Cranberry Curd Tart With Pecan Cookie Crust Adapted From NY Times Recipe

Every single Thanksgiving I make a pumpkin pie and my families traditional Cranberry pie. Sometimes I add an additional pie to experiment with, but only if there are a lot of people coming. This year a friend posted a recipe from the New York Times that I just could not resist changing things up this year. So I did not make my traditional Cranberry pie and instead went with the Cranberry curd tart!

The recipe from the New York Times is a Cranberry Curd (think lemon curd) Tart with a hazelnut crust which I should probably be really enamored with being from Oregon and having lived on a hazelnut tree homestead for the first few years of my life. Alas, I have never fallen for the coveted Oregon nut so I decided from the get go to use pecans as an alternative which in my mind also makes up for the lack of a pecan pie.

A photo posted by Emilia (@livelovecreatebehappy) on Nov 30, 2015 at 12:44pm PST

My next dilemma was my lack of rice flour which is called for in the crust, rather than making the crust with a gluten flour I decided to substitute quinoa flour in place of the rice flour, which technically is a seed and qualifies it as a non grain, although I am sure some paleo diet followers would argue with that. Using the quinoa kept the recipe gluten free at the very least. 

What I ended up with really tasted a lot like a peanut butter cookie with a pecan flavor. It worked really well with the Cranberry curd. To find the original recipe go to: http://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1017817-cranberry-curd-tart?smid=pi-nytfood&smtyp=cur&crlt.pid=camp.71ov4KQngoCZ

All you do to create the pecan crust is substitute pecans for hazelnuts and quinoa for the rice flour.

I will definitely makes this recipe again I really liked it and I think it provided a new spark to the traditional meal.

If you are looking for quinoa flour for gluten free cooking Bob's Red Mill is great:

                                       

A couple notes, 1) I don't have a tart pan so I used a spring form pan and it worked just fine, but did not provide the pretty edge a tart pan does 2) I used a mini food processor with success so if you don't have the space for a full sized one, or don't want to pull the big one out the small version is fine, and 3) I somehow ended up with a bit runny curd, it tasted great, but I think I should have made sure my eggs were the size the recipe recommended and thickened it a bit longer on the stove.

These are the spring form pans I use:

                                   

and this is the little food processor I have:

                                          

Let me know if you try it and what you think.

What are you family holiday traditions? Do you have a special dessert you make every year or do you try something new each year?

Meal Plan Week 13

Before you shy away because this is a quiche and it seems to hard WAIT! Quiche is almost as easy as scrambled eggs and you can eat it hot, warm, cold...it doesn't seem to matter. PLUS, you can add in whatever things you like in eggs quiche is very versatile. The crust is really not that hard to make either but if you want it to be really easy in a pinch use a store bought crust. Serve with a green salad or some fresh fruit. Excellent.

For the record my 2 year old and 5 year old helped make this crust...

Day 1: Quiche-Brie, smoked salmon, asparagus, caramelized onion
Day 2: lo
Day 3: Baked Chicken (see link for past meal plan with recipe)
Day 4: LO Chicken Tacos
Day 5: Spaghetti
Day 6: LO
Day 7: BBQ burgers

Recipes:

Quiche:
9 inch pie crust (whole wheat)
6 eggs
1/4 cup whipping cream
1/2 cup whole milk
1 cup thinly sliced fresh sweet onions sprinkled with salt and pan fried in a dab of olive oil on medium low heat stirring frequently until caramelized
1 cup 1/2 inch slices of fresh asparagus fried with the onions after the heat is turned off
2.5 ounces smoked salmon flaked apart
1 cup grated brie (grate it right out of the fridge or it will be too soft)

Mix the eggs, whipping cream, and milk until beaten well. Add about 1/2 tsp thyme. Put the remaining ingredients into the uncooked pie shell. Cover with the egg mixture. Bake in a preheated oven at 400 degrees for about 30 minutes to 45 minutes. To test doneness poke with a tooth pick it should come out clean.

Meal Plan Week 12

Day 1: Lemon Chicken and Lemon-herb lentil salad
Day 2: LO
Day 3: Salmon and Strawberry Spinach Salad
Day 4: Chili and corn bread
Day 5: Chili and corn bread
Day 6: Grilled Cheese and tomato soup, salad
Day 7: Father's Day Feast: Prime Rib, Yorkshire pudding, artichokes

Recipes:

Lemon Chicken:

This is best with chicken that is not skinless/boneless but you can do it with either.

Enough chicken for your family for two nights
Two lemons
Seasoning Salt (msg free)

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

In a baking pan place the chicken. Squeeze the lemon juice over all of the chicken. Sprinkle seasoning salt over each piece of chicken somewhat lightly (you don't want it too salty). Bake until a meal thermometer reads 165, turning the pieces occasionally.

Lentil Salad: Click this link

Salmon, Strawberry, and Spinach Salad:

4 oz smoked salmon
1 pint strawberries
1 bunch spinach
1/4 cup walnuts
1/4 red onion thinly sliced
Honey-balsamic vinaigrette: 1 tablespoon honey, 3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar, 3 tablespoons olive oil, 1 clove chopped garlic mix everything but the olive oil the stream the olive oil in slowly while beating the vinegar mix quickly. Serve over the salad.

Chili: This is a very mild NOT spicy Chili

1 onion
1/2 red bell pepper
1lb hamburger or ground turkey
1 can stewed tomatoes
1 bottle 32 oz tomato juice
1 can black beans
1 T chili powder
2 t cumin
1/2 t coriander
1 1/2 t beef bouillon
cinnamon, sugar, salt and pepper to taste

Cook onion, red bell pepper and hamburger or ground turkey until meat
is done.  Add the rest of the ingredients, cook on low for 2-3 hours.

Serve with cornbread, cheese, and diced onions. 

Prime Rib and Yorkshire Pudding:

I have to get the recipe from my husbands Mom or click the links to get recipes I found online. :)

For those of you who do not know what Yorkshire Pudding is (as I did not until I had it at my in-laws) it is similar to a dutch baby pancake in look and texture but it is not sweet. It tastes best (in my opinion) with gravy or aux jus. It is tender and slightly chewy. It comes out of the oven all poofy like a dutch baby pancake does. Sometime people make them in a popover style by baking them in cupcake tins instead of a larger baking dish.

Meal Plan June 4-10

Day 1: Sausage and Broccoli Pasta with Salad
Day 2: Sloppy Joes (click links for recipes)
Day 3: LO Pasta
Day 4: T-ball Pizza Party
Day 5: LO Sloppy Joe's
Day 6: Stuffed Swiss Chard
Day 7: LO Swiss Chard

I have swiss chard growing in my garden that wintered over and was lucky enough to run into a recipe that looks like it will be yummy so that I can use some of it up. It is a new recipe to me so I hope that it is indeed good. Let me know what you think if you try it out.

The sloppy joe's recipe (linked above) is really good and not your average bear. It contains lots of veggies and the kids can help make them. I usually even add more veggies than the recipe calls for by including chopped spinach to the dish or chopped zucchini.

The sausage and broccoli pasta is one of my go to recipes because it is so so easy to do and my kids love it and I think it is very good too. Plus I can take it along in a thermos nicely as left overs the next time we have it, which is a dinner at the t-ball park night.

Recipes:

Sausage and Broccoli Pasta:

1 package of mild Italian sausage (or hot if you like spicy)
5  cloves of garlic thinly sliced
1/2 head of broccoli steamed until just tender
1 pound pasta
Parmesan for garnishing

While boiling the water for the pasta brown the sausage, when close to cooked through add the sliced garlic. About 1 minute later add the broccoli. Turn the heat off. After the pasta is cooked drain it and add to the "sauce". Serve with Parmesan.

Weekly Meal Plan: Week 8

Okay it is technically still Monday so I guess I am still on track here. Things have been so hectic lately that I just have not had time to be home let alone on the computer. So here is our crazy week of meal plans this week.

Day 1: Butter lettuce salad with asparagus, red potatoes, green beans and balsamic-mustard vinegar dressing. Steak, blue cheese and apricots.
Day 2: Left overs
Day 3: Eggplant Parmesan (fyi: I used italian bread crumbs instead of panko, this is such a yummy dish and super easy once you do it once) served with salad
Day 4: Left overs
Day 5: Boxes, with turkey, hummus wraps, green peas, apples and peanut butter
Day 6: Cottage cheese pancakes: From the wonderful blog Food To Grow.
Day 7: Sesame noodles from another great blog, Not Without Salt.

Recipes:

For the Steak and salad:

Ingredients:
Enough steak to use as a topping for the salad, my family used one that was about 1/2 pound.
1/2 pound both asparagus and green beans.
1 head butter lettuce
1/3 pound new red potatoes, quartered

For the Marinade:

1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1 tablespoon molasses
1 tablespoon Trader Joe's Mixed Seasoning in a grinder (it is a bunch of seasonings like mustard seed, black pepper, garlic, etc in a little grinder)

Mix in a plastic bad and add the steak, allow to sit for at least 20 minutes in the fridge.

Start the grill and allow it to heat. Bring a pot of water to a boil. Wash the veggies and once the water is boiling add the potatoes.  Add the asparagus and green beans after about 5 minutes. Allow to cook until the veggies are tender and the potatoes are able to be poked through with a fork. Meanwhile cook the steak on the grill to your liking (I like very well done but I know I am odd so you are on your own figuring out the timing).

While the steak is cooking make the dressing:
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1 tablespoon good mustard with slightly spicy flavor
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon mayonnaise
1 teaspoon water

Tear the washed butter lettuce into bite size pieces and place on a large plate. Add the potatoes, asparagus, and green beans. Drizzle salad dressing over this. Toss the salad to mix the dressing. Slice the steak and place next to or on top of the salad.

Serve with sliced apricots and blue cheese.

Meal Plan Monday: Week 6

Day 1: Ribs with mashed potatoes, asparagus, salad, and bread.
Day 2: Frittata: Frittata recipe maker on finecooking.com
Day 3: Left over ribs in a box (see day two, week one)
Day 4: Left over Frittata in a box
Day 5: Spaghetti and salad (see week two recipes for sauce recipe)
Day 6: Taco Salad
Day 7: Left over spaghetti and salad

Recipes:
If there is a link above it is the link to the recipe.

Mashed potatoes:

Ingredients:
2 pounds yukon gold potatoes cut into chunks
2 shallots thinly sliced
olive oil 
1/4 cup milk
1 tablespoon butter
salt and pepper to taste

Place the shallots in a frying pan over medium-low heat with about 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Salt lightly and allow to cook, stirring occasionally, until carmel colored. Remove from pan and set aside.
Place the potatoes in a pan of cool salted water so that they are fully covered. Bring to a boil and allow to cook until they are just soft enough to easily poke a fork into them. Drain the water place into a the bowl/pan you want to mash them in (maybe a stand mixer, or handheld mixer, or potato masher is what you use, I use a mixer). Add the butter allowing it to melt. Add in half the shallots and the milk go easy on the milk start with half the milk and add more if you need it later. Mix until you have the texture that you like, salt and pepper to taste. Serve with the remaining shallots sprinkled on top.

A Note About the Ribs Glaze:

I love to double the amounts for this and use 1/3 for glazing the ribs and then simmer the remaining 2/3 to use as a drizzle on the ribs/mashed potatoes and as a dip for things later in the week or as a salad dressing.

A not about the spice in the glaze, if you really don't like spicy things you can try putting in half the amount of peppers but you can also try taking the seeds out of the inside of the pepper. These really are not very spicy at all but just in case you are really adverse to it you may want to try this. Also if you really like spice try the above method for all of the sauce and then use it as a glaze, that intensifies all the flavors some.

Taco Salad:

Ingredients:
Lettuce
ground beef/turkey
taco seasoning
corn
olives
onions
tomatoes
black beans
cheese (shredded)
salsa
corn chips
avocado, pit removed, diced
(I like the BBQ glaze from the ribs recipe as a "salad dressing")

Brown the meat adding the taco seasoning according the directions. I like to make sure to find an MSG free kind so I don't get a migraine. Clean and cut all the veggies, open cans, grate cheese and place all into their own bowls or on a serving platter creating a little salad bar that people can choose their own toppings for.  Some people use ranch dressing but I like to just use salsa.

Quesadilla:

Ingredients:
soft flour tortillas (whole wheat if possible, check for trans fats and beware even "trans fat free" may not really be trans fat free!)

grated mexican blend (or medium cheddar) cheese
the left over meat, beans, corn, onions, olives
any other left overs

Instructions:
place one tortilla in a lightly oiled pan over medium heat. Sprinkle with cheese and add small amounts of the meat, beans, onions, olives, corn, etc over the cheese. Place a second tortilla over the top. Allow to sit with a lid on the pan for about 2 minutes, check to see if the bottom of the tortilla is browned lightly. If it is flip it. Allow to cook until the cheese is melted and the tortilla is browned on the second side.

Serve with avocado, salsa, sour cream/plain yogurt.

Meal Plan Monday: Week 3

One thing that I have noticed in my meal planning is that I really like to utilize left overs as much as possible. Although I love cooking many days by the time it comes to dinner preparations I am too warn out to do something that takes a long time. The other thing that comes up for me around that time is my children decided that it is time to get wound up which means the easier the better. 

One of the easiest ways to create a faster dinner is by using left overs from a previous night you will see that a lot in this weeks plan. 

Day 1: Roasted whole chicken with roasted vegetables. 
Day 2: Boxes to go: Taco Salad wraps using left over chicken from the   roasted chicken. Using Soft Chicken Taco recipe
Day 3: Sloppy Joes the easy, very veggie version. Salad.
Day 4: Left Over Sloppy Joes
Day 5: Tom Yum soup
Day 6: Chicken Lettuce Wraps
Day 7: Left over Tom Yum soup and Chicken Lettuce Wraps

Recipes:

Roasted Chicken: Adapted from
                                                                   


One whole chicken
Roasting vegetables like carrots, brussel sprouts, potatoes, sweet potatoes, onions (totaling about 6 cups total)
8 garlic cloves
sprig of rosemary
olive oil
Salt to taste
Pepper to taste
1/2 cup white wine +1/2 cup water

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.  Cube the vegetables into 1/2 inch/1 inch chunks. Add a drizzle of olive oil to the bottom of a dutch oven, add the vegetables and toss to coat with oil. Clean out the chicken set aside the giblets (you can use them for another recipe or toss them). Salt and pepper the outside of the chicken and rub with olive oil. Add the rosemary and garlic to the cavity of the chicken. Set breast side up onto the vegetables. Add the white wine (or chicken broth). Place the pan into the oven and bake until an instant read thermometer reads 165-170 degrees at the thickest part of the thigh. About 1 hour. Move the chicken to a platter and tent with foil allowing to rest for 15-20 minutes. Turn off the oven and let the vegetables stay warm inside while the chicken rests.

Hint: After dinner carve the entire chicken and then use the rest of the bones to make broth. Place in a large pot and cover completely with water plus about an inch. Bring to a boil and then turn down to simmer. Allow to simmer for at least 2 hours. Allow to cool down and then pour into a container through a cheese cloth or fine strainer. You can usually get even more meat off the bones at this point which I usually add to the broth and then use to make chicken soup. Refrigerate or freeze depending on when you might use it.

Ingredient Shopping List: 

1 whole chicken 3-4 pounds
1 1/2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts
3/4 lb shrimps, medium to large size 
3 cups thinly sliced red cabbage
2/3 cup fresh cilantro leaves
1 package, 1 1/3 pounds, ground turkey breast or lean ground turkey red onion
Red bell pepper
Roasting vegetables such as onions, brussel sprouts, yams, potatoes, beets, carrots
Celery (3 ribs)
Carrots 3 large
Head of Garlic
ginger root
1 jalapeno 
4 scallions
1/2 pound shitake mushrooms
2 large ripe avocados
2 limes
1 small yellow onion
2 stocks lemon grass

3 slices fresh galangal root (smashed) or 2 pc dried (I'm risking ginger instead)

3 fresh kaffir lime leaves (I think I will use lime zest and lime juice)

12 thai chili peppers or 2 medium jalapenos

1 small white onion

1 16oz can straw mushrooms

1 small ripe tomato

1 small lime

 Olive oil*
Salt and Pepper*
Rosemary sprig
White wine or chicken broth (1/2 cup)
 Lettuce
Dried cranberries (left over from last week?)
Blue cheese crumbles (left over from last week?)
Salad dressing
Pecans (left over from last week?)
eggs (you need 1)*
cornstarch*
rice wine or dry sherry (you need 2 tablespoons)
oyster sauce 
fish sauce
Thai Chili Paste (nam prik pao)
hoisen sauce
tamarind paste
soy sauce (low sodium)
sesame oil 
2 bundles cellophane noodles
peanut oil (I might try something else like coconut or vegetable oil)
3/4 cup diced water chestnuts
small lettuce leaves for serving chicken wraps
chili paste or hot mustard for serving chicken wraps
1 tsp. chili powder
Scant 1/8 tsp. ground cinnamon
1 14-1/2oz. can petite-diced tomatoes
1 can of chipotles en adobo
12 small corn tortillas
6 oz. queso fresco or feta
Grill seasoning blend (recommended: McCormick Montreal Grill Seasoning or Mrs. Dash seasoning for poultry) 
brown sugar*
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce*
1 cup tomato sauce,( 8- ounce) can 
8 crusty sandwich rolls (or burger buns whole wheat)

*Staple item check your cupboards to see if you have this




Here are a couple of links to dutch ovens. 

I have heard great things about cast iron, once seasoned great non-stick properties:
                                           

I also know a few people that own Le Creuset and love them:
                                           
 
Hope this is helpful!

Meal Plan Monday

I have decided to try and document our meal plan for the week here. I am doing this for a few reasons. The first is that I have been struggling to come up with meal plans and need something to keep me on track. Second, I am hoping that this will provide a place for me to look back and recall some meal plan ideas for weeks in the future. Third, I am doing this because I am really hoping that some people will comment with great meal ideas of their own at some point. Last, I hope that others will get help with their meal planning.

This is the first week so bear with me while I get the hang of this it might be rough for a while while I get the kinks out.

Here is our planned week:

Day 1: Gypsy Stew (see below for recipe) with homemade no knead rustic bread

Day 2: To go Boxes: Hard boiled egg, cut veggies, hummus, dried fruit and nuts, turkey rolls, sliced apple, cheese stick/slices

Day 3: Chicken and Coconut Green beans

Day 4: Left Over Chicken and Green Beans

Day 5: Left Over Gypsy Stew

Day 6: Pork Carnitas, Salad with avocado, mango, lemon

Day 7: Left over Carnitas, make into tacos, serve with pineapple

Shopping List: (Complete even though I have some of these things)

32 oz broth (chicken or veggie)
2 sweet potatoes or enough squash for 4 cups cubed
1 bunch kale
1 can garbanzo beans
1 large can diced tomatoes
1 bell pepper
2 ribs celery
2 carrots
1 lb green beans
4 limes
2 lemons
whole pineapple
lettuce head
avocado (2)
mango
3 apples
zucchini
sweet whole peas
carrots
broccoli
2 onions
head of garlic
 1 can coconut milk
 tamari
2 1/2 tsp ground coriander
2 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1 inch ginger
1 tsp dried basil
1 tsp paprika
2 tsp ground turmeric
3-4 pounds pork shoulder (with or without bone)
olive oil
Chicken breasts (1 lb)
1 dozen eggs
hummus (or make it, garbanzo beans, garlic, 1 lemon, tahini)
mixed dried fruit and nuts
cheese for slicing/cheese sticks
turkey (good quality lunch meat)
taco shells
salsa
bread flour (I am trying whole wheat)
active dry yeast
salt
Parmesan cheese

Recipes and other directions:

Start making the bread the day before you want to eat it and two hours before eating time to let it rise!!!

Gypsy Soup Recipe:

3 tbsp olive oil or ghee
1 medium onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 sweet potatoes (peeled) or enough squash, such as butternut (recommended), (peeled) for 3 cups cubed
1 bell pepper, diced
2 ribs celery, diced
2 carrot, diced
1 1/2 tsp ground coriander
1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1 inch ginger, minced
1 tsp dried basil
1 tsp paprika
2 tsp ground turmeric
1 can garbanzo beans
1 large can diced tomatoes
32 oz broth (chicken or veggie)
water
1-2 tamari (to season)
2-3 cups kale, ribs removed, cut into 1/2 inch pieces 


I recommend chopping the veggies ahead of time.

In a large soup pot add the olive oil, heat on medium, add the diced onion and minced garlic. Add the cubed squash or sweet potato, chopped celery, bell pepper, and carrots. All to soften stirring often, about 8 minutes. Add the spices, minced ginger, diced tomatoes and broth plus enough water to cover the veggies plus an inch. Add the garbanzo beans, season with a pinch of salt. Allow to simmer on low for 1-2 hours. About 20 minutes before eating add the kale and tamari. Other variations include adding a sprinkle of cayenne pepper.

Serve with bread and Parmesan cheese.

To Go Boxes: 

We have these great boxes from Ikea that are great for lunches or dinners to go. You can create sections in them with little dividers. I like to make these and the kids enjoy the choices. I usually add hard boiled eggs, sliced apples, hummus and veggies, dried fruit and nuts, cheese sticks, and rolled up turkey deli meat (a good quality one). We usually do this once a week when I go running and a friend watches the kids but we have to drive a ways to get there. So from now on I am just going to refer to boxes and then link back to this page :)

The Perfect Hard Boiled Egg:
Place the egg into the pot, cover with cool water, 1 teaspoon salt, place on the burner on high heat, bring to a rolling boil, allow to continue to boil for  8 minutes. Remove from the heat dump the water, run cool water over the eggs,

Salad with Avocado, Mango, Lemon 

Clean the lettuce tear into small pieces and put into a salad bowl.  Peel the mango and slice it adding bite sized pieces to the salad. Squeeze the lemon juice on top as the dressing. 
(Alternative dressing, 1/4 c lemon juice, 1 tbsp grainy mustard, clove of garlic minced blend together very well. While whisking stream olive oil in about a 1/3 cup). 
 
Carnitas Left Over Tacos: 

Taco shells (corn or flour)
lettuce
avocado
salsa
Serve with Pineapple slices

Pattern Practice with Fruit

Okay who does not love fruit kabobs? I mean really what is not to love, fresh, healthy, pretty, tasty, I could go on and on. Recently we took the chance to make some fruit kabobs out of very simple ingredients and found that this is a wonderful way to work on patterns. 

Recognizing patterns and creating them is a very important skill to learn and it is something that preschools will usually be teaching children. You can make patterns just about anywhere with anything and it can provide a good source of entertainment too. What better way to work on pattern learning than using fruit (a healthy snack) and making a kabob. Not only will kids find this a fun and yummy activity but it will also help develop fine motor control and provide an educational experience. 

For these kabobs you could use any fruits that you have available and be as creative as you would like. We used grapes, apples cut into small chunks, and a pepino which has white and purple skin. We used popsicle sticks instead of skewers and they worked out just fine.  

Some ideas for this activity:

~ make a few skewers with some missing pieces of fruit and then have your child add the missing pieces in the correct order

~ allow the child to make their own pattern (that is what mine did)

~tell the child part of a pattern and have them create the rest on the popsicle stick

~draw out some pattern cards with colors of the fruit and have the children draw a card and create that card. 


What kind of pattern activities do you do with kids? 

Calories Count

I have never been a calorie counter until my son at 18 months old dropped to the bottom of the growth chart in weight. My daughter did the same thing at the same age. Needless to say I began watching calories a lot but in the opposite direction than most might be. I knew that a lot of their stature was attributed to genetics  and when we went to the Nutritionist and they did a calorie count they were actually taking in more then they should have needed to grow correctly. So we worked and worked on adding as much good fat to the diet as possible and making meal time as much fun as we can.

One thing that shocked me a bit during this process is that it is actually some what difficult to find high calorie foods that do not have a ton of bad fats or sugar in them. For example most yogurt aimed towards children is low-fat and has tons of sugar in it. Children actually really need good healthly fat, it is very important to their proper growth (actually all of us do it helps brain functioning, skin health, and mood). Luckily I tend to make most of my own food anyway so I usually would just buy a whole fat item and do the rest myself. Whole fat plain yogurt with honey and frozen berries works like a charm.

Another way that I went about getting my little ones to eat more calories was to try and find new ways to eat the same old foods. Eating time is also great because there are many other developmental tasks that take place during this time. This particular recipe uses fine motor skills, gross motor skills, social interaction, imaginative play, learning about the five senses, and confidence building because this is something they can create and eat on their own (with the exception of cutting the apple).

The Apple Pizza Snack

One apple sliced into thin rounds (see picture below)
Nut butter or nut butter substitute (yogurt, sunflower seed butter)
Shredded coconut (we like unsweetened)
Raisins
Dried cranberries
Any other "toppings"

Set up for you kid to spread the sauce (nut butter) and add the toppings (shredded coconut & dried fruit)

My kids LOVE this but they usually eat the dried fruit separately. Enjoy!