Energy Truffles for Energetic Kids

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About a month ago I was invited by my friend Gus to PS 314/105 in Sunset Park to volunteer at an after school program he leads. He knows I love food, he knows I love kids – what better way to volunteer than this?!

I would be heading the program this day and I had to come up with a creative yet simple snack for a group of kids to make! Oh…AND it had to be raw. A difficult task, yes, but so worth it!

So, being that this was an after school program that these kids CHOSE to be in, you can imagine their excitement! I have to admit I was a bit nervous, I had never done anything like this. Cook in front of a group, give them clear instructions while at the same time explaining why this snack is super nutritious!

And so it began…

Gus led me through the beginning where we played an ice-breaker game…words like peace and love involved…and it was lovely! We explained why we need to wash our hands before we handle food…and they all ran to the bathroom! haha

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The ingredients were all out and ready to use. I had the kids guess what each of them was and then explained the health benefits! The best moment was when I had them try a ‘chocolate’ chip – they all guessed…yup, chocolate…and they were surprised to hear they were carob chips! After being broken up into groups the kids could not wait to get cooking. I will share with you my recipe so you can follow along. =)

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Ingredients:

1 cup Oats

1/2 cup Nut Butter (we used Sunflower Seed butter)

1/2 cup Honey

1/2 cup Nuts (we used Sunflower Seeds)

1/2 cup Ground Flax

1/2 cup Carob Chips

Splash of Vanilla

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All you have to do is put all the ingredients in a bowl, stir them up into a uniform mix and you are ready to form into truffles! Now, in this particular case we did not have a fridge to work with. But if you do, let the mix set up in the fridge for about 20min. When the time has elapsed have your kids form little balls with they’re hands, they can even roll them in cacao or coconut if you’d like and…tadaa!

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His face says it all doesn’t it?! This sweet treat will have your kids smiling from the inside out!

 

High School Memories

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What do you remember about your high school experience?! Your crush, homecoming, prom, the multicultural club?! Yeah…those were all cool and all…I remember lunch! =) What was great about going to Miami Country Day School in my day was that we got to order take-out…and pick it up at the back of the football field.

No offense to our school chef Gene (his white chocolate macadamia nut cookies were out of this world), but surrounding options were too good to replace with the cafeteria. Eden’s offered delicious hamburgers, french fries, and Cuban sandwiches. Z’s Pizza…more of an after school hangout but still worked. Bagel Bar poppy seed bagel -scooped and toasted – with chicken salad, yum! And yes, my personal favorite…Here Comes the Sun.

This place has been around since the 60’s. All I can say is, Sun Sauce, get it! Our order: Chicken and Cheese – brown rice on the bottom, breaded chicken on top, melty yummy munster cheese covering it all! Sweet potato fries – these are not to be missed. Veggie Pizza – this is my option for when I actually go to the location, super healthy veggies piled high, crispy flat bread, and perfectly melted cheese. EXTRA Sun Sauce please…you’ll be pouring it over everything, you won’t know what it’s made of, and you’ll love it! =)

Finish the meal off with they’re free little sample of their daily frozen yogurt flavor, that’s a Friday high school lunch if I ever saw one! Every time I’m down in Miami I make it over and get my Here Comes the Sun much needed fix!