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People are often surprised when they see my kids making healthy choices at such a young age. They are by no means perfect, but it isn’t uncommon for them to choose fruit over dessert. My son likes to tell me that “he wants to be healthy,” and I know he has some understanding of how foods like fruits and vegetables make him feel (and on the contrary, how he feels when he’s had too much sugar).
With Valentine’s Day just 2 weeks away, I’ve been thinking about how to celebrate each of my kids without overwhelming them with sugar. I love to bake, and it’s become an activity my kids and I share together. Along with teaching them the basics of measurements and math, it’s an opportunity for me to impress upon them the importance of putting the right foods into our body.
My kids enjoy a variety of fruits, but one of their favorites are Cuties. These kid-sized mandarins are grown in California and perfectly sweet. As a parent, I like the fact that I can pack them in my kids’ lunches and they can peel them easily without any help. Packed with Vitamin C and Vitamin A, Cuties are the perfect kid-friendly snack. My kids will eat them on their own every single day, but I thought I’d get creative with them by whipping up a batch of Cuties Mandarin Bars.
For these healthy snack bars, I started with a crust comprised of pecans and a white/whole wheat flour blend.
I then pureed and cooked a handful of Cuties over the stove with a touch of sugar and some vanilla extract. Since Cuties can vary in sweetness, I encourage you to adjust the amount of sugar accordingly. Pour the mixture over the crust, bake, and you’ll have a delightfully sweet bar that you and your kids can feel good about eating. These bars are packed with protein, whole grains and fruit making them a delightful alternative to the traditional Valentine’s Day treats.
- 1 cup pecans
- 1/2 cup white flour
- 1/2 cup whole wheat flour
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/3 cup sugar
- 6 T unsalted butter
- 1 egg
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 12 Cuties puréed
- 4 T organic cane sugar
- 4 T flour
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
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Combine pecans, flours, sugar and salt in a food processor until finely ground
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Add butter and pulse until combined
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In a small dish, whisk egg and vanilla extract together
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Add egg mixture to the food processor and process until the mixture begins to combine but is still crumbly
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Reserve 1/2 cup of mixture to use as topping for the Mandarin Bars
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In a medium-sized dutch oven, whisk puréed Cuties, sugar, flour and vanilla extract over medium heat until thickened (this process can take up to 10 minutes)
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Preheat oven to 400°F
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Prepare 9x13 inch baking dish with non-stick cooking spray
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Press pecan crumble into prepared baking dish to form a crust
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Spread Cuties Mandarin filling over the crust
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Sprinkle reserved topping over the filling
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Bake at 400°F for 15 minutes
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Reduced heat to 350°F and bake for an additional 20 minutes or until crust is lightly brown
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Allow to cool completely (approximately 2 hours) before cutting into bars
Cuties and Mighties wants you to swap sweets for fruit this Valentine’s Day! If you visit CutiesCitrus.com, you can make the pledge to swap candy for Cuties this Valentine’s Day by downloading their sweet anthem here. If they reach 10,000 song downloads, a city with the top downloads the week leading up to Valentine’s Day, a city with top downloads will be taken over by Cuties, spreading sweetness and love. The takeover will be broadcasted live on Periscope so everyone can follow along as Cuties spreads the love.
For additional healthy recipes featuring Cuties, visit CutiesCitrus.com.
This blog post is part of a paid SocialMoms and Cuties & Mighties Kiwi blogging program. The opinions and ideas expressed here are my own.
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