My Kids Like Maple Syrup
I always ensure the house is filled with lots of maple syrup. It’s an absolute favorite with my kids especially during breakfast. People eat it on things like toast, waffles, pancakes, french toast, or even on pasta. I was afraid after a point that I was being to easy and giving them too much sugar (this is a problem because I have a MAJOR sweet tooth and I can’t stay away from the sugar myself even). When I looked into it I was shocked to learn that out of everything maple syrup can be one of the best sweets to be given to children that is readily available. For one, it’s not as calorie-dense as I thought and contains less sugar than honey. Secondly, it’s an excellent source of two trace minerals – zinc and manganese – which are important for energy building and the body’s immune system and antioxidant defences.
What should I have done when I knew I deceived my little picky children by giving them something sweet and tasty when it is actually quite healthy? To bring it on, of course!
Now I use pure canadian maple syrup to add to things like squash, on fries, or even on “maple and banana sandwiches” in place of peanut butter. My kids also love organic maple butter with toast or wedged between stacks of corn cakes or pancakes.An easy way to make maple butter is to blend a pound of normal butter with 1/2 a cup of maple syrup, then just stick it in the fridge and use it as you like.As a special treat for kids (and to make them eat oatmeal cookies) I just take normal (or low fat) oatmeal cookies and glaze them with a maple glaze. To make the glaze, just combine 1 C pure canadian maple sugar, ¼ C confectioners’ sugar, 1 tsp maple extract, and ¼ C unsalted butter in a pan, medium-heat until just about to boil, then dip or brush the top of your cookies with the glaze while it’s still hot. Let cool before serving (tip: the cookies taste better the next day).
A word of advice: When you go to the grocery, make sure you read the label and get “pure maple syrup” rather than “maple-flavored syrup”. The former may be pricier but since it isn’t diluted by other ingredients, you get a richer, earthier flavor, which makes it worth the extra penny. Keep in mind a simple rule; the lighter the syrup, the more subtle the flavor will be. If you want to use syrup to cook try to get darker amber syrup as opposed to lighter stuff.Lastly just like any food you need to make sure you only eat a moderate amount of maple syrup (even organic sweeteners can be bad) and please please brush those little pirly white teeth!
