Recipes easy enough for kids to prepare are a wonderful thing find for any parent looking for a stress-free way for children to have productive fun. The following recipes are not only easy and delicious for children and adults alike, but provide quality time for parents and children in the hours after school. You’ll not only have fun together preparing these sweet treats, but enjoy eating them together.

Recipes and Clean-Up

After preparing any of these three recipes, use clean-up time to teach children not only how to clean, but that clean-up comes with every project, be it preparing recipes, doing arts and crafts, or simply playing with toys. Clean-up should be fun, of course! Sing silly songs as you work. Put a drop of soap and warm water in the blender after making the berry smoothie and watch it foam up at the flip of a switch!

Tutti Frutti Fruit Skewers with Vanilla-Honey Yogurt Dip

Makes 20 skewers

Ingredients:

• 10 wooden skewers
• Assorted fruit, peeled, stemmed, cored, as necessary
• 2 cups plain yogurt
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/4 cup honey
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• Styrofoam block (or Styrofoam ball sliced across the bottom to sit flat on table)

Method:

1. To make the dip, stir together yogurt, vanilla extract, honey, and cinnamon, in a medium-sized bowl
2. Thread fruit onto skewers, alternating types of fruit
3. Stick skewers into Styrofoam to stand
4. Serve skewers with yogurt dip

Chocolate-Dipped Apricots

Makes 24 apricots

Ingredients:

• 24 dried apricots
• 11-ounce bag of semi-sweet chocolate chips
• 1 tsp coconut oil
• Parchment paper

Method:

1. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
2. Place chocolate and coconut oil in microwave-safe bowl. Microwave on high for one minute. Let sit for one minute, then stir.
3. Microwave chocolate for 15 seconds, stir, then repeat, microwaving chocolate in 15-second intervals, until chocolate is almost completely melted. Stir chocolate until melted and smooth.
4. Dip each apricot into the chocolate to half-way coat the fruit, setting each dipped apricot on the paper-lined baking sheet. Place the tray in the refrigerator for 15 minutes to help set the chocolate coating.
5. Store dipped apricots in the refrigerator, or at room temperature, according to preference.

Berry Good Smoothie

Makes 4 8-ounce smoothies

Ingredients:

• 2 handfuls, ready-to-eat baby spinach leaves
• 2 cups frozen berries (use whatever type you have on hand, or an assortment)
• 1 cup Greek yogurt
• 1 cup coconut milk
• 1 tablespoon honey

Method:

1. Place all ingredients in a blender.
2. Blend until smooth.
3. If you like your smoothie thinner, add more coconut milk, a little bit at a time, until it’s just the way you like it.

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