Sprouting Them Right

We’ve been admirers of Lianne Phillipson-Webb around here for a long time. If you don’t know her, she’s the mom entrepreneur and registered nutritionist behind Sprout Right, which offers a wide range of nutrition services for ‘tummies to toddlers’. She’s got a huge following of moms in Toronto who have consulted her for prenatal nutrition, and then moved on to making organic baby food under her supervision. And now, for moms everywhere, she’s published a great resource book entitled Sprout Right—Nutrition from Tummy to Toddler (Penguin, $26, May 2010).
I was lucky enough to get a chance to read an advance copy and flattered to be asked for a testimonial. As I am quoted on the back cover, this book is “a fantastic resource about nutrition for expecting and new moms—the only book you’ll need in your kitchen.” It’s full of the latest nutritional research for pregnancy, babies and children; tips and tricks for healthy eating, and over 75 healthy and yummy food recipes for babies and beyond.

My kids are older now, so no more baby food for me, but what I love the most in the book is all the recipes for healthy snacks, such as Divine Cookies (sugar-free but you would never know), gluten-free Sinless Chocolate Almond Brownies, Go Faster Granola Bars and our family fave, Organic Rice Crisp Surprise Squares, a much healthier version of the old bake-sale classic. Enjoy the recipe—I am sure your kids will.

Organic Rice Crisp Surprise Squares

You’ll Need

½ cup brown rice syrup
2 tbsp blackstrap molasses
⅛ cup sunflower seed butter
¼ cup almond butter (for a nut-free version, substitute the same amount of sunflower butter in addition to the above amount)
⅛ cup tahini
1 tsp vanilla
½ box (140 g) Barbara’s Organic Rice Crisps
⅛ cup sunflower seeds
⅛ cup pumpkin seeds

Prep and Cook

Heat rice syrup, molasses, almond butter, tahini, sunflower seed butter and vanilla in a saucepan over medium-low heat until well combined and almost runny. Remove from heat.
Add cereal, sunflower seeds, and pumpkin seeds and quickly stir well to coat. Press into 2 8-inch (2L) square trays and let cool. Makes about 32 to 64 squares, depending on how small you cut them.