Food

Feeding Your Family Good Food Fast

Posted: 10/15/2010

Peanut Butter and Jelly Banana Pops are quick and easy snacks for kids of any age.

(NAPSI) - Even when your family is rushing off to school, practice, meetings or what have you, you can still enjoy wholesome meals and snacks. Here are some suggestions from celebrity chef and spokesperson George Duran, the author of “Take This Dish And Twist It” and the host of “The Ultimate Cake Off” on TLC and “Ham on the Street” and “Secret Life of…” on Food Network.

• Quick Morning Pancakes: Make the batter the night before and put it in an empty, cleaned Hunt’s plastic ketchup bottle. In the morning, shake the bottle (add more liquid if needed) and squeeze onto a hot skillet. Cook until done, turning only once.

• Unsmushable Sandwiches: Put a sandwich in a resealable plastic bag, zip it until near the very end, blow it up like a balloon and then seal it. The extra air cushions the sandwich so other items in the lunch box won’t crush it.

• For a quick and tasty treat or a surprisingly original dessert, make these Peanut Butter and Jelly Banana Pops in advance.

Peanut Butter and Jelly Banana Pops

4 bananas, slightly firm and not overripe, peeled

8 popsicle sticks

1 cup Creamy Peter Pan peanut butter

1 cup jelly of your choice

Pam nonstick spray

Toppings such as mini-chocolate chips, crushed granola cereal/or crushed peanuts, optional

Cut each banana in half and gently insert a popsicle stick into the center. Put the bananas on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper and freeze. Heat peanut butter on low in a small saucepan. Mix with a rubber spatula until smooth. Remove from heat. Generously brush each frozen banana with peanut butter. Roll in topping and cover with plastic wrap, if desired. Spray a parchment-lined cookie sheet with Pam nonstick spray and place banana pops on sheet. Freeze for at least 2 hours. Gently heat jelly in a small saucepan and mix until smooth. Serve frozen pops with warm jelly or chocolate sauce in small shot glasses or ramekins. Makes 8.

Ingredients are important. Peter Pan peanut butter is available in eight flavors that the whole family can enjoy. Pam nonstick spray can make everything from stovetop cooking to baking and grilling just plain easier. It even works on spatulas and mixing bowls.

Visit www.conagrafoods.com for more recipe ideas.