When the kids get home from school they are like ravenous wolves. Usually they just grab any unhealthy thing they can find but this year I decided to work a little harder for them and make sure they have a healthy, filling treat when they get home. Here are the recipes for some of our favorites!
Apple cookies
Ingredients:
Apples
½ cup of peanut butter/Nutella/any sort of apple spread
raisins/chocolate chips/granola/whatever floats your boat
This one is super easy and versatile. We slice our apples in circles and cut out the core. Then we just add the toppings we are in the mood for and voila! Our favorite is granny smith with peanut butter and chocolate chips but we have also used other apples, Nutella, raisins, granola, cranberry’s, etc. I am not sure you can really do apple cookies wrong. Easy and delicious!
Popcorn Trail Mix
Lightly season homemade popcorn with sea salt or dress it up with a mini popcorn bar! Let the kids mix in their choice of nuts, chocolate chips, dried fruit, toasted coconut chips and gluten-free pretzels.
No Bake Monster Cookies
This is a treat I usually make at night. This kids love to help make these and they taste delicious. We do not always have m&ms on hand so we substitute raisins or anything in the pantry that sounds good. We are flexible like that.
Ingredients:
1.5 cups of old fashioned oats
½ cup creamy peanut butter
¼ cup honey
1/3 cup mini m&ms
1/3 cup mini chocolate chips (or raisins)
Mix all ingredients together in a bowl until everything is combined. Roll into bite sized balls and place on a cookie sheet in the fridge until solid. You can store them in Ziploc bags or Tupperware containers. Ours usually do not last long enough for lengthy storage! This is one of my favorites because it is a snack the kids can get themselves without mom’s help.
Fruit and Cracker Pizzas
Ingredients:
Ritz crackers
Cream cheese/or any preferred spread
Fruit of choice
We are a peanut butter loving family but I thought I should probably include one recipe that did not involve that ingredient. I am a firm believer that anything with cream cheese is to die for and this treat is no exception. This is fast and easy and just makes me feel like a good mom when I have it on the table for the kids before they get home.
Of course we still have granola bar, gogurt snack days but it doesn’t kill me to make something a little fancier every now and then. Plus, the kids smile and excitement make it all worth it!
