Legend In My Own Lunchbox

My daughter is a grazer… usually I don’t mind but when I keep finding half-eaten fruit in the dark recesses of the fridge I cringe. I really just don’t like seeing food go to waste… So, I trick my kids into eating it anyway!

Slice the fruit as thinly as possible (an apple slinky machine works great for this)

Spread out evenly on a lined oven tray, or, if you’re lucky enough to own one, the shelves of your food dehydrator.

Bake at the lowest your oven will go (mine does 50˙C! Yay!) until leathery. Depending on the fruit, this will take up to 12 hours. Remember to turn the fruit occasionally and to keep an eye on it so it doesn’t burn down your house. That would be bad.

So far I have successfully dried mango, apple, pear, peach and banana. The kids love the dried fruit and I’m happy because there is less wastage. Happy days…

Does your school use the traffic light system for foods? Like a traffic light, foods are put in different colour categories and help parents (and kids) make healthier choices.

GREEN ‘Have plenty’ Encourage and promote these foods and drinks in the lunchbox.
AMBER ‘Select carefully’ Do not let these foods and drinks dominate choices and avoid large serve sizes.
RED ‘Occasional’ Limit the availability of these foods and drinks to no more than two occasions per term

I think its a great idea, and as a sweet tooth, I love the challenge of finding healthy alternatives to popular sweet treats. These chocolate crackles are sweet and delicious but also good for you!

You’ll need: 1 cup puffed millet (or buckwheat/puffed wheat), I cup puffed rice, 1/2 cup desiccated coconut, 2-3 tsp cacao (or cocoa), 3/4 cup coconut oil, 2 tbsp honey (or rice syrup/agave syrup).