Watch Out Jack! Snack Attack! is also Back.

Jack Bauer isn’t the only one back on the scene (though we are relieved to see him)?.

Snack Attack! is also back, fighting off the bad guys. We’ve returned to the classroom – last week for a student wellness fair at Burlingame Intermediate School (BIS), and these next two weeks at Barron Park Elementary in Palo Alto.

Snack Attack! is a cooking class that starts with a show-and-tell of whole vs. snack foods, and of the added sugar in our diet. Did you know Americans eat an average of 150 pounds of sugar each year? (Biggest contributor? Sugar sweetened beverages.) Next, students break into small groups to go hands on learning about, and making different healthy snacks.

I have taught cooking in schools for years, and presented at many a Bay Area corporate health fair, but have yet to see a wellness fair at a school – that is until now. Grants by the Peninsula Health Care District / School Health Initiative funded a wellness coordinator position at BIS, and they put together a fair for all 900 students (20+ vendors, and all kinds of activities).

What a great idea.

Kids aren’t sick. Thank goodness most don’t have chronic diseases, and because of that, lectures about health pass them by. But there’s something about a health fair, where students interact with the subject the same way many parents do, that seems more effective. Fairs engage and entertain, but it’s “adult-like.” We expect them to start learning about health, and we give them a way to do it they can relate to. Hosting a wellness fair says we take our children seriously, and health can be fun. The kids dug it. Consider organizing a fair at your local school. Funders – please sponsor one.

The recipes we’re using in Snack Attack! (including Frozen Raisins) have gotten rave reviews from the critics (kids). They are fast, whole food snacks for both children and adults. If you try any, please report the feedback. And if you make snacks with kids, we’d all love to hear your favorites.

The clock is ticking down both on Jack and our children’s health. “You probably think we’re at a disadvantage. But I promise you, we’re not.”

Kale Almond Butter Rollups – makes approx. 25
1 bunch Dinosaur Kale (this is the longer leaf kale, less curly on the edges)
1 jar almond, peanut or cashew butter
1 ½ cups of craisins

Wash kale and cut leaves in half the long way, removing the inner rib. Spread on some nut butter onto each kale leaf, top with some craisins, roll up and munch! If taking to work or school, secure with a toothpick.

photo credit Patti Berryhill

Real Ginger Ginger Ale ? makes 1 glass

1 glass sparkling water
1 tablespoon ginger syrup (substitute maple syrup)
2 teaspoons freshly grated and squeezed ginger juice (peel ginger before grating)
2 teaspoons lemon juice

Mix ingredients and serve over ice.

Creamy Strawberries with the Blues
1 pound strawberries
1 pint blueberries
8 oz Frisch Cheese from North Bay Curds and Whey (substitute 8 oz cream cheese), softened
1 teaspoon Mexican vanilla
3 tablespoons honey

Wash strawberries and blueberries and let dry. Mix the softened cheese with vanilla and honey. Core strawberries with melon baller. Pipe or spoon the cheese mix into strawberry. Top with a blueberry. Yum!

the students at Barron Park Elementary