Weekend Cooking: The Best Homemade Kids' Snacks on the Planet by Laura Fuentes

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Although Laura Fuentes has made her name as the founder of MOMables.com, you don't have to be a parent or even be a kid to find yummy treats in her new cookbook The Best Homemade Kids' Snacks on the Planet.

Fuentes's recipes offer twists on the classics (like homemade popcorn treats), tweaks on store-bought foods (like homemade goldfish crackers), and some ideas of her own (like grape poppers). We aren't huge snackers and we don't have kids in the house, but I like the idea of having some healthful alternatives when fruit just isn't going to make it.

Besides the recipes, Fuentes gives us lots of tips for packing and storing snacks, for stocking the pantry, and for making switches if you have allergies. Her directions are dead simple, meaning every recipe is doable, even for teens. The photos are really eye-catching, with their bright colors and fresh, appealing fruits and veggies.

The book is divided into fruits and vegetables (for example, apple and nut butter sandwiches), no-bake snacks (herb cream cheese and crackers), baked goodies (savory scones), store-bought makeovers (toaster pastries), substantial snacks (veggie wraps), drinks (smoothies), and special snacks (freezer pops). I'm attracted to the cracker recipes, the fruit breads, and some of the dips.

If you're parent who's concerned about the high sodium and sugar content of commercial snack food, this book could be a lifesaver. The recipes feature whole grains, fresh produce, and limited amounts of refined sugar.  But remember, you don't need to be a kid or a parent to find some new ideas for staving off mid-afternoon hunger or for packing to munch while on an afternoon hike.

The only downside to The Best Homemade Kids' Snacks on the Planet is that I'm not sure very many of us need recipes for things like trail mix and fruit and yogurt parfaits, and Fuentes has included several variations of each. On the other hand, providing multiple wrap and smoothie recipes is certainly understandable.

The beautiful photography (not every recipe is shown), wholesome ingredients, and easy directions make this cookbook worth buying or borrowing from the library. Check out Laura Fuentes's website for all kinds of family-friendly foods. Note that The Best Homemade Kids' Snacks on the Planet includes many more snack recipes than can be found on the website.

Here's a baked snack that would be appealing to kids (and adults) of all ages. They'd be good at a picnic, with beer on a hot summer evening, or--of course--as an after-school snack for the kids. To read the recipe, click on the image to enlarge it. (Note that this recipe comes from an unedited ARC.)

Note: Recipe and photo are screen shots from the eGalley; all rights remain with the original copyright holders.

Published by Fair Winds Press, 2015
ISBN-13: 9781592336616
Source: Review (see review policy)
Copyright © cbl for Beth Fish Reads, all rights reserved (see review policy)