Oatmeal energy balls are quick, simple, make-ahead snack perfect as an after-school treat.
KIDS CHEF JUNIOR – My little chef’s first cookbook review.
I am the lucky ones to get a pre-launch copy of the” Kids Chef Junior” cookbook. Being a strong advocate and an avid reader of the kid’s cookbooks, I was pleasantly surprised when I came across the book ‘Kid Chef Junior’ written by Anjali Shah. The author, a mother of two and a nutritionist herself has wisely chosen a diverse and well-written recipe structure. I always believed that kids cookbooks should be captivating and easily digestible by its users and this book has certainly done that. The book is well articulated right from the cover itself and definitely gives a great start off point. The recipes are coherent and are tailored for the needs of kids. The visual finesse is well presented and gives an aesthetic feel to the book. The visuals are aimed towards attracting kids and doing stuff their way. Her attention to detail and the flow of the book is commendable. The names of the recipes are catchy and attract kid’s right from the first one.
The book starts by giving the grownups and kids separate instructions on safety and the safety measurements that have to be taken. The cooking equipment is pictorially depicted with attractive symbols for the kids. One of the specialties of this book is the author assumes that the reader knows very little about cooking with kids and gives a detailed explanation on every step of the cooking process.
The names of the recipe are coined in a kid-friendly and framed in a very attractive way. Each recipe also has a joke related to the recipe. The recipes are easy to follow and colorful. They have provided the option to make their own variation of the recipe. Kids are in for a surprise at the end of the book with food-related doodles. This book gives a great impetus for parents to teach cooking for their cook in a safe and healthy way.
Oatmeal energy bites- Little chef’s favourite snack!
My daughter, Samyuktha (Samyu) a true little chef and a trusty kitchen helper, was very excited to make her own dish. Samyu went through the cookbook first, while flipping through the pages she first decided to try her favourite pancake titled ” Bunny Pancakes” in the breakfast section, instructed me to note it down and continued to scan the book.
On reaching the desserts section, the little chef decided to try no bake “Cookie Bites”, as she loves cookies. Pancake and Cookies both being her favourite, it took a couple of days for her to decide which dish to try first. Finally, she settled with cookie bites (oatmeal energy balls) as they are a perfect after-school treat for her to enjoy.
The little chef made Cookie Bites following the recipe in the book with little help and supervision from me. It took just a few minutes to make them, Samyu was so desperate and didn’t even want to shape them or wait for them to set, she grabbed a handful of mixture straight from bowl to taste it before rolling them. I saw that she enjoyed the process without any feeling of discomfort.
I could see that through the cooking process she picked up the little things that are required to prepare a healthy and quality kid’s dish. Overall it was a thoroughly enjoyable experience for me and Samyu herself and one that we will be doing more often in the future.
This book helped enhance my perspective on kid chefs and I believe it is a must-read for everyone interested in kids cookbooks and I would highly recommend this cookbook, as I believe it is a good starting point if you are planning to cook with your kids. If you already cook with your kids then this is a perfect cookbook to encourage kid chefs and enrich their experience in the kitchen and create a lasting memory in the side panel of each recipe.
Oatmeal energy balls – a healthy option
These tasty little oatmeal energy balls are packed with fiber, nutrients, healthy fats and a bit of protein. Truly a guilt-free treat for kids with no added sugar. Just stir all the ingredients together, shape them into a ball and chill for 30 minutes. My little chef is a great fan of peanut butter and chocolate combo, however, I am sure almond butter or cashew butter would taste good too in this recipe. These little treats are my daughter’s favourite after-school snacks along with Date bars, Pineapple banana smoothie, Open-faced sandwich, Strawberry banana milkshake, Coconut date balls.
Let’s see how to make healthy and delicious oatmeal energy balls
Ingredients
Gluten-free, Vegan
1 cup = 250ml ; 1tbsp = 15ml
Rolled oats: 1 cup
Peanut butter: 1/2 cup
Mini chocolate chips: 1/4 cup
Maple syrup: 2 tbsp
Vanilla extract: 1/2 tsp
Sea salt: a pinch
Instructions
In a large bowl, add all the ingredients mentioned above.
Now using wooden spoon stir all the ingredients together until well combined.
Line the baking sheet with parchment paper. Take a small handful of the mixture, roll them into small 1 to 2-inch size balls and place them on the baking sheet.
Refrigerate the bites for 30 minutes or until solid. Healthy no bake cookie bites are ready to enjoy.
Notes
Once chilled, store cookie bites in an airtight jar or zip-lock bag.
Cookie bites do not need to be refrigerated. Once set, they can be kept at room temperature.
You may substitute peanut butter with almond butter or cashew butter.
Oatmeal Energy Balls | No bake oatmeal cookie bites
Ingredients
Gluten free, Dairy free
1 cup = 240ml
- 1 cup Rolled Oats
- 1/2 cup Peanut Butter
- 1/4 cup Mini chocolate chips
- 2 tbsp Maple syrup
- 1/2 tsp Vanilla extract
- Sea salt a pinch
Instructions
- In a large bowl, add all the ingredients.
- Now using wooden spoon stir all the ingredients together until well combined.
- Line the baking sheet with parchment paper. Take small handful of mixture, roll them into small 1 to inch size balls and place them on the baking sheet.
- Refrigerate the bites for 30 minutes or until solid. Healthy cookie bites are ready to enjoy.
Video
Notes
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