Kid Friendly Herbal Preparations

The mention of medicinal herbs often conjures up a picture of a steaming cup of tea or a dropper full of essential oils. While both are worthy ways of using herbs, there are so many other ways to enjoy their benefits.

When it comes to herbs and their abilities, much is still not understood. We know THAT they work, just not exactly HOW they work. What does seem to be clear, is they do their best work as a whole plant. It is for this reason I have always employed the practice of minimal processing, and consuming our herbs as close to their natural state as possible.

Sometimes getting the kids to eat the “weeds” is a bit more difficult. So I have had to get creative to ensure my children also benefit from our herbs. These preparations I usually use for our daily vitamin and mineral suppliments and immunity boosters.

Popsicles are a favorite summer snack in our home. I brew a strong infusion and add any and all kinds of fruit into the blender to bring it to a smoothie like consistency. Pour and freeze! Simple😍 and the leftovers that don’t fit in the popsicles molds we enjoy right away.

Another favorite of ours is no bake recipes. They’re a great way to get your herbs into the kids snacks without sacrificing the medicinal qualities by exposing to heat, and they’re easily customizable to account for picky eaters and possible food allergies. Our no bake granola bars have a base of oats, peanut butter, raw honey, and ground herbs.

Herbs beneficial qualities will degrade faster when ground so I suggest grinding as needed. If you have a coffee grinder you can use one but I just use our mortar and pestle. I’ll grind enough for 1/2 cup for a small batch that’ll make 12

I mix the 1/2 cup of ground herbs into 1&1/2 cups of old fashioned oats, and 1/2 cup almond slivers. Once my dry ingredients are well mixed I add one cup of peanut butter and one cup of raw honey.

Press into a greased muffin tin and set in the fridge to cool and set for a few hours. You can use anything for a form really, I just like the convenience of the muffin tin. With this breakdown you’ll end up with approximately 2 teaspoons of dried herbs, 1&1/3 tablespoons of honey, and 1&1/3 tablespoons of peanut butter in each bar.

I wrap with parchment paper and store in wide mouth canning jars. They’re shelf stable but I’d suggest using within a week to ten days. I hope this gives you a few ideas and inspires you to get creative with your own herbs.