by Tommi from Colorado
As a mom of 7 growing and ever-hungry children, it goes without saying that we value our WIC benefits
They afford our family the opportunity to always have fresh fruits, vegetables and other healthy staples on hand. With that being said, sometimes it can be tricky to find new and fun ways to use up those food items. In our house, it’s the eggs, beans, and peanut butter that are often the last to go. It’s a welcomed challenge for me to find new ways to serve up dishes for my family that are both creative and satisfying using our WIC foods. So if you’re in the same boat, fear not! Read on to discover 3 tasty and nutritious ways to use up those WIC foods that might pile up.
Peanut Butter and Banana Sandwiches
This one was a favorite of Elvis’ (minus the bacon?), I hear! My step-daughter loves these for school field trips and picnics. Personally, I love them too!
Here’s what to do:
Take two slices of your WIC-approved whole grain bread, lay flat.
On one of the slices of bread, spread about 1 to 2 teaspoons of peanut butter (or however much you’d like).
Take one banana and cut it into ¼ to ½ inch slices. Lay your banana slices side by side in rows on top of the peanut butter you’ve just spread.
Take your plain slice of bread and lay it on top of the peanut butter and banana covered slice, forming a complete sandwich.
For maximum satisfaction, you could even grill up the sandwich as you would a grilled cheese.
We love this sandwich because the combination of peanut butter and bananas just works! You get the sweet creaminess of the banana mixed with the nutty saltiness of the peanut butter that is amazing. Plus, who doesn’t love a sweet, ooey gooey treat!
*Ants on a Log
This one is simple and perfect for the little ones in your family! All you need is some celery, peanut butter and raisins.
Do it like this:
Simply cut the wide ends off of your celery stalk.
Fill the inner channel of your celery with as much or as little peanut butter as you would like.
Top the celery (peanut butter side up) with raisins so that they look like tiny ants crawling along your celery log.
That’s it! Fun, simple and oh so delicious! Again, it’s that sweet/salty combination of the peanut butter and the raisins that’s great here. Plus, it’s a sneaky way to get the Littles to eat their veggies!
*Note from wichealth: Kids under 4 are still learning to chew well. You may need to spread the peanut butter thinly, and cut the "log" into small pieces before giving to your child.
Savory Roasted Vegetables with Blue Cheese
This one is for the adults, but is a very savory, delectable dish! All you need to do is chop up about 5-6 different veggies of your choice. I love to use fresh yellow squash, zucchini, cauliflower, red onion, and mushrooms. Even baby potatoes would taste amazing.
I love this dish because it’s delicious, sophisticated and unexpectedly creamy from the blue cheese. It’s a good-for-you guilty pleasure!
Here's how you do it:
You want to coarsely chop all of your veggies into ½ to 1 inch chunks.
Spread your chunky veggies across a baking sheet and drizzle with about ¼ cup of olive oil. Season up your veggies with a tablespoon of thyme, and salt and pepper to taste.
Pop them in the oven to bake at 400 degrees.
Once veggies are golden brown and tender, carefully remove and sprinkle 6 to 8 ounces of crumbled blue cheese on top.
Stick veggies back in the oven for another 3 to 6 minutes until cheese melts.
Remove from oven and serve from a platter, or enjoy alone from a bowl.
This blog was written by one of our guest bloggers, Tommi.
About Tommi. . .
Tommi is a wife, mother of 7, and an avid celebrator of small victories! She’s originally from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and loves writing on topics that deal with food, travel, life skills, health and wellness, including finances. Tommi has a B.A. in both Spanish and Speech Communications from Metropolitan State University of Denver. She enjoys traveling, cooking, home decorating, shopping, event planning and wreath-making.
Want more inspiration in the kitchen? Check out our Health eKitchen at www.wichealth.org. We have beginner, intermediate, and experienced recipes for all ability levels.
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