It’s ridiculous that it’s verboten to sell someone’s homemade brownies or cookies because we can’t decipher the exact calorie count or whether it was made with peanut oil, but selling items like Doritos or Oreo’s are fine. Effectively we are reinforcing to our kids that chemically enhanced fake foods are safer to eat than homemade ones, which are at least made with real ingredients. The simple answer is to sell muffins, cookies, brownies, and quick breads that have less sugar and more whole-wheat flour than the traditional recipes or manufactured versions. Check out our dessert chapter in Real Food for Healthy Kids, or some of the recipes here for healthy options.

–Tanya

AAP is now advocating cholesterol screening at routine check-ups; cholesterol-reducing drugs for children as young as 8 with unhealthy cholesterol levels, high blood pressure, or excess weight; and for those who seem at risk for such issues, starting toddlers on low-fat milk instead of the whole variety. Given that heart disease is the number one killer in the U.S., it seems we can’t start low cholesterol diets too early.

–Tanya Steel

Simply Splendid Sugar Cookies
King Arthur’s white whole-wheat flour is preferable for these yummies. Use festive sprinkles on them if baking them for the holidays.
Prep: 10 minutes plus cooling
Baking: 24 minutes
Speed Limit: 34 mpr
Makes about 40 cookies

2 sticks (1/2 pound) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 1/2 cups confectioners’ sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon fine salt
1 large egg
1 1/3 cups white whole-wheat flour, such as King Arthur
1 1/3 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
White sugar sprinkles, for rolling

1.    Arrange the racks in upper and lower thirds of the oven and preheat the oven to 375°F. Get out 2 large cookie sheets and line with parchment paper. Place some white sugar sprinkles in a small bowl.
2.    Prepare dough: Cream the butter and sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer until fluffy, about 5 minutes. Add the vanilla, baking soda and salt and beat at medium speed until incorporated. Add the egg and beat until incorporated. Add the flours and mix at low speed until blended, scraping down the bowl once or twice.
3.    Scoop up enough dough to form into a 1-inch ball, rolling between the palms until smooth. Roll the dough ball in sugar sprinkles and then place on the prepared baking sheet. Repeat, arranging a dozen coated dough balls evenly spaced on each sheet and then, using a drinking glass, press on dough balls to flatten to about 1/4 inch thick.
4.    Bake cookies about 12 minutes, switching and rotating the pans half way through, until cookies are golden and somewhat firm to the touch. Transfer cookies with a metal spatula to racks and let cool completely. Repeat with remaining dough.

Cooks’ Note:
You can use chocolate “jimmies” or other sprinkles for coating the cookies before baking. The sugar comes in colors, but we prefer not to use artificial coloring. Coarse sugar sprinkles are available in specialty stores; we like them better than the kind you can typically get at the supermarket. Indiantree.com offers sugar sprinkles that are dyed with vegetable juices—the pink, orange and yellow are particularly pretty.

per cookie:
90 calories, 5g fat (3g saturated), 10g carbohydrates, .5g fiber, 1g protein

–Tanya

–Tanya

Before I take off, I will be appearing on the Today Show Tuesday, August 4 in the 10 a.m. hour, cooking some easy recipes that make good use of the beautiful produce at the farmer’s market.