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Fruity snacks for fussy toddlers
Fruits form an important part of any toddler’s diet – they’re packed with important vitamins and minerals that help boost immunity and grow healthy, strong bodies. If you’re battling to get your little one to eat fruit, these easy and delicious recipes will help develop your child’s love of nature’s sweet treats and make sure they are getting their daily dose of goodness.
Bananasicles
If your child isn’t a big fruit fan it helps to try fruit in different forms for different textures – either dried, cooked, roasted, stewed or frozen. These frozen banana popsicles are packed full of potassium, an important part of a nutritious, balanced diet. They’re covered in yoghurt and Squish 100% Fruit Puree and finished off with fun sprinkles. Each Squish Fruit and Veggie Puree is made from 100% fruit and vegetables. They are free from nasties like preservatives, colourants, flavourants and starch – and have no added cane sugar.
Also, these popsicles are perfect for soothing sore gums if your child is teething.
Ingredients
2 Bananas
125 ml plain yoghurt
1 x 110ml Squish 100% Fruit Puree pouch – pick your little one’s favourite fruit flavour
Sprinkles (optional)
Method
Slice two bananas in half horizontally. Insert a wooden skewer carefully into the one end of each banana slice and place on a lined baking sheet.
Mix together 125 ml plain yoghurt and your favourite Squish 100% Fruit Puree pouch.
Spread the yoghurt and fruit mix over the bananas and decorate with sprinkles.
Freeze for 20-40 minutes.
Apple + Banana Flapjacks
These flapjacks contain a whole 110ml pouch of Squish 100% Fruit and Yoghurt Puree – a delicious way to sneak a healthy helping of fruit into your toddler’s snack time. Stack the flapjacks, adding fresh banana or berries between each layer for a treat that tastes as good as it looks! The Squish Yogi range makes it easy to include the benefits of yoghurt in your child’s diet too, and they are all made with double cream yoghurt.
Ingredients
80 ml (⅓ C) baby cereal
250 ml (1 C) cake flour
30 ml (2 Tbsp) sugar
10 ml (2 tsp) baking powder
1 ml (¼ t) salt
45 ml (3 Tbsp) butter, melted
250 ml (1 C) milk
110 ml pouch Squish 100% Apple, Banana + Yoghurt Puree
2 eggs
oil for frying
To serve: fresh bananas, berries, honey or butter
Method
Place the cereal, flour, sugar, baking powder and salt together in a bowl.
Whisk together the butter, milk, Squish Apple, Banana + Yoghurt Puree and eggs.
Whisk the Squish Puree mixture into the dry ingredients until the batter is thick and smooth.
Heat a little oil in a non-stick frying pan over medium heat.
For each flapjack, add around two tablespoons of batter to the pan.
Fry until bubbles appear on the surface of the flapjack and then flip over the flapjack and fry for a few minutes more until the flapjack is firm to the touch.
Serve warm with bananas, honey and/or butter.
Fruit Crunchies
Your little one will love these Fruit Crunchies – they’re perfect for lunchboxes or for on-the-go snacks. They’re packed with natural goodness and fibre: coconut, dried apricots and Squish 100% Apple Fruit Puree. Their high fruit content also means less cane sugar. To switch things up, try using a different flavour of Squish 100% Fruit Puree, there’s a whole range of flavours to choose from, including Pear + Prune, Summer Berries, Pear, and Mango and Banana.
Ingredients:
230 g (1 cup) rolled oats
60 g (½ cup) desiccated coconut or ground almonds
125 g (¾ cup) cake flour
2.5 ml (½ tsp) baking powder
1 ml (¼ tsp) bicarbonate of soda
60 g (⅓ cup) dried apricots, finely chopped
65 g (¼ cup) butter
55 g (¼ cup) brown sugar
1 x 110 ml Squish 100% Apple Fruit Puree
Method:
Place the oats, coconut (or nuts) and cake flour into a bowl and stir to mix. Add the baking powder and bicarbonate of soda. Add the apricots.
In a small saucepan melt the butter and the sugar together. Whisk in the Squish Apple Puree and leave to cool.
Add the apple mixture to the dry ingredients and stir well until evenly blended. Press the mixture into a baking pan that has been sprayed with non-stick spray and lined with baking paper.
Bake in an oven that has been preheated to 160°C for 30 minutes or until golden brown.
Remove from the oven and slice into bars in the pan. Leave to cool.
Mini Banana Muffins
These fruit-filled muffins freeze really well, so bake a batch and freeze ahead so that you can just grab as you need. To up the fruit content even more, add finely chopped dried fruit or raisins.
Ingredients
375 ml (1½ C) cake flour
7.5 ml (1½ tsp) baking powder
5 ml (1 tsp) bicarbonate of soda
5 ml (1 tsp) ground cinnamon
125 ml (½ C) brown sugar
1 egg
65 ml (¼ C) sunflower oil
1 x 110 ml Squish 100% Banana + Apple Puree
1 x 110 ml Squish 100% Apple Puree
Method
Sift flour, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda and cinnamon into a large mixing bowl.
Stir in the brown sugar. Mix the egg and the oil together and stir in the Squish Banana + Apple Puree and the Squish Apple Puree.
Add the puree mixture to the dry ingredients and fold gently until just mixed.
Spoon the muffin batter into a muffin tray that has been lined with paper muffin cups.
Bake the muffins in an oven that has been preheated to 180˚C for 15 minutes or until the muffins are golden and firm to the touch.