Healthy Snack Ideas

I hear the question , "can I have a snack?" about 657 times a day! Sometimes it's enough to drive me bonkers, until I remember I want snacks too! The problem is that snacks can add up calories like crazy or blot out the hunger for real meal times.

It's easy to think of delicious cookies, brownies, or chips, or fruit snacks, but not so much the healthy stuff. Here's a printable list of good, healthy snacks that won't blow the diet:

(Save to your computer and print if you so desire)

 Serve a variety of these snacks in muffin tins, ice cube trays, or a veggie tray:

 Or make them really cute, on the days when you have extra time (haha, what's that?!)

Source: Pinterest

Healthy skewers by Arecetas

Check out a bunch of fun and cute snacks on our PINTEREST PAGE .

Happy snacking!

XO,

Nancy

Ideas for Meals on the Go

Whether you are a stay at home mom driving kiddos around to practices, games and school activities or working outside the home or traveling on vacation there are times when meals are being eaten on the go.  It may take a little PREPARATION but honestly anything you make at home can be eaten on the go. 

 Make your own Lunchables

  

 

 

These great Silcone Muffin Cups from Amazon can be used to divide crackers, meat and cheese into little cups.  Store these in a Rubbermaid container and you have a perfect meal for the kiddos.

  

  Smoothies
The easiest way to get your fruit serving for the day.

Fruit/Veggies
Veggie Trays and Fruit Trays are perfect when
watching a soccer game, baseball game, or going to a park. 
Amazon has this tray by Tupperware for only $10 and it comes with a lid.
MY FAVORITE!!
There are so many things to do with your relish tray.

 

  Muffin Tins Meals
You can  get these at the dollar store and are perfect for feeding kids in the car. 

 

 

Trail Mix, Granola Bars or Yogurt
Not really a complete meal but sometimes you just need snacks or premade food.

 

 

Chicken Fingers

These are good even cold.

 

 

Muffins

Perfect for Breakfast

 

 

 



Applesauce

Another great Breakfast Idea

 

 Breads
Zucchini, Banana Nut, Wheat, etc.

 

  Wraps, Sandwiches, Pita Pockets

 

 

 

Soups

 

You can get this great Thermos from Target.

Salads in Mason Jar. 

Click here for ideas.

 

 

Enjoy Eating on the GO!

Jan 

 

Churro Puffs

The teenage girls in our church have an annual camp a.k.a "Girl's Camp".  It's a whole lot of crazy fun, and I had the chance to go this year as a leader. Of course, when a bunch of girls {or women} get together, sugar is a necessity! All of the leaders made one of their favorite treats and sent it to camp... Obviously I had to sample each treat. To my great surprise, there was a treat that I'd never tasted or even heard of before!! { I thought this was impossible!} It was one of the most delicious treats I've EVER tasted!!  Oh so good, and here's the recipe...

This recipe makes a whole bunch of yummy puffs, I decided to call them Churro Puffs since they didn't have an official name.

 They are GREAT to give it as a teacher appreciation gift, a neighborhood Christmas gift, for a friend's birthday, camping, movie night, or of course, to a potluck party!


Ingredients:
2 C. brown sugar
1 1/2 t. cinnamon
2 cubes butter (1 C) - preferably unsalted
1/2 C. Karo syrup
2 t. vanilla
1 t. baking soda
4 oz. white chocolate or almond bark
3 bags Chester's Butter Popcorn (found by the Cheetos... this is "Chester's" other specialty)


Directions:
Preheat the oven to 250 degrees

Put the Chester's Popcorn in a very large bowl, or even a stock pot-- this is a whole lot!

In a large {at least 2 liters} microwave safe bowl, combine brown sugar and cinnamon. Stir well.
Chop butter and place on top of mixture. Pour Karo syrup on top of everything.

Microwave for 30 seconds. Stir.
Microwave for 1 minute. Stir.
Microwave for 1 minute. Stir.
Microwave for 1 minute. Stir.  (Yes, I did just repeat myself 3 times!!)

Do not over cook or the churro puffs will be hard!

 Remove from microwave.  Add vanilla and baking soda. The mixture will rise a bit.
Pour over the Chester's Popcorn. Stir like crazy. Stir longer than you think you need to.

Spread on a jelly roll pan, or a very large cookie sheet-- covered in foil.

Bake for 30 minutes... MAKE SURE to stir every 10 minutes!

When done, spread on a large piece of wax paper {or foil}.  Melt white chocolate or almond bark and drizzle over the top.

Let dry, but snack on them as you wait.

Now share the goodness!! People will ask for the recipe, I promise!

Enjoy!

Nancy

6 Superbowl Party Foods

I love to watch football but when it comes to the SUPERBOWL it's all about the

FOOD and the COMMERICALS. 

 

Am I wrong?

 

  Ok....  a few good plays aren't bad either.
 If you want to score points at your party,

 Try these 6 Superbowl Favorites for a TOUCHDOWN.
 

Chicken Fingers

Oreo Truffle Footballs

Ham and Pickle Roll-ups

 

Meatball Subs

Crackers, Meat and Cheese

 

Superbowl Sandwich

  

For Extra Points.......

Belt Buster Bread Dip

5 Fast and Fabulous Party Pleasers

Zucchini Bread

Jan

Oreo Truffle Footballs

 

 

Oreo Truffles 

1 pkg Oreo Cookies (any flavor)

8 oz cream cheese, softened

Melting Chocolate

White Chocolate Chips for piping.

 

Crush cookies into fine crumbs in a food processor.  Add cream cheese; mix well.  Put in refrigerator  or freezer til mixture is cold and easy to roll out.  Cut shapes with oval or football shape cookie cutter.  Place on a wax paper cookie sheet and chill again.  Melt chocolate.  Cover shape with chocolate.  This is the messy part.  I wish I could tell you the easy way but just plan on getting your fingers messy.  I used a plastic spatula and that seems to work the best.  After chocolate is solid.  Pipe lines for a football.   I put white chocolate chips in a zip loc bag and cooked it in the microwave til chocolate was melted.  Then I cut the tip off the end of the zip loc bag.  It is a lot of work and even if they don't look professional these truffles are seriously so good.

 

 

Jan 

 

Ham and Pickle Roll-ups

 

 

These are from my husband's family cookbook. 

My first tip for you is to not make them when anyone

is around or you will never be able to fill a plate.  

 

Take one ham slice and dry on a napkin. 

Spread a generous amount of soften cream cheese on ham. 

Place a spear dill pickle on one end of the ham.

(You may have to cut the pickle in half if it is too big.  Also shake off excess juice on pickle). 

Roll up ham around pickle.  Cut into 1" segments. 

 

I promise you can't go wrong with these and you will score huge points with these.

 

 

Jan

Chicken Fingers

 

These are so simple and yummy

you will never buy premade chicken fingers again. 

 

Cut chicken breast into desired size.

 

Crush favorite crackers in a food processor 

add a little pepper to crumbs and put in a pie pan.

 

Melt butter or margarine in a pie pan.

 

Roll chicken in butter, then in cracker crumbs. 

 

 Place on a tin foil cookie sheet. 

Bake 350 for 30-45 minutes.

Add your favorite dipping sauce on the side.

 

Super EASY!!!!

 

Jan

Superbowl Sandwiches

Another great recipe from my husband's family cookbook. 

FYI:  My husband's family are amazing cooks. 

I am grateful they are willing to let me share family favorites with you. 

They call these Superbowl Sandwiches and have them every Superbowl for as long as I can remember.  Another great and simple recipe.  Don't let the ingredients stop you from trying it.  It was a little werid for me at first.  I asked my husband the best words to describe this sandwich. 

Is it tangy, sweet, creamy etc.  His answer was very direct,

 

"They are just DELICIOUS!!!"

Ingredients......

Sauce
1 small container of cool whip.
1 cup of Apricot jam
1 tsp mustard

Thin sliced ham
Soft Dinner Rolls like King's Hawaiian Rolls

Mix the sauce together in a bowl.  Spread on roll and add ham.

Jan

Crackers, Meat and Cheese

Have you ever had those seasons in life when you just don't have the time or energy to cook and yet you need to take something to a party.  Try a Crackers, Meat and Cheese tray.  You can buy premade or you can buy your favorite crackers, meat and cheese and create your own.  Buy a fun platter that fits the theme of your party and add your favorites.  Hopefully for those readers who don't enjoy cooking this platter will do the trick for your party.

Jan

Easy Homemade Strawberry Applesauce in Apple Bowls

One of the things I love most about fall is the abundance of gorgeous and delicious apples. I keep seeing recipes for homemade apple sauce that look scrumptious!  During Fall Break my kids helped me make some for breakfast, and it was sooooooo good! My two year old twins kept repeating, "more mommy", about 50 times. That's when I decided I had better share the recipe with you.

If you don't have one of these:

(or something similar), then cut the recipe in half or just buy a jar of applesauce at the store and add the strawberries and embellishments. Seriously, peeling all those apples by hand would be too much work regardless of how good it tastes.

Easy Homemade Strawberry Applesauce

(Adapted from Favorites; A Collection of Favorite Ivory Family Recipes)
Ingredients:
18 large Granny Smith Apples, peeled and sliced
1 1/2 cups of sugar (or to your liking)
juice of half a lemon
1 teaspoon of nutmeg
strawberries, cut in small cubes or mashed
cinnamon sticks (optional)
Any kind of apple for the "bowl" (optional)

1. Slice and peel the apples.

Kids really like this part. Maybe that's why they like the apple sauce so much!

2. Put the apples in a large pan and cover 3/4 of  them with water.

3. Bring to a boil then turn to low and simmer for 15 minutes. Do not drain.

4. Add the sugar, lemon juice, and nutmeg. (Add more or less sugar if desired. Remember it's sweeter when cold.)

5. Mash together with a potato peeler, or blend on low until mashed.

6.  Cut off tops of apples for bowls and hollow out with knife or melon scoop.

7. Pour applesauce in "apple bowls". Add cinnamon stick and strawberries.
When this is eaten warm, the strawberry and apple flavor mix dreamily on the taste buds.

Use the cinnamon stick as a spoon (if you're one of my children), and eat the bowl when you're done.

XO,

Nancy