Category Archives: After School Snacks

June 6, 2011 · 12:17 pm

Quick and Easy Breadsticks

I have mentioned before that I am not a big fan of using yeast…all the waiting and kneading. I know, I know, it’s not really all that bad, but if I can find a recipe that gives me the same result without the yeast, then I am all over it. So when I was looking for recipes to make homemade breadsticks I chose this one as opposed to the gazillion others that are out there that require yeast. I am also not a big fan of breaking out the rolling pin either, but there wasn’t really any way to get around that.

Ingredients:
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter or margarine
1 tablespoon oil
3 cups flour (I use part whole wheat, part unbleached)
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon baking powder
1-1 1/2 cups milk

Instructions:
Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

Place butter and oil in 9×13 pan and put in oven so butter melts as the oven heats up. Be careful not to let it burn!

Stir dry ingredients together, and gradually add milk, stirring until dough forms and leaves sides of bowl.

Knead 5-6 times in bowl; place on floured countertop and roll out into 9×13-inch rectangle.

Lay dough in pre-heated 9×13-inch pan, atop the melted butter/oil. Cut into 1/2″ strips.

Bake at 425 degrees for 20 minutes.

Did I change anything? I didn’t use quite as much butter as this recipe calls for. It just seemed like a lot.
I changed the amount of milk in this recipe. I used a little bit more than the original recipe called for. Just add it a little at a time until the dough comes together.

What did the family think? We don’t usually say no to carbs, especially ones that taste really good slathered in butter and honey.

Where did this recipe come from? Tammy’s Recipes

Photo from Tammy’s Recipes

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Filed under After School Snacks, Bread, Definitely Making it Again, Easy, Everybody Ate It, Side Dish, Six Ingredients or Less, Vegetarian

May 29, 2011 · 12:10 pm

Fruit, Nut or Berry Whole Wheat Muffins

The boys went on a campout last night in our neighbor’s backyard. I made these muffins for them to take along since I knew they would be eating breakfast there. Little did I know (or maybe I DID have an inkling of an idea) that these would end up being a peace offering. Apparently the birds woke the boys up at 4:15 and my dear sweet neighbor got up with them and made them breakfast. Perhaps I should have sent along a little cash, too. (Did I mention that the kids didn’t even go to sleep until midnight?)

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups whole-wheat flour (I used King Arthur’s white whole-wheat flour-my ABSOLUTE favorite.)
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
2 eggs
2 tablespoons honey
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/4 cup oil (vegetable or canola)
3/4 cup orange juice
About 1 cup of total filling (berries, fruit, nuts, etc. – see below for details)
Muffin/Cupcake liners
Cooking Spray

Instructions:
Heat oven to 400 degrees F.

In a large bowl with a fork or whisk mix the flour, salt, baking powder, cinnamon and nutmeg.

Make a well (hole) in the center of the flour mixture and pour in the eggs, honey, vanilla, oil and orange juice. Mix the dry and wet ingredients together – do not overmix.

Line a muffin pan with liners, lightly spray with cooking spray and fill 2/3 to 3/4 of the way full with batter. Sprinkle 1 – 2 teaspoons of whatever you would like (from the list below or from your own creation) onto the top of each raw muffin in the pan. Then gently mix each one with a fork or spoon. Here are some options to consider for the fillings:

blueberries-this is what I used
diced strawberries
peeled and diced pears
applesauce
either diced or mashed up bananas and chopped walnuts
raisins and chopped pecans (I add an extra pinch of cinnamon to the muffins with this filling)
grated carrot and chopped walnuts
orange or lemon zest (only add 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon of zest per individual muffin)
a mix of dried fruit bits
jelly

After the filling has been mixed into each muffin slide the tray into the warm oven and bake for 10 – 15 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Serve warm or at room temperature and freeze some for a later date. Enjoy!

This recipe made 9 muffins.

What did the family think? Everyone loved them except for our one family member who only likes fresh blueberries.

Where did the recipe come from? 100 Days of Real Food

Photo from 100 Days of Real Food

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Filed under After School Snacks, Bread, Breakfast, Definitely Making it Again, Easy, Super Easy to Make, Vegetarian

May 28, 2011 · 10:09 am

GORP

I have no idea what GORP stands for, but it surely must stand for something. (I looked it up on Wikipedia, it means good ol’ raisins and peanuts.) Anyways, GORP is also better known as trail mix in some circles. I have been making this lately to pack for snacktime at the boys’ school as well as to put in their lunches. I used to make it for them a lot when they were younger, too, for a snack on the go. There are a zillion combinations you could make but this is what’s in my pantry right now.

Ingredients:
1 cup sunflower seeds
1 cup chocolate chips
1 cup pumpkin seeds (pepitas)
1 cup Multi-grain Cheerios
1 cup raisins
1 large Zip-loc baggie
Other ingredients you might consider: M&M’s, Chex cereal, Craisins, pretzels, Goldfish, banana chips, popcorn, dried fruit bits

Instructions:
Pour all ingredients in bag and shake to mix.

What did the family think? Yum!

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

May 21, 2011 · 11:00 am

Brown Bag Popcorn

We stopped buying microwavable popcorn quite a while ago because of all of the extra stuff that’s in it that doesn’t really need to be in popcorn. Plus, it’s pretty expensive for what it is. So, I bought a popcorn popper, but quite frankly, it’s a pain in the tush to clean. This recipe from 100 Days of Real Food is the answer to all of our popcorn problems.

Ingredients:
1/4 cup popcorn
2 teaspoons olive oil or vegetable oil
1/4 teaspoon salt
Paper lunch bag
Optional: butter, seasoned salt

Instructions:
Put popcorn, oil and salt in lunch bag. Fold lunch bag over so things don’t going flying everywhere and shake to mix.

Place bag on its side in microwave for about 2-3 minutes or until there about 5 seconds in between pops…you don’t want it to burn.

Open bag carefully and pour into serving bowl. Add melted butter, seasoned salt, M & M’s…whatever your family likes in their popcorn.

Did I change anything? The original recipe wanted me to staple the bag shut, but I didn’t have any staples so I just folded it over and it worked just fine.

What did the family think? Perfect…we just needed a little butter on it.

picture from NASA

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

May 14, 2011 · 10:06 pm

Hershey’s No Bake Cookies

I was in a pinch one time and had to make some cookies for a meeting I was going to, but I had two napping kids who I didn’t want to wake up and take to the store and really, I didn’t want to take them to the store when they woke up either. So I rummaged around in the pantry. I had some Hershey’s cocoa powder and this recipe was on the back and-bonus-it turned out I had everything I needed to make these cookies. This recipe has been around forever and if you haven’t made them yourself, you have probably had some at a picnic or some other such gathering. Either way, they are yummy and easy to make.

Ingredients:
2 cups sugar
1/2 cup milk
4 tablespoons cocoa
1 stick butter
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 cup peanut butter
1/4 teaspoon salt
3 cups quick oats

Instructions:
Combine the sugar, milk, cocoa and butter in saucepan. Cook over medium to high heat until mixture boils 1 1/2 minutes, stirring constantly.

Remove from heat and add vanilla, peanut butter, salt and stir quickly. Add oats and stir together. Will be stiff.

Drop by tablespoon onto waxed paper. Let dry. Makes about 2 dozen.

What did the family think? I don’t think anyone in this house has ever turned down a cookie. 🙂

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Filed under After School Snacks, Definitely Making it Again, Desserts, Easy, Everybody Ate It, Super Easy to Make, Vegetarian

May 9, 2011 · 9:45 am

Egg “Muffins”

We are going to be celebrating Mother’s Day next weekend since both grandmas will be in town, so I thought I would give this recipe a trial run before making it for our Mother’s Day brunch.

Ingredients:
10-12 eggs
2 T fat free half and half
1 1/2- 2 cups diced meat: canadian bacon, ham, cooked turkey sausage or cooked veggie sausage
1 1/2- 2 cups grated low fat cheese (I like sharp cheddar or feta)
Optional, but highly recommended, 3 green onions diced small.

Instructions:
Preheat oven to 375.

Use regular or silicone muffin pan, 12 muffin size. If using silicone pan, spray with nonstick spray. If using regular muffin pan, put two paper liners into each slot, then spray liner with nonstick spray.

In the bottom of the muffin cups layer diced meat, cheese and green onions. You want the muffin cups to be 3/4 full, with just enough room to pour a little egg around the other ingredients. Beat eggs well with the half and half (you could use milk). Pour egg into each muffin cup until it is full to the brim, nearly overflowing.

Bake 25-30 minutes until muffins have risen above the rim of the muffin cups and are slightly browned and set.

Did I change anything? I made these with bacon and green onions for the adults and just cheese and eggs for the kids. They were very tasty and I found some fun polka-dotted muffin cup liners to use, so they were fun, too.

What did the family think? Everyone liked them. Be careful though, they take a while to cool off.

from Kalyn’s Kitchen

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Filed under After School Snacks, Breakfast, Definitely Making it Again, Easy, Everybody Ate It, Six Ingredients or Less

May 4, 2011 · 2:39 pm

Beer Bread

I love homemade bread, but I don’t like baking anything that has yeast in it…all the waiting and kneading…I don’t have time for all that. I haven’t had beer bread in years, but it is so good and you don’t need any yeast…the yeast’s in the beer. 🙂 When I came across this recipe I just had to make it.

Ingredients:
3 c. self-rising flour
3 tbsp. sugar
1 (12 oz.) bottle beer (or can)

Instructions:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Mix together until blended. Pour into greased loaf pan. Bake 45 minutes or until top is lightly browned.

Did I change anything? Just make sure your beer isn’t too “hoppy” unless you want your bread to taste like hops.

What did the family think? They haven’t made it home yet to eat any, but I ate some and it was deeelish. I slathered some butter and honey on it while it was still warm. Yum!

from cooks.com

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Filed under After School Snacks, Bread, Breakfast, Definitely Making it Again, Easy, Side Dish, Six Ingredients or Less, Super Easy to Make, Vegetarian

April 29, 2011 · 4:21 pm

Apple Pan Dowdy

Apple pan dowdy…it’s just fun to say….and EAT! 🙂

FILLING
4 lg apples, peeled, cored, and sliced
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
1/4 tsp ground cloves
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

DOUGH
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 tbsp granulated sugar
pinch salt
1/2 cup cold butter, cut into small chunks
1/4 cup plus 1 tbsp cold water

Instructions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Prep the apples and put them in the bottom of a 9 x 9 baking dish.

In a small bowl, combine the 1/2 cup of sugar and spices and pour the mixture onto the apples, tossing until they are coated.

To make the dough, stir together the flour, sugar, and salt in a mixing bowl. Then blend the butter into the flour mixture using a hand pastry blender (or two forks) until the mixture is coarse like oatmeal.

Stir dough with a fork to bring it together. Form the dough into a ball and roll it out on a floured surface to 1/4 inch thickness. With a knife, cut long strips, then triangles out of the strips, and place the dough pieces over the apples. The pan dowdy baked for 45 minutes until the top was browned.

Did I change anything? I think next time I will sprinkle a little cinnamon and sugar on top. Also, you REALLY need some vanilla ice cream to go with this. It was missed as we were eating ours without it.

What did the family think? This will make your house smell terrific and your family’s tummy very happy.

from Family Feedbag

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Filed under After School Snacks, Definitely Making it Again, Desserts, Vegetarian

April 25, 2011 · 2:18 pm

Jessica Seinfeld’s Scrambled Eggs

We had a few days off of school last week, so with lazy mornings often comes “fancier” breakfasts. In other words, not waffles or cereal. I hadn’t tried Jessica Seinfeld’s egg recipe yet and I just happened to have everything I needed in the fridge.

Ingredients:
2 large eggs
4 large egg whites
1/4 cup reduced-fat sour cream
1/2 cup cauliflower puree *recipe below…super easy…if you don’t have (or don’t want to make it) then leave it out
2 tablespoons grated Parmesan
Pinch of salt
Nonstick cooking spray
1 teaspoon olive oil

Instructions:
In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, egg whites, sour cream, cauliflower puree, Parmesan and salt.

Coat a large nonstick skillet with cooking spray, then set the pan over medium-high heat. When the pan is hot, add the oil.

Add the egg mixture, reduce the heat to low, and cook, stirring frequently, until the eggs are scrambled—firm but nice and moist—2 to 3 minutes.

Cauliflower Puree
Boil a bag of frozen cauliflower per the directions on the package, but cook it longer than it says because you want the cauliflower to be super soft. Put cooked cauliflower in a food processor or a blender. Blend until pureed…you may need to add a little water to it. Voila!

What did the family think? Only two of us were in the mood for eggs this morning, but they were really good.

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Filed under After School Snacks, Breakfast, Definitely Making it Again, Lent, Vegetarian

· 2:07 pm

Cream Cheese Scrambled Eggs

We pretty much only eat eggs that are scrambled around here. Occasionally I can sneak some hard-boiled eggs into the line-up, but that is rare. So, I have been toying with some variations on the scrambled egg. My mom used to always make scrambled eggs like this and I LOVED them…they aren’t super fancy, but they sure are good.

Ingredients:
Eggs
Cream Cheese

Instructions:
Scramble eggs in a skillet as you normally would. When eggs are just about done stir in about 1/2 tsp. of cream cheese per egg and stir until melted. You can always add more or less depending on your preferences.

What did the family think? YUM!

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Filed under After School Snacks, Breakfast, Definitely Making it Again, Easy, Everybody Ate It, Lent, Six Ingredients or Less, Super Easy to Make, Vegetarian