Two healthy snack options for families on the go

Photo provided

Family Features - School days offer nearly endless opportunities for learning and exploration in the classroom, but education doesn’t have to end with the final bell. Parents can ensure their students feel energetic, creative and confident by inspiring snack choices that are as smart as they are fun to make together.

Whether you’re whipping up a snack to send to school or your little learners need an energy boost before starting afternoon homework, creative snacking can help encourage inspiration. As a trusted ally with better-for-you and convenient whole-fruit lunchbox snacks kids can enjoy, Sun-Maid offers these easy tips and ways to embrace the fun side of snack time.

• Keep It Simple: Look for recipes with five ingredients or less so your children can show their artful nature without becoming overwhelmed. Plus, this often leads to a more budget-friendly at-home treat.
• Shop Together: Gathering ingredients and equipment is an important part of any recipe, and bringing your future chefs along helps them feel like it’s their creation from start to finish. Additionally, some important life lessons can be learned along the way, like how to navigate the store and compare costs.
• Provide Kid-Friendly Instructions: There are many ways kids can lend a hand in making their own snacks, like mixing ingredients, washing produce or arranging a plate or platter. However, some steps are best left to the adults – make sure to do any cutting, slicing or dicing before letting children take the reins, for example, then just enjoy the creative fun.

With childhood favorites like crackers, marshmallows and vanilla yogurt covered raisins, Gimme S'mores Trail Mix offers a perfect way to get young minds thinking in the kitchen. A little guidance is all it takes to teach them each step of the recipe to make a crafty, delicious treat. Plus, with only a few simple ingredients that just need to be mixed together, it’s a low-stress, low-mess way to cook up creativity.

For a healthier version of a snack time superstar, Apple Nachos combine sweet apples like Honeycrisp, peanut butter and versatile, whole-fruit Sun-Maid Raisins. Naturally made with nothing but grapes and California sunshine, these sweet raisins have been trusted as a better-for-you snack for kids and grown-up kids alike since 1912.

With zero grams of added sugars, they give parents the confidence they need to choose snacks that provide both great taste and nutrition for a happy and healthy family. As a household staple, they can be enjoyed as part of tasty recipes or as a standalone treat kids crave and parents approve.

Find more sweet ideas to inspire confidence and creativity at sunmaid.com.

Gimme S’mores Trail Mix

Prep time: 5 minutes
Servings: 6

• 1/2 cup Sun-Maid Vanilla Yogurt Covered Raisins
• 3 cups graham crackers, assorted flavors
• 1 1/2 cups colored mini marshmallows
• 2 cups slivered almonds
• 1 cup chocolate chips

1. In large bowl, mix raisins, graham crackers, marshmallows, almonds and chocolate chips.
2. Serve immediately, or store in airtight container up to 1 week.

Photo provided

Apple Nachos

Prep time: 10 minutes
Cook time: 1 minute
Servings: 4

• 5 sweet apples, such as Honeycrisp
• lemon juice (optional)
• 2 tablespoons peanut butter
• 1/2 cup Sun-Maid California Sun-Dried Raisins

1. Wash and slice apples.
2. Arrange one layer of sliced apples on serving plate. To keep apples from browning quickly, squeeze lemon juice on top, if desired.
3. In microwave, melt peanut butter about 30 seconds until smooth.
4. Drizzle 1 tablespoon peanut butter over first layer of apples. Sprinkle with 1/4 cup raisins.
5. Repeat with remaining apples, peanut butter and raisins.

SOURCE:
Sun-Maid Raisins

St. Joseph to host Halloween parade

A week from tomorrow on October 31, Mayor Tami Fruhling-Voges will grand marshall a Halloween costume parade for kids through the sidewalks and streets St. Joseph.

The walking parade - sorry no motorized modes of transport will be allowed - will march through the downtown area starting at 10:30am. Parents and pets on a leash are welcome to join in the fun the mayor said.

"Parents will be asked to help keep the kids moving along the parade route and to keep the kids safely distanced from the others," she said. "Hopefully we will have a beautiful day for the kids to enjoy a fun fall tradition."

The parade will start and end at the Municipal Building. Participants are asked to show up at 10:15 to line up.

The route will leave the building area and head east on the south side of Lincoln Avenue.

"We will cross Lincoln at Country Chics and continue on the north side of Lincoln. Once we get to Main Street, we will walk past Busey Bank east down the alley by the grain elevator to the Library. Then back to Mai through alley past the Apothecary. We will cross Main at that location. After crossing the street, we will stay on the sidewalk and will continue past the IGA on the west side of Main all the way back to the Municipal building."

Streets will not be blocked off for automobile traffic except when the marchers are crossing the street.

"We will have someone to hold traffic when crossing any streets and will keep the kids from gathering together in groups," Mayor Fruhling-Voges said.

Along the way, businesses that want to participate can set up a table near the sidewalk so that the kids can walk past and safely grab a treat. Parade participants should not enter buildings.

Paraders are asked to wear masks and hand sanitizers will be made available.