Easy Snacks for Busy Kids
By Brenda Hyde
Busy kids need snacks; it's a fact of life. They are on the go
and will often not eat as much as they should at meals. The
following snacks can be stored in airtight containers, resealable
plastic bags or divided up into individual servings for lunches.
Older kids can carry some in their backpack if hunger strikes them
during
an extra curricular activity. If you homeschool, you can
offer them during a break from lessons. No matter how you
decide to serve them, they are a frugal alternative to chips, cookies
and other store bought snacks.
Spicy Pop Corn
Ingredients:
10 cups unsalted hot air-popped Pop Corn
1 tbsp. water
4 tsp. margarine
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1 tsp. ground turmeric
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. white pepper
1/8 tsp. ground red pepper(cayenne)
Cook all ingredients except pop corn in 6-inch nonstick skillet for 3
minutes
or until margarine is melted and mixture is bubbly. Pour over pop corn;
toss.
Serve immediately. Yields 10 cups.
Cinnamon-Sugar Chips
Ingredients:
6 tablespoons sugar
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
6 flour tortillas (fajita-size)
1 tablespoon light corn syrup
Heat oven to 400 degrees. Mix sugar and
cinnamon. Brush one side of each tortilla
with corn syrup and sprinkle with cinnamon
mixture. Cut each tortilla into 6 wedges and
place on baking sheet. Bake about 10
minutes, until golden and crisp. Serve with
applesauce as a dip!
Maple Squares
Ingredients:
3/4 cup peanut butter
1/2 cup maple syrup
1 1/2 cups nonfat dry milk powder
about 2 tablespoons chopped peanuts
Mix the peanut butter and maple syrup until
well blended. Add the milk powder, stir well.
Spread the mixture into a loaf pan. Pat it down
to make an even layer. Sprinkle the peanuts
over the mixture and press gently. Chill 1 hour.
Cut into 1 inch squares. Keep covered and
chilled until you serve. Makes about 32 squares.
Baked Caramel Corn
Ingredients:
1 cup butter or margarine
2 cups firmly packed brown sugar
1/2 cup light or dark corn syrup
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. vanilla
6 quarts popped popcorn
Melt butter, stir in brown sugar, corn syrup
and salt. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly.
Boil without stirring for 5 minutes. Remove
from heat; stir in soda and vanilla. Gradually
pour over popped corn, mixing well. Turn
into two large shallow baking or roasting pans.
Bake at 250 degrees for 1 hour, stirring every
15 minutes. Remove from oven, cool. Break
apart and store in tightly-covered container.
Makes about 5 1/2 quarts or 20 cups.
S'More Snack
Ingredients:
2 cups honey graham cereal
1 cup tiny marshmallows
1 cup peanuts
1/2 cup mini or regular chocolate chips
1/2 cup raisins
Mix together in a resealable large plastic bag. Shake well.
This is a good snack is also great to take on hikes, nature trails or
to the park. Each child can have their own small bag
to carry with them. Makes 5 one cup servings.
About the Author
Brenda Hyde is The Treehouse Mom at Seeds of Knowledge. She is also mom to three active kids who love nature and gardening.
She is a freelance writer and editor of our six newsletters. For information on our newsletters
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