My Favorites Friday #5 ~ Fun Foods for Kids to Make {and Eat!}

My four year old has informed me that she wants to be a baker when she grows up.  Not because she knows a blessed thing about baking, but because “she wants to help mommy cook things”, she told me.  I know.  It makes my heart overflow.  I hope she still comes to cook with me when she’s grown up.

My kiddos love making things with me in the kitchen.  One treasured image I have tucked away in that special place in my memory is seeing my kiddos all huddled together on the floor in front of the oven watching cookies bake, waiting in anticipation.  Do you know why it’s tucked away in my memory for safe keeping?  Because it doesn’t happen nearly as often as I had hoped it would!

We are stinkin’ busy!!

I thought doing a post like this would bring some great inspiration {if not for anyone else, definitely for me!} to make some fun things with my kids that don’t require hours in the kitchen, or hours of cleanup.  I picked my favorite hands-on kid friendly recipes from around the web.

I hope you enjoy making these as much as we will!

We have been studying ancient Chinese culture recently in history, and just learned how chopsticks were developed.  I recently picked up a set at Crate & Barrel and I’ve been looking for something to use them with that the kids will actually eat.  Aren’t these peanut butter and jelly “sushi” rolls adorable?

{Source: Jif.com}

These super-cute Elmo cupcakes look like so much fun to make.  The nose is a peanut M&M, marshmallow eyes with a dot of black frosting, and of course, an Oreo for the mouth.  We might try a “pink” version for Abby, my 4 year old’s favorite Sesame Street character.

{Source}

I thought these Hungry Caterpillars from Hungry Happenings were so incredibly cute, but you know what makes them TOTALLY amazing?  There are just 4 ingredients and they are NO BAKE!  And, to top it off, they are made from cheesecake filling rolled in crushed vanilla Oreos.  Does it get any better?

I love this idea of draping a chocolate chip cookie over the back of a muffin tin.  These would make perfect little ice cream bowls for a “Sundae Night”.  Wilton has a recipe for sugar cookies {even though the picture shows choc. chip}.  I’m going to use my favorite chocolate chip recipe.

I know what you are thinking when you see this next picture: “I thought she said these ideas were easy“.  Don’t these burgers look like hours of work and hours of cleanup?  Not so!  They are simply a cupcake cut in half with a piece of a brownie {meat}, and store bought icing {dyed in three colors}.  If you want to get really creative, you could make the fries, too.  They are made from rolled sugar cookie dough.  And, there is a bonus with this one!  Bakerella {the awesome creator of these} offers the FREE printables for the paper boxes, fries package, and tissue paper!  How cool is that?

I just love this little guy, “Crabby the Crabwich”!  I *think* my kids might actually eat him, too!  He can be stuffed with tuna fish, chicken salad, egg salad, or whatever your favorites are!  The eyes are just a bit of cream cheese with a sliced olive on top.  The only change I’ll have to make to insure that my kids really will eat it would be to substitute strawberries for the pepper claws.

Speaking of “seafood” how do you like these little Spaghetti Hot Dog Squids?  This one looks more like something you should serve your kids for a mystery dinner and let them try to figure out how you did it.  Can you spell, S-U-P-E-R-M-O-M?

{I searched and searched for the original source but couldn’t find it.  If you know it, please leave me a comment so I can give credit.}

I LOVE this simple idea for making fun shaped pancakes.  Simply put your batter in an old {and cleaned!} ketchup bottle.  It totally takes the hassle out of kids’ requests to make unusual shapes.  Have fun, and be creative!

{Source: Real Simple}

Aren’t these SO Cute???  They are sugar cookies made by simply draping a baked sugar cookie over a paper towel tube {covered in foil} IMMEDIATELY after coming out of the oven.  Let them cool and then fill with yogurt and fruit.  Thanks to What’s Cookin’ Girls for sharing the idea.

Everyone loves Rice Krispies Treats, right?  Isn’t this a great idea?  Kids always love decorating eggs at Easter, but how-in-the-world many hard-boiled eggs can one kid eat anyway?  This might just become a new tradition in our house!

{Source: Rice Krispies}

These look a little creepy on the plate, but I can just imagine the hilarity that will ensue when we make these!  I’ll be camera ready, for sure. Simply spread peanut butter on two apple slices and put the marshmallow “teeth” in place.

My daughter was just reminding me the other day how much fun they had making Homemade Ice Cream in a Bag {and how delicious it was}.  This one is a must for kids.  It’s really easy and super fun for kids – and it’s made with just a few ingredients that are staples in many kitchens.

Make sure you’ve got some sprinkles and maybe some chocolate syrup on hand!

{Source: Spoonful.com}

I found these great ideas via Pinterest. I would love to have you follow my pinboards to keep up with my latest pins!

I hope you’ll stop back next week for My Favorites Friday #6!