If your like my family when you hear macadamia nuts you would think of a cookie. But that might not be the case all the time. So I thought I would ask you besides cookies what do you think about when you hear Macadamia Nuts and why?
I’ll bet a lot of you are thinking about cookies. And honestly? Me too! Chocolate macadamia nut cookies are one of my favorite cookies. But I like mine a little differently.
I love them with coconut in them, too. And I know that’s not hhw everybody makes them, but if you’ve never tried chocolate macadamia nut cookies with coconut, you might be missing out!
If you want to try them you should go to North East Mall to the Great American Cookie Company because they are the only ones I know who make’s these cookies with coconut.
But this year, instead of simply talking about cookies, I thought we could turn National Macadamia Nut Day into a little homeschool learning adventure. Because sometimes the best way to learn is to start with something you already love. And for me, that just happens to be cookies.
Here’s our first #TeachingMoment. Did you know that macadamia nuts are actually native to Australia? That’s right! They’re not originally from Hawaii. Which I don’t know about you but I thought they were.
Macadamia trees are native to the rainforests of eastern Australia, particularly areas of Queensland and northern New South Wales. Australian sources say the trees themselves have an ancient history, with macadamias evolving there millions of years ago.
And Indigenous Australians knew and used macadamias long before they became the popular snack we know today. Isn’t that just crazy? It gives you a little unknown fact to share with your friends and family.
So if your child thinks macadamias come from Hawaii because that’s where they’ve seen them growing or packaged as souvenirs, this is a great opportunity to say: Let’s look at the map!
Macadamias were introduced to Hawaii from Australia in the 1880s. They eventually became an important commercial crop there, which helped make Hawaii famous for macadamia nuts.
And that’s a #teachingmoment for a geography lesson right there. Pull out a map. Find Australia. Find Hawaii. Talk about the Pacific Ocean between them.
Then ask your child: If you could visit Australia or Hawaii, which one would you choose? And, of course, I have a follow-up question: What would you want to see while you were there?
Would you visit a macadamia farm? Would you go to the beach? Would you look for wildlife? Would you visit museums? Would you try local foods? Would you take pictures?
Or would you spend the entire trip looking for the best macadamia cookie you could find? Because, honestly, I might do a little of all of that and so would David and Charlie.
This is where our little nut gets really interesting. Macadamias are ancient plants. Australian Macadamias says the original species evolved on Australia’s northeastern coast around 60 million years ago.
Think about that. Sixty. Million. Years. That’s a whole lot older than your favorite cookie recipe! It takes us back to the days when Dinosaurs roamed the face of the Earth Charlie said. LOL
The modern commercial macadamia industry is much younger, of course. Australia began developing macadamias as a commercial crop in the 1800s, while Hawaii played a major role in developing commercial cultivation and processing.
So you could ask your homeschool student: What do you think the world looked like 60 million years ago? That’s another lesson waiting to happen and would be fun.
And now we’re going to bring some math into our lesson. I created a Macadamia Nut Count & Color Printable for this post. Your child can: Count the macadamia nuts. Write the number. Color the nuts. Color the leaves. Circle the largest nut. Circle the smallest nut.
And then we can ask: How many nuts did you count altogether?
You can even make it harder for older children. Have them count by twos. Or group the nuts into groups of five.
Or ask: If I have 12 macadamia nuts and eat 3, how many are left?
Suddenly we’re doing math with snacks. I like that kind of math! You could even make it more fun by having Macadamia Nuts for them to snack on while doing there math.
Macadamia Nut Counting Challenge
Count the macadamia nuts. Color each one. Write your answer: _________ Bonus: Draw one more macadamia nut. How many do you have now? _________
Challenge: If you had to share your nuts equally with two people, how many would each person get?
That’s a simple little activity, but for a younger child, it turns National Macadamia Nut Day into a hands-on lesson.
Here’s where I’d really have fun with this. Imagine that we’re packing our bags. We’re going to Australia! But we’re not just going to sit in a hotel. We’re going to learn.
I’d want to visit a macadamia-growing region and see how the trees grow. I’d want to see what the nuts look like before they’re processed. I’d want to learn how they’re harvested. I’d want to taste fresh Australian macadamias.
And, of course, I’d want to explore Australia itself. I’d want to see the wildlife. I’d want to see the scenery. I’d want to visit museums. I’d want to learn about Aboriginal Australian history and culture.
And I’d probably take a ridiculous number of pictures. What would you want to do? That’s your writing assignment! Have mom and dad also write down what they would like to do and why.
If I Could Visit Australia…
The first place I would visit is: I would want to see: I would want to eat: I would want to learn about: I would bring home: The person I would take with me is:
Just remember I’m not going with you because I don’t fly and no, boats either.
Now Let’s Talk About My Favorite Part: Cookies! Okay. Enough learning for a minute. Let’s talk cookies. Chocolate macadamia nut cookies are one of my favorites.
But I want coconut in mine. There’s something about chocolate, macadamia nuts and coconut together that just works. If you’ve never tried that combination, I highly recommend giving it a try.
And if your family has a favorite macadamia cookie recipe, I’d love to know what you put in yours.
Do you use:
- Chocolate chips?
- White chocolate?
- Dark chocolate?
- Coconut?
- Oatmeal?
- Brown sugar?
- Caramel?
- Dried fruit?
There are so many directions you can take a macadamia nut cookie.
But Cookies aren’t the only thing you can make. If you have a bag of macadamia nuts sitting in your pantry, you don’t have to turn all of them into cookies.
Here are some other ideas I’d try:
Macadamia-Crusted Chicken- Finely chop macadamias and use them as a crunchy coating for chicken.
Roasted Vegetables With Macadamias– Add chopped roasted macadamias to broccoli, green beans or roasted sweet potatoes.
Macadamia Oatmeal- Add a small amount of chopped macadamias to oatmeal with banana, cinnamon and maybe a little coconut.
Tropical Fruit & Macadamia Snack- Try macadamias with pineapple, mango or banana for a tropical-inspired snack.
Macadamia Salad- Toss chopped macadamias into a salad with greens, fruit and a light dressing.
Macadamia Fried Rice- Chopped macadamias can add crunch to rice and vegetables.
Macadamia-Crusted Fish- Macadamias can also make a crunchy coating for fish.
And yes… Chocolate Coconut Macadamia Cookies- You knew I wasn’t going to leave those off the list!
Now let’s talk about the question I think a lot of us really want answered. Can you eat macadamia nuts as a snack if you’re trying to lose weight?The answer isn’t simply yes or no.
Macadamias are nuts, and nuts can be part of a healthy eating pattern. They’re a source of fats, fiber, vitamins and minerals, and the American Heart Association includes unsalted nuts among healthy snack choices.
But here’s the catch: They’re calorie-dense. That means a handful can be a great snack, but eating handful after handful while watching television can add up quickly.
The American Heart Association describes a serving of nuts as about 1 ounce, or a small handful. So if you’re trying to manage your weight, I’d think of macadamias as a portion-controlled snack, not an unlimited snack.
Measure out your serving. Put the bag away. Then enjoy them. That’s a lot easier than sitting down with the whole container and suddenly realizing you’ve eaten way more than you intended.
And remember that chocolate-covered, candied or heavily salted macadamias are a different nutritional situation than plain or lightly prepared nuts
A Little Nutrition Lesson for the Kids
This can even become another homeschool lesson.
Ask: What does our body need food for?
Talk about:
- Protein
- Fats
- Carbohydrates
- Fiber
- Vitamins
- Minerals
- Energy
Then compare a small serving of plain macadamias with a chocolate macadamia cookie. They’re both delicious. But they’re not the same food nutritionally.
And that’s a lesson children can carry with them long after National Macadamia Nut Day is over: A food can be delicious and still be something we enjoy in moderation.
Our National Macadamia Nut Day Challenge
So here’s what I’m challenging you to do. Don’t just eat a cookie. Learn about the nut! Find Australia on a map. Find Hawaii. Learn about macadamia trees. Talk about how long these trees have been around.
Count some nuts. Color your printable. Try a new recipe. And then, if you want to… Make some cookies. And if you make chocolate macadamia cookies, please add coconut for me and David!
If somebody handed me a plane ticket tomorrow and said, “Glenda, you’re going to Australia to learn about macadamias,” I’d probably call my sister and say start packing before they finished the sentence because there is no, way I’m going but she could.
See the trees and learn the history. Then she could meet the people who grow them and she would want to taste them fresh and to explore and they could to bring home some stories to share with me.
Because that’s what I love about homeschooling and learning together. You don’t always know where one little question is going to take you. You just have to think outside the box.
You might start with: “Why do we have National Macadamia Nut Day?”
And before you know it, you’re studying Australia, geography, history, agriculture, math, nutrition, recipes and writing about your imaginary vacation. All because somebody put a macadamia nut on the table.Now that’s a #TeachingMoment I can get behind.
✝️ Glenda | 🐸 David | 🎮 Charlie | 🦋 Suzanne
Grateful, Thankful, and Blessed.
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