Healthy Snacking with Libby’s, and Mini Oatmeal Pear Tarts Recipe

This Saturday my daughter and I will be attending a soccer clinic at the North Providence Youth Soccer Association hosted by Libby’s & Olympic soccer star Brandi Chastain.  The event is part of the Libby’s Snack Duty Takeover program which highlights the importance of children living healthy and active lifestyles.  Brandi will be presenting a $5,000 donation to the association during the event.  I am sure that will assist them in helping a lot of kids, and look forward to attending the event.

Brandi has also shared some of her own healthy living tips, which I’ve included below:

Brandi’s Kid Friendly Tips for Healthy Living:

Hydrate to perform great. Kids should drink water before, during AND after exercise. While exercise generates heat and increases the body’s core temperature, water works to bring body temperature back to the normal 98.6 degrees Fahrenheit. Let your child pick out a colorful water bottle to make drinking water fun!

Always make time for healthy meals. The USDA says that half our plates should be filled with colorful fruits and veggies, but when your children are constantly running from school to practice and back, it can be tough to get them to eat that perfect meal. Add Libby’s® Single Fruit Cups, which contain one complete serving of fruit, to your children’s bags for an easy and nutritious snack.

Sleep is important! Children should receive an average of eight hours of sleep each night. Without enough sleep children get cranky and lazy, and will not perform to their full potential during school, practice or games. Help your children stick to a regular sleep schedule by making bedtime fun – read them a story or sing a song while they fall asleep.

Turn exercise into a family affair. When exercising is a solo act, it can sometimes feel like a chore. Bring the whole family on-board and make exercising fun, family time! Join your kids in a game of soccer, Double Dutch or kickball.

Lead by example. When you set a good example, your kids are more likely to follow. Although it’s easy to stop at the drive-thru on the way home from practice, make an effort to eat well and live a healthy lifestyle. Become a role model by exercising regularly and eating healthy foods, like Libby’s Canned Fruits and Vegetables, with your children. It’s easier when you make it a team effort!

My daughter and I had the opportunity to try out some Libby’s Single-Serve Fruit Cups over the past couple weeks and they are certainly convenient to have on hand. The cups are a great way to ensure your kids get enough fruit in their diet, even when schedules get hectic.   Not only are they easy to open and the perfect size for a snack, but the smaller size is just right for incorporating into many recipes.

When making desserts, I try and incorporate fruit & other healthy ingredients as much as possible,  only make it as sweet as necessary & prepare in smaller batches.  This recipe for Mini Oatmeal Pear Tarts is gluten & dairy free, mildly sweet, and makes a reasonable 8 mini tarts, rather than a huge batch.

5.0 from 1 reviews

Mini Oatmeal Pear Tarts

 

Author: Robin Gagnon

Cuisine: Single Fruit Cups

Prep time:  15 mins

Cook time:  25 mins

Total time:  40 mins

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These Mini Oatmeal Pear Tarts are gluten, dairy & nut free.

Ingredients

Crust

• 2 cups oatmeal
• ⅓ cup coconut oil
• 2 tbs sugar
• generous pinch of salt

Filling

• 1 egg
• 1 tbs. almond milk (or milk type of choice)
• ¼ tsp vanilla
• 2 tbs sugar
• pinch of salt
• 1 Bartlett Pear Libby’s Single Fruit Cup

Instructions

1. Put the oatmeal in a food processor, and pulse until ground to a flour like consistency.
2. Add the rest of the crust ingredients, and pulse to mix.
3. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
4. Coat a muffin/cupcake tin with non-stick cooking spray.
5. Separate the dough into 8 equal balls, and drop each into a muffin tin.
6. Press and shape with damp fingers, into small tart shapes. Prick the bottom of each tart with a fork.
7. Bake for 15 minutes.
8. While the tart shells are baking, whisk together the egg, milk, vanilla, sugar and pinch of salt, over medium heat. Whisk steadily, so portions of the egg don’t cook. Once it has thickened a little, to a silky texture, remove from burner.
9. Drain pears well. Fill each tart with pears, then top with the custard mixture.
10. Bake an additional 10 minutes.
11. Serve at room temperature.

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This post is brought to you by Libby’s and The Motherhood. All experiences, recipes and opinions presented here are my own.