Two Kid-Friendly Recipes for Avoiding Winter Boredom

All of 2020 has brought with it an unusually long amount of time at home with family. For better or worse, we have been inside with our moms, dads, sisters, brothers, kids, and/or pets for much more time than we ever expected at this time last year. And most of us didn’t go into 2020 prepared with the amount of activities, recipes, or books that we would need to keep us entertained.

Though you may have championed quarantine activities in March (you remember, that month with 271 days?), at this point in the game, it’s possible you’re back to internet and social media searches for things to do with your kiddos at home to help them have fun and learn. Martin’s is here to help. In times like these, we can’t help but turn to something that has spurred on family fun for years and years… food!

Keep scrolling for two festive and kid-friendly recipes that you can create with your little ones this holiday season, featuring two of Martin’s youngest fans who helped us create them!

Featured Recipe #1: Very Merry Martin’s Bread Pops

https://potatorolls.com/recipes/very-merry-martins-bread-pops/

Ingredients You’ll Need:

• Martin’s Potato Bread
• Butter
• Powdered Sugar
• Chocolate-Hazelnut Spread
• White Chocolate
• Christmas Sprinkles/Decorations
• Straws/Lollipop Sticks

How to Make it:

Similar to the trendy cake pops, this recipe combines bread crumbs (rather than cake crumbles) with chocolate-hazelnut spread and butter to create a moist and sweet treat wrapped inside delicious melted white chocolate. And, as a bonus, these single-serve desserts would make adorable gifts for your child’s teachers, family members, and friends!

Check out the video tutorial of this recipe by Martin’s Senior Marketing Campaign Manager Katie and her niece, Vera, here: https://youtu.be/oz1JNd4ibpI

What Kids Can Learn:

This recipe uses a food processor, which means older kids can learn how to safely use and operate a kitchen appliance. For kids of all ages, this recipe requires paying attention to consistency and ingredient ratios—an important skill for lifelong cooking. Try letting your young chef add the bread crumbs and chocolate-hazelnut spread, and then help them adjust the ratios until you have the perfect cake-pop-like consistency. And, of course, everyone can exercise creativity by adding whatever Christmas toppings and sprinkles they prefer!

Featured Recipe #2: Festive Christmas Toasts

https://potatorolls.com/recipes/festive-christmas-toasts/

Ingredients You’ll Need:

• Martin’s Old-Fashioned Real Butter Bread
• Peanut Butter
• Chocolate-Hazelnut Spread
• Assorted Fruit
• Mini Pretzels
• Shredded Coconut
• Chocolate Chips

How to Make it:

To create the reindeer toast (shown on the left above), just spread peanut butter across Martin’s toast and add bananas and blueberries for the eyes. Then, place a raspberry in the middle as a nose, pretzels for antlers, and chocolate chips for the smile.

For the Santa toasts (shown on the right above), start with the same peanut butter base. Then, add a banana beard, raspberry nose, and blueberry eyes. To the top of the toast, dunk two strawberries in chocolate-hazelnut spread and angle them to form Santa’s hat. Finally, add shredded coconut as the base of Santa’s hat.

Make this recipe along with Martin’s fan and hopeful up-and-coming vlogger, Sage, here: https://youtu.be/DadrrCp_CiY

What Kids Can Learn:

Both of these recipes require a bit of skill in following directions. Talk through each step with your child as you show them how to complete it and where to place each ingredient. Kids can also use their imagination in terms of shape and quantity of each topping. Let them show off their creativity and see how it turns out!

For more creative kid-friendly recipes visit our Pinterest page for inspiration, or check out this article from LA Times on how to fight off boredom (we especially love tip #8). And, if you try making these recipes with your kiddos, let us know how they turn out on social media or by leaving a comment!