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Page 8 Portland Observer. July 6,1983
Econo-Eating: Inexpensive snacks for children
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by M onine Strode-Sttbbms
How many times a day do you cal
or drink something? Most kids have
something to eat or drink eight
times a day. How often you eat isn’t
nearly as important as what you eat.
Snacking isn’ t just milk and cookies
after school. I t ’s any food or bever­
age you or your kids grap when the
“ hungries" strike, or you get bored,
or it's handy so it might as well be
eaten.
The trick with snacking is to have
things that are good for you ready
to eat or to fix easily. And, with
today's food prices, they need to be
inexpensive, too.
On the items that are consumed
whole, buy or fix the smaller sizes.
For instance, buy small apples or
bananas. M ake cookies in a smaller
size, too. Cut things up or set out a
portion that is allowed for the day.
I f you have the hungries for
something specific — say, you're a
chocolate lover, then look for ways
to fix something low-cost that takes
care o f the craving, before it be­
comes an obsession.
Be aware of the way you eat
snacks, loo. Eat things slowly,
taking a break, if possible, rather
than grabbing as you run. I f you're
hurrying your'rc eating faster which
means you probably eat more. It
helps to choose something crunchy,
so you can have the satisfaction of
chewing a lot. Vegetables, fresh
fruits, or popcorn last longer thar
some softer snacks.
A few years ago. when I was pre­
paring for a program on "N u tritio n
and M y C h ild ," I asked some o f my
young homemaker friends about
snacks their kids liked. One gal in­
vited me out and her kids fixed me
some really delightful snacks. Part
Jobs Bill
(Continued fro m Page I. Column 3)
Northeast Portland will also
benefit some from city-wide p ro j­
ects made possible by the jobs bill
money These include maintenance
of fire hydrants; $100,000 for the
Senior Sidewalks program (fo r re­
pair o f broken sidewalks in front of
senior's homes); and three programs
funded at S I94,000 total under the
direction o f the Human Resources
Bureau (Emergency Fuel and Food,
Basic Needs, and City W ork Experi­
ence).
I he Summer Employment T ra in ­
ing expenditure of $442,098 is de­
signed to provide 690 teenagers with
sub-minimum ($3 .3 ) per hour) 20-
hour jobs for only six weeks. Since
the projects on which the teen-agers
are to be employed are necessary,
claims Davis, Summer Employment
Training is "n ot a make-work
project."
Freeway clean-up, fire hydrant
and parts maintenance are among
the jobs provided through the pro­
gram. The Program will provide no
significant job training. About 40
percent of the participants are black,
20 percent " o th e r" minorities and
40 percent white. Forty-seven per­
cent are said to be living in female-
j i headed households.
No new city jobs will be created
by Jobs Bill money used to fund on­
going City programs Rather, job
J
duties for present employees will in­
crease and a few workers will re-
2
main employed who otherwise
might have been laid o ff.
J
Street construction work, how-
-
ever, will be performed by private
contractors and is subject to both
City and Federal M inority Business
>
Enterprise (M B E ) requirements.
Although project contracts will be
let out through open bidding the
M B E requirements means that at
least 9 percent o f the $2.2 million
worth o f work must be awarded to
minority contractors.
Some minority contractors and
teenagers are thus among the direct
beneficiaries o f the City's use of
Jobs Bill funds Area residents may
also eventually gain employment
through "expanded opportunity"
created by the bulk o f the expendi­
tures, yet there is no guarantee o f
this whatsoever. The Northeast
area's quality o f life may increase a
little because o f programs and p ro j­
ects such as the Peninsula Park
Comm unity Center receiving small
amounts of the money. Most o f the
benefits (direct and indirect) from
the Jobs Bill money, however, will
be divided among land developers,
real estate speculators, and the large
white-owned corporations which the
City hopes to locale near Colum bia
Boulevard.
I
o f the fun was the names that the
snacks were called. "Cigars” were
given to me with the advice, " D o n 't
smoke ’em, eat 'e m .” This was a
cabbage leaf that was spread with
peanut butter and then rolled up. At
first I was concerned that it might
lead to smoking — but the young
man cleared that up. He said,
"Sm oking isn't good for you but
peanut butter and cabbage are.” He
certainly had his values down pat.
Another fun snack was "A nts on
a log” — a strip o f celery spread
with peanut butter (the log) and a
little row o f raisins (the ants).
"D a n d y C and y" and “ Tortilla
Toppers” are other fun snacks with
creative names. The recipes are in­
cluded in the end o f the column.
Some snacks are cheaper if you
make your own. Cookies or cup­
cakes baked at home are cheaper
than when bought individually.
Caramel corn is a real treat and can
be made at home. too. Here's a
simple, inexpensive (1 figure it costs
about 3 ) cents for a big batch) but
tricky recipe. I t ’s tricky only be­
cause you need to judge when it’s
cooked to a light golden brown. It
continues to cook even after taking
it o ff the heat, so can be burned
easily. 1 burned my first batch so I
put some special precautions in the
recipe. Il's not a recipe for kids to
make because the sugar syrup gets
very hot.
CARAMEL CORN
Pop 6 quarts o f popcorn. Put into
a very large metal container that is
lightly buttered. D o n 't use plastic,
the syrup could melt it in spots. It's
also very nice to eliminate the un­
popped corn, so you don't break a
tooth.
In a 2-quart saucepan, combine I
cube margarine or butler (V6 cup)
and 2 t t cups white sugar. Cool and
stir over medium heat until melted
and a light golden brown. This takes
about 10 minutes.
The sugar and melted butter don’t
combine. When it’s the right color,
very light golden brown, add 16 tea­
spoon baking soda. Stir together
and then pour over popcorn (It's
helpful to have the soda measured
and ready. T h a t’s how I burned
mine — looking for the measuring
spoon!)
Stir the popcorn and syrup
mixture. Sur and stir. I t ’s helpful to
use a long-handled spoon, because
the mixture is very hot and you
don’ t want to touch it as you stir.
W ith all these precautions you
probably w on't want to try it. It
resdly tastes good, lacking only the
peanuts, which you could add and
the prize to resemble a favorite
snack that costs more for one box
than for the whole 6 quarts. One
more precaution — it's a good idea
to brush your teeth after eating a
sticky, sugary snack.
T O R T IL L A TO PPER S
Flour tortillas
H ot pepper cheese
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6
Place one tortilla on a frying pan
(no grease) using medium heat Toj)
with thinly sliced cheese and another
tortilla. Let cook until cheese start)
to melt, then turn over. When
cheese is completely melted, put on
a cutting board and cut into wedges;
DANDY CANDY
W
!4
Vi
Vi
cup honey
cup peanut butter
cup non-fat dry milk
cup crushed cereal flakes or
sesame seeds, (optional)
M ix honey and peanut butter.
Gradually add dry m ilk, mixing
well. Form into balls with greased
hands. Roll in crushed cereal Hakes
or sesame seeds if desired. Chill.