredded 12 oz
Sugar 3 oz
Oats 3 oz
Wheat germ 3 oz
Egg whites 8 oz
Molasses 6 oz
Oil 4 oz
Vanilla 1 TB
Bread flour 6 oz
Baking powder ½ tsp
Baking soda 1 tsp
Salt 1 tsp
Cinnamon 1 TB
Date Glaze
Date sugar 8 oz
Cream 4 oz
Butter 4 oz
For Carrot-Apple-Zucchini Bars:
1) In a large bowl, combine all shredded ingredients—carrots, apples and zucchini—-with sugar, wheat germ and oats. Allow to stand for 10 minutes-the sugar will draw liquid from the zucchini and carrots, which will be absorbed by the wheat germ and oats.
2) Combine egg whites, molasses and oil , using a whisk.
3) Sift together flour, cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
4) Add flour mixture to shredded carrots mixture, stirring until thoroughly blended.
5) Add egg white-molasses-vanilla mixture, stirring until thoroughly blended.
6) Pour into parchment paper-lined half-sheet pan ((12 x 18).
7) Bake at 375F for 20-25 minutes, until completely set in the middle.
For Date Glaze:
1) Combine date sugar, butter and cream in saucepan and bring to a boil.
2) Cook gently for about 2 minutes.
3) Cover with plastic wrap and chill thoroughly.
4) Spread onto carrot bars using a frosting spatula with a decorative swirled pattern.
