Family Meal Plan: Kid-Made Skillet Matzo Granola Yogurt Parfaits + Peach Banana Smoothies

Kid-Made Skillet Matzo Granola Yogurt Parfaits

Happy & Healthy Cooking,

Fun-Da-Mentals Kitchen Skills

• blend :

  to stir together two or more ingredients until just combined; blending is a gentler process than mixing.

• chop :

  to cut something into small, rough pieces using a blade.

• combine :

  to merge two or more ingredients into one mixture, like a batter of flour, eggs, and milk.

• layer :

  to arrange foods in layers, such as sliced fruit in a pie or tart, or sliced potatoes in a potato gratin; or to build flavors by adding seasonings or foods that may be dissimilar but complement the overall dish.

• peel :

  to remove the skin or rind from something using your hands or a metal tool.

• smash :

  to break up food into smaller pieces or squash food to flatten or soften it.

History of Granola!

• Granola is a crunchy breakfast cereal created in 1863 by Dr. James Caleb Jackson in Danville, New York, for his health spa, Jackson Sanitarium. Dr. Jackson believed it would help the digestive system, which he and some other doctors around that time believed was related to overall health. He made it with graham flour, which is coarser than whole wheat flour, and sold it as "Granula." It had to be soaked overnight before eating.
• Around 1877, John H. Kellogg, director of Battle Creek Sanitarium in Michigan, developed a similar cereal and initially sold it as "Granula" until 1881, when Dr. Jackson threatened to sue him. He changed its name to "Granola."
• In the 1960s and early 70s, granola was brought back by health-conscious young people or "hippies." They would often make their own granola. Possible dry ingredients were rolled oats, wheat germ, shredded coconut, dried fruit, nuts, and seeds. Those would be saturated with a heated syrup of honey or brown sugar, oil, water, vanilla, and salt. Then, the cereal would be spread out on baking sheets and baked at a low temperature, stirring every few minutes, until dry and golden brown.
• Commercial granola first hit grocery shelves in 1972 under the name Heartland Natural Cereal. Quaker Oats Company also came out with a granola that year, and Kellogg's and General Mills followed soon after. 
• Granola can be a healthy and filling breakfast food. The rolled oats, fruit, and nuts add fiber to the diet, and nuts and seeds add healthy fats and protein. Calories and sugar content can be high, so checking labels and limiting portion sizes is important.

Let's Learn About Passover!

• Passover or "Pesach" in Hebrew is a major Jewish festival, occurring in the spring. It commemorates the freedom and exodus of enslaved Israelites from Egypt in the 15th century BCE. It begins the evening of the 15th day of the month of Nisan, which on our calendar, falls sometime between March 26 and April 25. 
• In the Hebrew Bible, in the book of Exodus, Moses, a Hebrew who had been raised by an Egyptian pharaoh's daughter, is commanded by Yahweh (Lord), the god of the Israelites, to demand that the current Pharaoh let the enslaved Israelites go to worship their god in the wilderness. Each time Pharaoh refuses, Moses, through Yahweh, causes a plague to happen in the land, until finally, after the tenth plague, when the firstborn of people and animals would die, including Pharaoh's son, he relents and lets them go. The firstborn of the Israelites were not harmed, as their homes were passed over if they obeyed the command to kill and roast a lamb, and put some of its blood on the sides and tops of their doorframes.
• That day, the Israelites were told to eat the roasted meat with bitter herbs and unleavened bread (bread made without yeast). From then on, they were to commemorate the day of their exodus (Passover) and celebrate a Feast of Unleavened Bread for seven days. During the seven days, they were not allowed to eat bread with yeast, and all yeast was to be removed from their houses.  
• Today, the festival lasts for seven days in Israel. In diaspora countries, Reform Jews celebrate seven days, whereas Orthodox and Conservative Jewish communities celebrate for eight days.
• A symbol of Passover is unleavened matzah (or matzo). It is served during the feast days and at the seder meal. The seder is a ritual dinner held on the first evening of Passover. In addition to matzah, it includes the "maror" or bitter herbs, which may be horseradish or romaine lettuce served with "charoset" (a paste made from nuts, apples, pears, and wine). Other food and drink typical of a seder include wine, "karpas" (parsley, green onion, or veggie dipped in salt water), "zeroah" (lamb shank), and "beitza" (hard-boiled egg). Chicken or matzo ball soup and gefilte fish might also be served. The word "seder" means "order," and there is a specific order for everything done during the ritual. The story of the exodus is read from the Haggadah, a special Jewish text that includes the story and the order of the seder. 
• Children are included in the Passover seder. At the beginning of the reading from the Haggadah is the "Ma Nishtana" or Four Questions. The youngest child, who is able, asks the Four Questions through song, starting with the main question, "Why is this night different from all other nights?" It is followed by specific questions to prompt why it is different. The Haggadah also contains possible responses to the questions for the seder leader and other adults to read.
• During the Yachatz, the fourth part of the seder, the leader breaks the middle of three matzahs into two pieces. Either the leader or a child wraps and hides this "afikomen," then the children find (or steal) it, and it is eaten as a symbolic dessert at the end of the meal. It is a reminder of the sacrifice of the Passover lamb. 

Passover Fun for Kids!

• Passover is a kid-friendly Jewish holiday. Finding the treasure of the "afikomen" is just one of the ways to engage kids. Below are three additional ways to help young children contribute to and enjoy the table for the seder ceremony and dinner.
• Make a cup for Elijah the prophet. It is customary to leave a glass of wine on the table for his arrival. Kids can be included in the tradition by decorating cups for Elijah.
• Make a matzo house. Let kids use any leftover matzo crackers to make houses with them. They can make simple ones, like playing card houses, or decorate their matzo houses with Passover candy, like gingerbread houses. Decorate your seder table or dining room with the houses. 
• Make an activity bag to demonstrate the first 9 of 10 plagues that occurred before the exodus. An activity bag for each child could be made up of red beads or yarn (for blood); toy, finger puppet, or homemade paper frogs; plastic or paper flies (for gnats and flies); toy, finger puppet, or paper horses, cattle, sheep, goats (for the plague on livestock); skin-safe color, like lipstick (for boils); cotton balls or crumpled white paper (for hail); two toothpicks to rub together quickly or a nail file to rub on metal to mimic the sound of locusts; and sunglasses (for darkness). Kids can tell everyone about each of the plagues and demonstrate them with the toys from their bags.