Today we are using freeze dried fruit! At Super Healthy Kids our main message is to introduce kids to a variety of fruits and vegetables in a variety of ways. One of those ways, that we have never talked about here is freeze dried. Something great about freeze dried fruit, is that it almost never comes with added sugar, at least the brands I’ve checked. Freeze drying begins when fruit is ripened. The fruit goes into a freezer, and then into a vacuum, where are the moisture is removed. The ice that formed in the freezer evaporates, leaving your fruit “Dry”.
Our favorite freeze dried foods are raspberries and strawberries. You can add these berries to salads, smoothies, yogurt, dressings, or just snack on them. They have sort of a tangy flavor that my kids love.
So, today we decided to make “candy” necklaces with our freeze dried fruit. And, with Valentine’s day right around the corner, I thought it fit perfectly.
First, we had to use cereal to tie one end from the food falling off. We used a yarn needle (because it’s bigger and easier to thread), and threaded an “O” shaped cereal through, then tied the end of the ribbon around it.
Then, it was easy for the kids to thread the rest of their Valentines Candy! We used:
- Freeze Dried Raspberries
- Freeze Dried Strawberries
- Juice sweetened dried cranberries
- Toasted “O” cereal
Not only did the kids have fun making it, they ate all of it! Super fun way to jazz up snack time!
