The Best Quick Loaf with Crumble-Top

This moist and lightly sweetened quick loaf is fun to wrap up in pretty

packaging - perfect as a hostess gift or to bring to a teacher or

neighbour. The hardest part is deciding which variation to make,

apple, pear or carrot, full-size or mini?

Baking Time: 45 to 50 minutes

Preparation Time: 15 minutes

Servings: 12

Ingredients

• 2 cups (500 mL) all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup (125 mL) packed brown sugar
• 2 tsp (10 mL) cinnamon
• 1-1/2 tsp (7 mL) baking powder
• 1/2 tsp (2 mL) each baking soda and salt
• 1/4 tsp (1 mL) ground nutmeg
• 1 Ontario Egg, beaten
• 1 cup (250 mL) buttermilk
• 1/3 cup (75 mL) butter, melted
• 2 tsp (10 mL) vanilla
• 1 cup (250 mL) diced Ontario Apples (unpeeled)
• 1/3 cup (75 mL) toasted chopped walnuts 
• Crumble-Top:
• 1/4 cup (50 mL) each all-purpose flour, large-flaked rolled oats, packed brown sugar
• and chopped walnuts
• 1/4 cup (50 mL) butter, melted
• 1/2 tsp (2 mL) cinnamon

Preparation

Crumble-Top: In small bowl, combine flour, oats, sugar, walnuts, butter and cinnamon;

set aside.

In large bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda, salt

and nutmeg. Make well in centre; add egg, buttermilk, butter and vanilla. Sprinkle with

apples and walnuts; stir just until combined.

Spread into parchment paper-lined or buttered 9- x 5-inch (23 x 12 cm) metal loaf pan,

smoothing top. Sprinkle with crumble-top. Bake in 350°F (180°C) oven for 45 to 50

minutes or until tester inserted in centre comes out clean. Let cool in pan on rack for 15

minutes. Turn out onto rack to cool completely. 

Variations:

Pear-Pecan: Substitute pecans for walnuts. In loaf, reduce cinnamon to 1/2 tsp (2 mL)

and add 1-1/2 tsp (7 mL) ground ginger. Switch apples with Ontario Pears.

Carrot-Walnut: Substitute 1 cup (250 mL) shredded Ontario Carrots for apples.

Mini-Loaves: Use three approximately 5- x 3-inch (12 x 8 cm) loaf pans and bake 20 to 25

minutes.

Tips: Wrap in plastic wrap and store at room temperature for up to 3 days. Or, place into

freezer-safe bags and freeze for up to 3 months.

Nutrients per serving1 Serving: 

Protein: 5 grams

Fat: 13 grams

Carbohydrate: 36 grams

Calories: 280

Fibre: 1.5 grams

Sodium: 295 mg

Five Minute Back to School Lunches

Make it a Muffin

Kids love muffins.  Make them bite sized for easier handling.  Try these recipes.

Morning Glory

One Bite Apple

Sandwich Bar

Lay out the lunch fixin’s for the kids to make their own.

• Bread (buns, wraps, bread)
• Cold Cuts
• Cheese
• Veggies

Tip:  Not big on bread.  Make a lettuce wrap. 

Veggie and Fruit Kebobs

Cut up in season fruit and vegetables and allow your children to choose their own. Have them make up their own snacks of veggies and dip or put together a sweet fruit salad. Make it fun by giving them skewers to make a kebob with any of the fruit, veggie or sandwich items.

Super Soups

In a pinch?  Go ahead and use a low sodium canned soup and add some lean meats and in season veggies to that soup. 

My kids love this Leek and Potato Soup.  It is great at this time with added sweet corn off the cob. 

Pack it Up

Choose the right containers to pack up lunches.  Thermos brand containers are great for keeping things warm or cold.  Bento boxes are ideal.  

Snacks for a Summer Road Trip

The August long weekend is approaching us and a lot of families planning to head out on a family a road trip. Along the way there is not a lot of choice for food.

It is great to have some food on hand or even pack a picnic of options.

A few ideas using all of our in season produce:

Curried Chicken Salad with Peaches. Switch it up and serve it on Romaine lettuce leaves, half a pepper or cucumber rounds.

With all the choice of fresh fruit, pack some straws and make fruit Kabobs. For a little sweetness add some sponge cake to the pattern.

If you have a chilled vessel, Peach Milkshakes are a favourite in our family.

Raw veggies served with hummus or a homeade herb dip is a good way to refuel.

All recipes are on Foodlandontario.ca

Be sure to pack wet wipes and a few road trip game ideas!

Playing it Cool

Frozen Paint 

 

Painting with coloured shaving cream or cool whip is not new to Mom in the Know, but frozen paint brings a new twist to summer fun. 

What you need: 

• Shaving Cream or Frozen Dessert Topping like Cool Whip
• Food Colouring

Mix a little food colouring to the cream (shaving or whipped).  Once you have the right colour, put the mixture into the freezer for four hours.  Ready to play,  take the paint out and give each child a cup full and a paint brush.  Kids can paint on paper, Styrofoam plates, or any other smooth surface. 

Fun with Water Balloons

Filling up the Balloons is Fun

• Set a timer and see how many balloons each kid could fill up in a certain time frame
• See who can fill the largest balloon without popping it

Play Catch

• Play catch with a friend
• Toss the balloon into the air and have kids try to catch it themselves
• Play hot potato with a group
• Put soap or shaving cream on their hands and try to play catch

Hide Them

Hide water balloons like an Easter egg hunt. See how many each person can find and place in their buckets without breaking them

Balloon Drop 

Experiment with dropping balloons from different heights. See what kind of splatter patterns they make on the ground.

Play your Favourite Sports

Use water balloons instead of balls to play your favorite sports. Try water balloon basketball, volley ball, or baseball.

Water Balloon Fight

Of course!

Flashlight tag 

Dusk is the best time of day to play flashlight tag.  All you need is a few adventurous kids and a flashlight. 

The flashlight is given to one child who then becomes “it.”

All of the other children head off to hide while “it” counts to 25.

The person who is it, then begins to look for the others.
When “it” finds another child, he must shine the flashlight on the child and call out their name. 

The found child then becomes it and the game begins again.