Back To School Food: SNACK TIME

We are a homeschool family! It is our 4th year to homeschool. Lately I've had on my "Back to School" thinking cap! (Bet you all have one of these! LOL)
We usually do not start school until after Labor Day. So I use the month of August to work out what we will be doing up to Christmas Break.

For some reason I've been thinking a lot about FOOD! Teaching at home also means eating at home- ALL DAY! I've always thought that it was important to have easy to grab snacks. A wise mom told me that she has a list on her fridge of snacks that her kids could have anytime. I haven't done this but plan on starting it this year. We do not have a scheduled snack break. When you get hungry and if it is not meal time then you can grab a snack.What snacks are great to have around for a quick grab?

I am the shopper so it is up to me to keep the snack stock full. Each girl gets to pick out one special snack at the store. This helps me with making the decision on what to buy.

I've created 4 weeks of snacks. We can rotate snacks in and out of the schedule. This will allow us to incorporate seasonal recipes. The fruits and veggies will change depending on the season. The schedule will allow some variety and easier for me as I head off to the store!

I want to make sure that my daughters are following recipes and preparing the snacks too! This is a very important to me. I want my daughters to be able to cook for themselves and others.

This year I'm going to work on teaching them how to make something from what you have in your pantry. I love doing this. It takes practice for some!

Here is the first 4 weeks of snacks. Some have links. Others need recipes. I will post recipes in September.

Week 1 Snack options

• Pencils
• Granola bars
• Cheese sticks
• Sea Salt Roasted Pumpkin Seeds
• Fruit snacks
• Bugles
• Apples, Pears & Banana Kabobs

Week 2 Snack options

• Granola (1/2 c each: butter, honey, wheat germ, brown sugar, raisins, 3 cups oats, 1 c each sunflower seeds and other nuts. Melt together butter, honey, sugar. Add all other ingredients. Microwave on high for 4 min. Spread out on baking sheet to cool. Store in covered container or Ziploc bag.) *We are going to try some new granola recipes which are lower in sugar. I will post those recipes results in September.
  
• Apples, Pears and Grape Kabobs
• Whole Grain Chocolate Chip Cookies
  
• Yogurt
  
• Cheese and crackers
• Fruit snacks

Week 3 Snack options

• Sticks and Stones
• Pretzels
• Apples
• Yogurt
• Pudding cups
  
• Rice Krispy bars (make according to box directions)
  
• Soft Pretzels (We will try out a few recipes and post in September)
  

Week 4 Snack Options

• Craisins
• Nuts
• Fruit Leather (Never made it but want to. I have several recipes. We will do these and report back in September!
• Cheese
• Snack crackers
• Yam n Jam Muffins
• Spiders (share recipe later)

What isn't on the list are carrots, celery, ranch dressing and peanut butter. They are staples around our house because the kids love to eat them.

If you have any snack recipes to share please include them in the comments. If you have a blog and want to share your snacks or Back To School Ideas please add your link in the above Back To School MckLinky! That way my visitors and I can come visit you too!

Stay tuned for more Back To School Food ideas featuring those other meals!

About This Post
It’s back-to-school time, and this year Sprite and TwitterMoms have
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Healthy Pantry Whole Grain Oatmeal Cookies

My dear daughter, Anna, (almost 15) made cookies for her dad for Father's Day! He loves oatmeal cookies. Instead of using the tried and true Grandma B's recipe, she used The Healthy Pantry's Whole Grain Oatmeal Raisin Cookie Mix. This Kit is one of their bestsellers.

Guess what? After eating them we have to agree! This is our 3rd kit. I'm still amazed at how healthy these pre packed product kits are for you! They Healthy Pantry states this claim, "We do the "prep" and provide wholesome, nutritious, and tasty ingredients to mix with an item or two from your fridge. Enjoy a delicious, fresh & healthy dinner in just 10 minutes." They have lived up to this statement in everything that we have made.


The packaging is usually very clear in instructions. Anna found a few errors in this labeling! I'm sure The Healthy Pantry knows about them but just in case they don't this is what she found out.

• According to our label, we were to provide 6 T of butter yet in the instructions it stated to add 12 T of butter. She added the 12 T.
• Also according to label we were to provide one egg and the instructions also stated to mix in one egg. The problem was when she was reading the nutritional label it stated 2 eggs. So she added 2 eggs.
  

• The only other problem was the applesauce. The Kit included the 1 container of applesauce. The instructions stated to use "1/2 cup of applesauce" and so she wasn't sure if that meant half of what was provided or actual 1/2 cup measurement. She did measure out the container and it was over 1/2 cup but not quiet a 1 cup. She used the entire container.
  

The richness of the Turbinado sugar was wonderful!

Accordingly to Wikipedia:
"Turbinado sugar, is made from sugar cane extract. It is produced by crushing freshly cut sugar cane; the juice obtained is evaporated by heat, then crystallized. The crystals are spun in a centrifuge, or turbine (thus the name), to remove excess moisture, resulting in the characteristic large, light brown crystals. It is similar in appearance to brown sugarbut paler, with larger crystals, and in general the two can be exchanged freely in recipes. Turbinado sugar differs from refined white sugar in that it is obtained or crystallized from the initial pressing of sugar cane....In the U.S., most turbinado sugar is produced in Hawaii and is often sold as an organic product. The popular Hawaiian product sold in the U.S. is produced on Maui and marketed under the name brand "Sugar in the Raw."Other dry ingredients included Rolled Oats, 100% Whole Wheat Flour, Flax Seed Meal, Sea Salt, Baking Powder and Nutmeg.
The Healthy Pantry states this about their ingredients "It also has fewer calories per teaspoon, and when combined with our whole grains significantly reduces the sugar rush which is always followed by a crash! And because we use a 100% whole grain wheat flour and nutritious rolled oats, the higher fiber in these cookies will tide you over until your next meal as well as provide other digestive benefits. The Whole grain benefits with nearly 3 grams of fiber, 3 grams of protein and Flax seeds for Omega-3 fatty acids to protect against heart disease, promote bone health, control high blood pressure, and balance hormones."

These by far are the best cookies I have eaten that were not from our own recipe. They recipe included raisins. Anna did not add the raisins but added chocolate chips!!! We like to eat raisins but just not cooked. I wondered if carob chocolate chips could be an option with the kit? I don't personally bake with them but I know people who do. They were very yummy and moist. Best bet would be to put them in an air tight container when they have fully cooled.

The next morning I caught Anna eating them for breakfast. She said "but mom they are oatmeal and are healthy!" I totally agreed and ate one myself!

Please go check out The Healthy Pantry. They just came out with 5 more kits. We are wanting to try the Mac and Cheese and Chicken Tenders with Cheese and Shells. For more of our Healthy Pantry reviews please visit my other blog, Scraps of Life, and check out Gourmet Turkey Asian Burgers and Wild Salmon Patties with Quinoa!