Finding healthy snacks for your young children can be very difficult, as you may be well aware! For example, in my local village shop there is not one single bread product that doesn't contain sugar. It's absolutely crazy. I don't particularly want to feed sugar to my 2 year old... not only is processed sugar harmful to teeth, the immune system, etc, but it's highly addictive. We may as well be giving them cocaine, and I'm not joking. It's just as addictive as that terrible drug we warn teenagers to stay away from.
So, unless you're lucky enough to live near a bakery that specifically bakes healthy sugar-free organic products (I know of none in my area) then the only real alternative is to do some good old fashioned baking yourself.
Thankfully, there are plenty of quick and easy recipes being shared all the time on Steemit... and I'm one of the people who shares them! Today I have for you two bread recipes, prefect for little 'uns to snack on any time of the day, and you needn't worry about sugar making them bounce off the walls. Sugar free, tasty, and fun shapes to make them all the more enticing!
Mini Soda Farles
Ingredients (organic recommended):
250g unbleached flour
1/2 tsp unrefined salt
1 tsp baking soda
150ml buttermilk (or whole milk with 1tsp of vinegar added, and left for 15 mins to sour)
Directions:
In a large bowl mix together the flour, salt and baking soda. Add the buttermilk and mix in gently to form a soft dough (I just use my hands, but a wooden spoon would work too!)
Roll the dough out on a floured surface to about 1 inch thickness, and cut out fun shapes using pastry cutters.
Place the shapes onto a floured baking tray, and pop into the oven at 200 degrees Celsius for about 15 minutes. Remove from the tray and transfer onto a cooling rack (to avoid condensation and soggy bread!)
Herby Bread Twists
Ingredients (organic recommended):
250g unbleached bread flour
1 tsp baking soda
25g butter
1 sachet dried yeast
150ml warm water (I use rainwater that has been filtered and boiled, to avoid chemicals in tap water)
A handful of dried herbs of your choice (I used rosemary here)
2 tsp black pepper
Directions:
In a large bowl mix together the flour, baking soda, dried herbs and black pepper. Add the butter and rub in using your fingertips.
Add the yeast and warm water, and knead to form a soft dough.
Break small chunks from the dough, and roll out on a floured surface using the palm of your hand, making a long 'sausage' shape.
Brush water onto the strip of dough (so the twists stay twisted!)
Bend over to form a U shape, then twist.
Place the dough twists onto a floured baking tray, and pop into the oven at 230 degrees Celsius for 12-15 minutes. Transfer onto a cooling rack.
Yum!
For more healthy snacks suitable for children, please visit my recent post "Homemade Healthy Alternatives to Store-Bought Snacks for Children - A Selection of My Original Recipes (vegetarian)"
A good selection of ideas perfect for picnics or parties!
For more health information, tips, recipes (vegan/vegetarian), crafts, photography, and more, please follow me!
To find out what my "Make It Healthy Project" is all about, and how you can be involved in growing this project, please click here.
("5 Cs" shared with kind permission of @kiwideb)