Fruitful snacking for school and home
I applaud schools for allowing healthy midmorning snacking. At our school the day starts before 8 a.m. and my boys' stomachs just aren't awake enough at 7 a.m. to want to consume a big breakfast. Something to nibble on after a couple hours in class puts hunger on hold and perks them up.
Granola bars are on the list of suggested snacks, potato chips are not.
Yet read some food labels and you'll find that a Sunbelt coconut granola bar dipped in chocolate has more calories, fat and carbohydrates and only marginally more fiber and protein than a serving (16 chips) of Multi-Grain Pringles.
Which is a better snack? It really depends on the nutrient needs of your child.
Fruit also is on the list of suggested healthy snacks. Yet apple slices turn brown, oranges can be a juicy mess and no teacher wants a banana peel stinking up the classroom garbage can all day. So if you want to send fruit, are you out of luck?
Not at all.
Be on the lookout for Peeled Snacks, a line of dried organic fruit, and Funky Monkey fruit snacks.
Peeled Snacks was started by a New York mom and is partially owned by Hoffman Estates High School graduate Frank Schillace.
Schillace, class of 1993, said the snacks have already won praise from Oprah and Rachael Ray and now are available in local stores.
We tried several varieties at my house with the Pine-4-pineapple, Cherry-go-round and Farmers Market Trio (apples, raisins and cherries) getting the most enthusiastic response.
Costco sells 16-ounce bags of the Farmers Market Trio for $7.69. Look for individual serving bags at Starbuck's. You can also order online at peeledsnacks.com.
If your children don't like the chewiness of most dried fruit, they might like the crunch of Funky Monkey freeze-dried. And get this: a 1-ounce serving counts for three servings of fruit (according to USDA calculations).
Funky Monkey snacks come in fun flavor combos (we loved the Jivealime (lime juice and pineapple bits). The company is based in Fishers, Ind.
I found the snacks at Target, but they're also at Whole Foods Market as well as Jewel and Dominick's. CEO Matt Herzog donates products to schools and initiatives designed to combat childhood obesity.
Lotsa matzo: Culinary Historians of Chicago presents “Matzo Balls, Chopped Liver and the Midwest: Jewish Foodways of the Heartland” from 10 a.m. to noon Saturday, Sept. 24.
Join Ellen Steinberg, author of “From the Jewish Heartland: Two Centuries of Midwest Foodways,” as she explores the evolution of Midwestern Jewish cuisine. Copies of the book will be available for sale and signing. A sampling of family recipes will be served by chef Gabriella Verbovsky.
Steinberg was born and raised in Chicago and currently lives in River Forest. She has a Ph.D. from the University of Illinois at Chicago, and has published a number of scholarly articles related to her anthropological work. She is also the author of several other books, including “Learning to Cook in 1898: A Chicago Culinary Memoir.”
The lecture program will be held at the Chicago History Museum, 1601 N. Clark St., Chicago, and costs $5, $3 for students and free for CHC members. Space is limited. To reserve a spot, call David Farris at (312) 286-8781. Or email your reservation to Culinary.Historians@gmail.com.
Lending a helping pan: Take your older, gently used pots, pans or knives to Someone's in the Kitchen in Libertyville Satruday and Sunday and the store will donate the items to Maristella, a group that helps moms in need. With every donation you will receive a special sale price on everthing in the store.
Donation hours are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sept 24 and 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sept. 25. Someone's In The Kitchen is at at 522 N. Milwaukee Ave. (847) 816-9511.
Meatless Monday: I cook with a lot of fruits, yet when it comes to grapes I use them simply for snacking.Here's a salad from the folks at the California Table Grape Commission at uses grapes and whole grains to create a lively late-summer salad.#376; Contact Food Editor Deborah Pankey at food@dailyherald.com or (847) 427-4524. Be her Facebook friend at facebook.com/debpankeydailyherald or follow her on Twitter @PankeysPlate 13601951Funky Monkey 501751