Keeping Your Family On The Right Track When It Comes To Snacks

Saturday, March 1, 2008

Keeping Your Family On The Right Track When It Comes To Snacks (NAPSA)—For many, snacks are a fact of life. The challenge is choosing healthier snacks that support your family’s healthy lifestyle. The good news is that this may be easier than you think. A few simple substitutions can make a big difference. For example, Smart Balance Butter Blend Stick—which is half butter— offers the fresh-churned creamy flavor and cooking qualities of butter but provides a better choice for health-conscious consumers. Becauseit’s in stick form, it’s easy to measure and great for making treats that contain less saturated fat and cholesterol (and the taste is terrific). Here’s an idea. Instead of baking the classic peanut butter cookie, try a new recipe that adds cherries and oatmeal and replaces butter with this healthier alternative. Also, replacing regular peanut butter in the recipe with a product such as Smart Balance Omega™ Peanut Butter can add the healthy support of omega-3 from flax oil, which offers beneficial ALA omega-3 fatty acids. This peanut butter contains deep-roasted peanuts and a touch of molasses— no refined sugars—to create a rich, nutty flavor. Its texture comes from a patented blend of balanced oils, formulated to help improve cholesterol ratio when used as part of the Smart Balance™ Food Plan. Plus, it’s non- hydrogenated and trans-fatty acid free. Here’s a healthy recipe to get you started: 1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. 2. Combine the Smart Bal- ance Omega™ Peanut Butter, It’s possible to make snacks, such as cookies, healthier by making a few simple substitutions (like Smart Balance Butter Blend Sticks) to the recipe. Chewy Peanut Butter Oatmeal Cookies ’% cup Smart Balance Omega” Peanut Butter 2 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons Smart Balance Butter Blend Stick, softened % cup packed dark brown sugar % cup pourable sugar substitute, such as 1 % % % % Splenda sweetener egg teaspoonvanilla cup whole wheatflour teaspoon baking soda teaspoon ground cinnamon % teaspoonsalt 1% cups quick-cooking oatmeal % cup dried cherries or cranberries Smart Balance Butter Blend Stick, brown sugar and sugar substitute in a large mixing bowl. Using an electric mixer on high setting, beat until well blended and creamy. 3. Beat in the egg and vanilla. Gradually add the flour, baking soda, cinnamon and salt. Reduce to low speed, add the oats and cherries and beat until just blended. (Note: The batter will be verystiff.) 4, Using a measuring teaspoon, spoon rounded teaspoons of the batter onto cookie sheets coated with Smart Balance Cooking Spray and bake 3 minutes. Do not cook longer. They will be slightly puffed and a very light golden color on the bottom. (Note: They will not appear to be done at this point, but will continue to bake while cooling.) 5. Remove from oven and immediately place on cooling racks to cool completely. Repeat with remaining batter. Alternate cookie sheets while baking, using a cooled sheet for even baking. Makes 40 cookiestotal Serves 20; 2 cookies per serving Splenda is a registered trademark of McNeil Nutritionals, LLC.

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