Cooking With Kids: Spooktacular BOO BARK Breakfast Yogurt

Encouraging Speech & Creating Yum! Spooktacular BOO BARK Breakfast Yogurt

Looking for some healthier option for the popular “Boo Bark” that’s trending on some social media sites? We decided to create a healthy version that’s just as fun. Now, kids can begin their day “SPOOKtacularly” by enjoying some healthy Halloween fun that is not loaded with tons of processed sugar. Our Spooktacular yogurt “bark” is made from Greek yogurt, granola, dried and fresh fruit. It also includes a small amount of mini-chocolate chips and you can create it the night before Halloween is served.

Boo Bark Ingredients

Yogurt Bark:

3 cups Greek yogurt
2-3 tbsp honey
2 tbsp blueberries (we used dried)
2 tbsp cranberries
2 tbsp raisins
1/2 banana small pieces chopped
1/2 Kiwi cut into small pieces
1/2 cup of granola
2 tbsp mini chocolate chips

Toppings:

1 1/2 fresh banana, chopped “googley” eyes

Green Slim Drizzle

2 tbsp Honey
1 drop green food color

Boo Bark Prep and Directions:

Adult/Child: Measure out yogurt and put in bowl. Mix the yogurt and honey (more if you like it sweeter) together until well combined. Add granola, cranberries, raisins, and blueberries, small pieces of banana and kiwi and stir again.

Child: Line a baking tray with parchment paper and pour the yogurt mixture on top. Spread it depending on how thick or thin you want your bark to be. Mine was approx. V2 inch thick..

Adult/Child: Slice banana from the top into thin slices (see example).

Child: Place banana slices randomly on top of yogurt, then add googly-eyes on tip of banana slices to create ghost. Add extra sets of googlyeyes and place randomly on top of yogurt.

Adult: Measure out and mix honey and 1 drop of green food coloring.

Child: Using a spoon (or fork) drizzle “green honey slim” all over ghost and yogurt. Place in the freezer for 2-4 hours or until it is completely frozen.

Adult: Remove from the freezer and use a sharp knife to break the bark into pieces. The bark can be stored in the freezer container or in freezer food bags. Tip: we put the frozen bark in the microwave for about 15 seconds before serving.

Eat! Talk! Enjoy!

Language Time Tips:

1. Build vocabulary: Use nouns and actions. Nouns:yogurt, honey, cranberries, raisins, cranberries, granola, chips, toppings, bowl, baking tray. Actions: measure, mix, add, stir, line, pour, spread, slice, drizzle, and freeze.

2. Colors and Size: This recipe is a rainbow of colors! With the red from the cranberries, blue from the blueberries, green from the kiwi and yellow from the banana, your Spooktacular treat is full of colors and language concepts. As you prepare the ingredients, direct your child, “put the blue fruit in the bowl”, “put the green fruit in the bowl”, etc. This will assess your child receptive language of colors. Since the fruits are different sizes, ask your child, “Should we slice a small or large piece of banana for the ghosts? What is smaller, the cranberry or the kiwi?”

3. Comment and Describe: Encourage words such as “sweet”, “tangy”, “cold”, “thick”, “fuzzy” and “crunchy”. Let your child taste each ingredient and discuss the flavors. Maybe the granola is sweet and crunchy, or the raisins are sweet and chewy. This use of commenting can help your child communicate better when requesting specific foods at meals such as: “I want a sweet and crunchy breakfast” (granola).

4. Sequencing and recalling information: There are definite steps to this recipe but certain ingredients can be mixed into the yogurt in no specific order. For example, after mixing the yogurt and honey, the dried fruit and banana can be mixed in any order. After you are done with all of the steps, ask your child what you did first, next, etc. Discuss what would happen if you froze the yogurt before adding the other ingredients. What would the treat taste like without adding honey?

5. Answering and asking “wh” questions: Sample “wh” questions include: “What holiday is this treat for?”, “What makes this dessert scary?”, “Why do we eat scary treats for Halloween?”

Literacy! Try a fun syllable activity by counting how many syllables are in each ingredient. What ingredient has the most syllables? How about the least amount of syllables?

Books recommended:

Ladybug Girl and the Dress Up Dilemma and Eek! Halloween!

Becca Eisenberg is a mother of two young children and a speech language pathologist, author and instructor. Her website, www.gravitybread.com encourages learning time during mealtime. On her website, she writes children’s book recommendations, app recommendations, as well as child friendly recipes with language tips their family.

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This post originally appeared on our September/October 2016 Magazine

Cooking With Kids: Spooktacular BOO BARK Breakfast Yogurt

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