Category Archives: After School Snacks

August 8, 2010 · 11:32 pm

Nutella Brownies

You WILL eat more than one! 🙂

Ingredients:
1 cup butter
2 cups sugar
2 tspn. vanilla extract
4 eggs
1 cup flour
3/4 cup cocoa
1/8 tspn. salt
1/2 tspn. baking powder
1 cup Nutella
1/4 cup chocolate chips

Instructions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Sift together the flour, cocoa, baking powder and salt. Set aside.

Melt the butter on low heat, add in sugar and vanilla while stirring to combine. Remove from the heat and cool completely. Add the eggs, one at a time, and mix well to combine after you add each egg.

Add the flour mixture in, a little bit at a time, to the egg mixture until completely mixed together.

Heat the Nutella in the microwave for a little while until it gets to a runny consistency. Add the Nutella to the batter and mix well. Add the chocolate chips and add to combine.

Pour into a square baking pan and bake for 30 minutes. Remove from oven and cool completely
before cutting.

Did I change anything? One way you can change this recipe up a little bit is to use 1/2 cup of Nutella and 1/2 cup peanut butter instead of 1 cup of Nutella. I used about 2/3 cup Nutella and 1/3 cup peanut butter.

What did the family think? They are still in the oven, but I am sure they aren’t going to be complaining. 🙂

from Noble Pig

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Filed under After School Snacks, Definitely Making it Again, Desserts, Everybody Ate It

August 2, 2010 · 10:17 pm

Nutella, Peanut Butter and Oatmeal Cookies

They are cookies with Nutella in them…GENIUS!!!

Ingredients:
1/3 cup butter
1/2 cup white sugar
1/3 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup peanut butter
1/4 cup Nutella or other chocolate spread
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 egg
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
2/3 – 1 cup rolled oats
1/2 – 2/3 cup semisweet chocolate chips

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a medium bowl, cream together the butter, white sugar and brown sugar until smooth. Stir in the peanut butter, Nutella, vanilla and egg until well blended. Combine the flour, baking soda and salt; stir into the batter just until moistened. Mix in the oats and chocolate chips until evenly distributed.

Drop by tablespoonfuls on to lightly greased cookie sheets.

Bake for 10 to 12 minutes in the preheated oven, until the edges start to brown. Cool on cookie sheets for about 5 minutes before transferring to wire racks to cool completely.

What did the family think? Cookies don’t last long around here and these were no exception.

Recipe from my good friend, Dana

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Filed under After School Snacks, Desserts, Everybody Ate It, Uncategorized

July 24, 2010 · 11:30 pm

Mango Lassi

A year or so ago, I had some leftover frozen mangoes in my freezer and I was trying to figure out what to do with them….

Ingredients:
1/2 cup frozen or fresh mango chunks
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup plain yogurt
1 T sugar (more or less to taste)

Instructions:
Blend all ingredients until smooth. Pour into a glass and enjoy!

What did the family think? I don’t know because I didn’t share with them. 🙂 Okay, I did let my hubby have a sip and he liked it and our oldest likes mango juice, so I am sure he would like this, too. I usually make these after the kids have gone to bed.

from bigoven.com

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Filed under After School Snacks, Beverages, Definitely Making it Again, Easy, Six Ingredients or Less, Super Easy to Make, Vegetarian

July 22, 2010 · 9:37 pm

Popcorn, Apples and Cheese for Dinner

Okay, I know this isn’t a recipe idea, but it’s about food and it’s about dinner and I thought it was a really cool idea, so I had to share. I am reading Coop by Michael Perry (which is a delightful book) and part of the book is about him sharing anecdotes about his life growing up on a farm. He comes from a large family and one of the traditions his family had was that every Sunday they would have popcorn, apple slices and cheese for dinner. The coolest part about their Sunday tradition though, in my opinion, is that on those Sundays, while they were munching on their popcorn around the dinner table, everyone was allowed to read during dinner. They could bring a magazine, a book, a newspaper, whatever, but everyone read, no matter how old. I love it! The author also goes on to talk about how now that all of his brothers and sisters are grown and many of them have their own kids, they all meet up at their parents’ house each Sunday and guess what’s for dinner???? You guessed it. They don’t read anymore, there’s too many people, but it’s time that the adults get to spend together chatting and the cousins run around the house. It’s simple things like this that memories are made of.

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Filed under After School Snacks, Six Ingredients or Less, Super Easy to Make, Vegetarian

July 14, 2010 · 9:36 pm

Ice Cream

I found out about this recipe from a gal from church and this stuff is so good it will make you weep. It was our first attempt at making ice cream in our new ice cream maker, so we kept it simple and just made vanilla.

Ingredients:
2 eggs
1 cup sugar
1/4 tspn. salt
2 1/2 cups whipping cream
2 cups half and half
2 1/4 tspn. vanilla extract

Instructions:
In a heavy saucepan combine all of the ingredients except the vanilla. Cook over medium-low heat, stirring constantly, until it reaches 160 degrees Fahrenheit. Remove from the heat and cool quickly by placing the pan in a bowl filled with ice. Continue to stir the mixture. Cover and refrigerate overnight.

When ready to make the mixture into ice cream, pour it into your ice cream maker along with the vanilla and continue from there following the directions on your ice cream maker.

What did the family think? Heavens to Betsy this stuff is good!!! It is not for those watching their weight either…did you check out all the cream that goes into this? Yowsers! We had some after lunch today with just a few mini chocolate chips sprinkled in it and then tonight we went gangbusters and made ice cream sandwiches. We had some oatmeal chocolate chunk cookies that we used and then we rolled the sandwiches in mini-chocolate chips so they stuck to the ice cream. Too sweet for me, but the boys loved them.

from allrecipes.com via LeeAnn

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Filed under After School Snacks, Definitely Making it Again, Desserts, Everybody Ate It, Make Ahead of Time, Six Ingredients or Less

July 10, 2010 · 10:04 pm

Cinnamon and Cocoa Popcorn

I read an article somewhere on-line today about the top ten foods kids should be eating. Two of them were cocoa and cinnamon. It also said a good way to get your kids to eat these two things was to put it on their popcorn. So, after a post-dinner swim tonight, the boys decided to settle in and watch a movie and they requested popcorn. Perfect! I happened to have some cinnamon and cocoa on hand. I asked them which one they wanted. Our youngest said neither and the oldest said he wanted the cinnamon and cocoa combined.

Ingredients:
Popcorn
Cinnamon and/or cocoa
Large Ziploc baggie

Instructions:
Place popped popcorn in a large Ziploc baggie. Sprinkle with cinnamon and/or cocoa. Zip up the Ziploc and shake. Serve.

What did the family think? Like I said, our oldest tried the cinnamon and the cocoa together. He ate it for a while and then decided the cocoa tasted like coffee (which he doesn’t like). He said next time he wanted to try it with just cinnamon. That said, I think I put in too much cocoa. Next time I will start off with a little cinnamon and then add more if he says he wants more. I will do that with the cocoa too if I can get him to try it again. Sometimes less is more.

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Filed under After School Snacks, Easy, Six Ingredients or Less, Super Easy to Make

July 8, 2010 · 10:35 pm

Banana Dogs

Banana dogs are not for the more gastronomically sophisticated people in your house…but they might be great for the ten and under crowd. I used to make these all the time when our oldest was younger and then just forgot about them. We brought them back this summer though and they are a hit all over again.

Ingredients:
Peanut butter
Jelly
Hot dog bun
Banana

Instructions:
Put peanut butter and jelly on a hot dog bun like you were making a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. Put a banana where the hot dog should be. Enjoy!

What does the family think? Our oldest has eaten these just about every morning of summer break for breakfast. He also likes them for lunch, but only if he didn’t already eat one for breakfast. 🙂

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Filed under After School Snacks, Definitely Making it Again, Easy, Sandwich, Six Ingredients or Less

July 1, 2010 · 11:01 pm

Ice Cream in a Bag

Try this with the kids this weekend…easy and LOTS of fun!

Ingredients:
1 T sugar
1/2 c. milk
1/4 tspn. vanilla
6 T rock salt
1 pint-sized Ziploc
1 gallon-sized Ziploc
Ice Cubes

Instructions:
Fill the large bag about 1/2 full with ice and then add the rock salt. Seal it up and then shake it a little.

Pour the milk, vanilla and sugar into the smaller bag and seal shut.

Put the smaller bag in the larger bag and seal it back up.

Shake, shake, shake for about five minutes until you have ice cream.

Open large bag, take out small bag and open carefully.

You should have about one scoop of ice cream.

You can add chocolate chips or whatever other goodies you want to add to it once it’s done.

You might want to have a pair of gloves on hand. The more you shake it the colder it gets. This is also a fun family thing to do…everyone can take a turn so that no one’s hands get too cold. 🙂

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June 20, 2010 · 11:43 pm

Peanut Butter Krispies

These are good as is…if you want to really go the extra mile, though, melt some chocolate and drizzle it over the top. Your taste buds will thank you.

Ingredients:
1/3 c. creamy peanut butter
1 T butter
10 1/2 oz. bag miniature marshmallows
6 c. Rice Krispy cereal
Cooking spray
3/4 c. peanut butter chips

Directions:
Combine the peanut butter and the butter in a large microwaveable bowl. Microwave for 45 seconds or until mixture melts. Add marshmallows and microwave for 1 1/2 minutes or until mixture melts stirring every 30 seconds. Add cereal and stir well. Pat cereal into a 13×9-inch baking dish that has been coated with cooking spray.

Place peanut butter chips in a small microwave safe bowl. Microwave for 30 seconds or until chips begin to melt. Spoon melted chips into a small heavy duty Ziploc bag and seal it up. Snip a very tiny hole in one corner of the bag. Drizzle peanut butter chips over cereal mixture.

Did I change anything? The only thing I have done differently is that I have melted chocolate chips the same way the peanut butter chips were melted and added the chocolate drizzle in addition to the peanut butter chip drizzle. Yum!

What did the family think? I have never made these for my family. I have, however, made them for the neighbors at Christmas.

from Cooking Light

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Filed under After School Snacks, Definitely Making it Again, Desserts, Easy, Six Ingredients or Less, Super Easy to Make

June 15, 2010 · 10:26 pm

Green Pumpkinseed and Cranberry Crispy Bars

These are so delicious. They are like Rice Krispy treats for grown-ups. They are sweet, but then they also have the saltiness from the pumpkinseeds and the tartness from the cranberries.

Ingredients:
Cooking spray
1/2 c. green pumpkin seeds (buy them from the bulk bins at your grocery store)
1/4 c. butter
8 oz. package of miniature marshmallows
1 tspn. vanilla extract
1/8 tspn. salt
5 c. Rice Krispies (you can use cereal made from brown rice too)
1 c. dried cranberries

Directions:
Heat a large non-stick skillet over medium-high heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Add pumpkin seeds and cook for about 3-4 minutes, or until they start to brown, stirring frequently. Remove from heat and cool.

Lightly coat a 13 x 9-inch pan with cooking spray. Set aside.

Melt butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. Stir in marshmallows and cook until smooth, stirring constantly, about two minutes. Remove from heat and add salt and vanilla. Stir in seeds, cereal and cranberries.

Scrape mixture into prepared baking dish. Lightly coat hands with cooking spray and press cereal mixture evenly into prepared dish. Cool completely. Should make about 16 bars.

What did the family think? My family has never had these. Every time I make them it is for a present of some sort…to pass out to neighbors at Christmas, to give to the new neighbors across the street….you get the idea. People love to receive these because they are a twist on something they have had a zillion times. 🙂

from Cooking Light

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