Heavenly Homemakers

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Make-Ahead Healthy Snack Recipes

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350x350_Challenge

It’s official. Our 16 year old is taller than his dad. That means Asa is measuring at 6’3″ as of yesterday. His legs are longer than his bed. His feet are bigger than his shoes. The bottoms of his jeans only reach his ankles for two weeks. His eyes are as big as his stomach. And it’s a good thing I love to cook.

Should I mention that our 13 year old is almost looking me directly in the eyes, our 11 year old isn’t far behind, and our 8-almost-9 year old must be going through a growth spurt? I promise that he ate six bowls of Easy Noodle Stir Fry in one sitting last week.

So let’s see. Did I need this Getting Ahead Snack Challenge? Why yes, I did. Somehow, I’ve got to stay ahead of these appetites. Have I actually gotten ahead during the past few weeks? Eh, only a little bit. We mostly eat snacks as quickly as I make them. But at least I’ve discovered some great, new, healthy snack recipes to fall back on. We are having so much fun with these new ideas!

I decided to compile all of the new Healthy Snack Recipe ideas here for us as we conclude this Getting Ahead {Snacks} Challenge. All of these recipes can be made ahead of time. They are delicious, low in sugar, hearty, and easy to make.

~  Homemade Soft Pretzel Bites

pretzel_bites

~  Easy Homemade Nacho Cheese Pretzel Dip

nacho_cheese_pretzel_dip_1

~ Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Bread

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Bread

~ Raspberry Oatmeal Bars

Or, if you want to change it up, follow that recipe but make Mix and Match Bars!

Raspberry Oatmeal Bars 11

~  Cranberry Nut Trail Mix

Cranberry Nut Trail Mix

~  Easy Peanut Butter Snack Bars

peanut butter snack bars

~  Cream Cheese Pumpkin Muffins

Cream Cheese Pumpkin Muffins
Did you try any of these recipes? Which are your favorites? Do you have any other fun, healthy Make-Ahead Snack Recipes to share?

 

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Easy Peanut Butter Snack Bars

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Here’s another super easy snack recipe to help us along in the Getting Ahead {Snacks} Challenge. These were a huge hit at our house – and so easy that I can definitely make these frequently!

peanut butter snack bars

Easy Peanut Butter Snack BarsYum

Easy Peanut Butter Snack Bars
 
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Serves: 20
Ingredients
  • 1 cup natural peanut butter (I use homemade creamy peanut butter)
  • ½ cup butter
  • ⅔ cup sucanat or brown sugar
  • 3 eggs
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • ½ teaspoon sea salt
  • 1 cup whole grain flour
  • ¼ cup chocolate chips (optional)
Instructions
  1. In a small saucepan, melt together peanut butter and butter.
  2. Pour mixture into a medium-sized bowl and stir in sucanat until creamy.
  3. Add eggs, vanilla, and salt, stirring well.
  4. Mix in flour until well combined.
  5. Spread mixture into a 9x13 inch baking dish.
  6. Bake in a 350° oven for about 25 minutes.
  7. Remove from oven and sprinkle chocolate chips on top if desired.
  8. Cut into about 20 bars.

 

To freeze:  Allow bars to cool completely. Wrap them individually to keep the bars moist. Place wrapped bars in a freezer bag and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw for at least one hour before serving.

These make for great grab-and-go snacks!

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Raspberry Oatmeal Bars

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Raspberry Oatmeal Bars are pretty much amazing.

Raspberry Oatmeal Bars 11

Yum

I’m on a mission to create new healthy snack recipes so that my boys will have some great options on hand. But here’s what happened after I made these Raspberry Oatmeal Bars:  I dug into them while I was in the kitchen by myself and loved them so much that I forgot to call in the kids. Then when I realized I was like, “Eh, the kids can have a piece of cheese.” And then I kept eating the bars. Great mom moment, huh? :)

This may be one of the best snack recipes ever, hands down. The kids thought so too, once I remembered to share.

Raspberry Oatmeal Bars

Raspberry Oatmeal Bars
 
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Author:
Ingredients
  • 1½ cups whole wheat flour
  • 1½ cups rolled oats
  • ½ cup sucanat
  • ½ teaspoon baking powder
  • ¼ teaspoon sea salt
  • 1 cup melted butter
  • ½ cup raspberry jam (100% fruit)
Instructions
  1. Mix together flour, oats, sucanat, baking powder, and salt.
  2. Stir in melted butter until the mixture resembles crumbs.
  3. Press half of the mixture into an 8x8 inch baking pan.
  4. Spread jam over the top.
  5. Sprinkle remaining oat mixture on top of the jam layer, pressing down to cover.
  6. Bake in a 350° oven for 30 minutes or until lightly browned.

Raspberry Oatmeal Bars 12

You can definitely change these up by using a different variety of jelly or jam. I think apricot would be awesome in these, or strawberry, or peach…

If they last long enough, you can freeze them: Allow them to cool completely, then wrap individually for a quick grab and go snack. Place individually wrapped bars in a large freezer bag and store in the freezer for up to two months.

Here are some pictures to show more specifically how to put these bars together. They are really so easy!

First,  mix together the dry ingredients. Then pour in the melted butter.

raspberry-bars_1

 Stir until the mixture resembles buttery crumbs.
raspberry_bars_2

Press half of the crumbs into an 8×8 inch baking dish.

raspberry_bars_3
Spread the jam over the first layer of oat mixture. Spoon the remaining oat mixture over the jam and press down to cover.
raspberry_bars_4

Bake in a 350° oven for about 30 minutes. Cut them while they are warm, or allow them to cool first.

raspberry_bars_7

Try to remember to share them with others.

raspberry_bars_8

Not only will I be making these frequently for snacks in the future, I think they will be wonderful for breakfast. And I’ll even try to remember to serve them to my children. ;)

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Let’s Do This! Join the Getting Ahead {Snacks} Challenge

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It’s been a few weeks since I threw out a challenge for all of us. With the holiday season coming soon, I thought we could all use a little practice getting ahead in the kitchen. And not that it’s all about me, but I am feeling a little short in the snacks department at my house. So for this challenge, I decided that we would focus on getting ahead with nourishing snacks.

The Let’s Do This! eCourse has an entire lesson devoted to getting ahead with snacks. Why? Because snacks are a must for many of us, and having healthy options on hand and ready to grab means that we are making better choices for ourselves and for our families. Otherwise, when we get hungry in the middle of an afternoon, we may be likely to cave in and grab a handful of chocolate chips. Not that you or I have ever done that in a moment of weakness. Mmmmhmmm.

Soooo, healthy snacks. I’m really hoping you’ll share some fresh new ideas with me! Here is a list of options I regularly give my kids, but they would definitely welcome something new. I’ve been experimenting, looking all over the internet for new recipes, and am counting on you to give me some ideas and inspiration.  No pressure.  I’ll just be waiting by my computer with my apron on and my mixing bowls in my lap…

My goal by the end of next week is to have several fun and healthy snack options prepared for my family – and to have a great new list of healthy (make-ahead) snack ideas compiled to share with you. In the meantime, there will be new healthy snack recipes coming your way – so be on the look-out. Join the Getting Ahead {Snack} Challenge!

Who’s with me?! Let’s Do This!

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Healthy Food to Pack for a Trip

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sloppy_corn_muffins_4

This is a topic that has come up at several Meet&Greets. It would seem as though meeting our family on the road makes people curious about what we’re eating along the way! I don’t blame you for asking. Hopefully you haven’t been terribly shocked or disappointed when I’ve shared that we enjoy treating ourselves to some Chick-fil-A here and there on our trips. :)

As much as possible, I do try to pack healthy food for the road. The difficulty comes when we’re traveling for several days in a row. Homemade food can only last so long, and a person can only eat so many sandwiches. 

We don’t feel worry over eating out occasionally. Although I will say that we certainly don’t love spending money on it and our guts don’t always feel great afterward. But since our family eats very, very well MOST of the time, eating at a restaurant is a special treat that my family enjoys without guilt. We usually try to make it count, as in, we don’t settle for icky tasting (in our opinion) restaurants and usually opt for one we all really like. I mean, if we’re going to eat french fries, we want to enjoy them, right?

So, now that I’ve explained that part, I’d also like to share some ideas for foods I try to pack for the first leg of our trips to at least get us off to a good start. In addition, I’ve made note of ideas others have shared with me. 

Breakfast on the Road

Lunch/Dinner on the Road

Snacks

  • Fresh Fruit – lots and lots of fruit! If we eat nothing else good during the day, at least we have fruit. It’s the best convenience food ever! (Grapes, Berries, Apples, Oranges, Clementines, Bananas, and Pears all travel well.)
  • Applesauce – I splurge on individul applesauce cups for a fun treat on a trip
  • Baby Carrots
  • Grape Tomatoes
  • Homemade Granola Bars
  • Mudballs
  • Crispy Cheese Crackers

As much as possible (while doing laundry, packing, and finishing up four hundred last minute details) before leaving for a trip – I try to prep the food so that all we have to do is warm it up, grab it, and go. Phew! It’s a lot of work. But it’s worth it for the money it saves and the gut issues it helps us avoid. :)

Please share your ideas for healthy foods you pack to take on the road while you’re traveling. Also, have you found some good foods to make in a hotel room? Please share!

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Cooking Ahead – I Now Have Snacks!

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I know it’s not entirely true, but I feel like I have been away from home for the entire month of March.

Asa had a basketball tournament the first weekend of the month. We were home for a few days, then we went to Branson and were gone for six days. The end of this week we are going to Kansas City for LTC. Phew! It’s hard to get ahead when you can’t even catch up. And it’s hard to catch up when you’re not even home. And it’s hard to be home when…well, when you are traveling. (Profound.)

Anyway, Saturday I was home. Yay for me! I had big kitchen plans. I decided that I wasn’t going to go anywhere all day, that I certainly wasn’t going to change out of my sweat pants, and that I would get caught up on some work, and spend several hours cooking. I’m so glad I did! I got my email inbox down to 82 (It had made its way up to well over 200 last week) and spent four hours cooking and baking. I now have some healthy convenience foods in the freezer, as well as several snack items that might just last two whole days around here.

First, I mixed up a double batch of Whole Wheat Butterhorns. While the dough was rising, I got my food processor whirling as I made three batches of Homemade Peanut Butter. 

peanut_butter

I put two jars of peanut butter into the fridge to have ready for later. Then I used one batch to make Healthier Rice Crispy Treats and Mudballs (thinking of my awesome cousin Jayme the whole time, since she’s the one who gave me that recipe).

cooking_ahead

I should also mention that the day before, I had made 80 Chicken Fried Steak Strips. 
I had the boys help me take them off the cookie sheets and put them into freezer bags for
easy meals in the future. I love getting that mess out of the way in big batches!

I then made two dozen eggs worth of Easy Breakfast Casserole. I put the 9×13 dish in the freezer to thaw and bake another day. I baked the two round dishes for our lunch.

egg_casseroles_1

While they were baking, I began shaping 64 Butterhorns. I baked several to go with our egg casseroles for lunch – yum! – then shaped and froze the remaining butterhorns. I love having these in the freezer to pull out, thaw, and bake when I need them for company!

butterhorns

I froze the shaped rolls on cookie sheets,
then popped them off the next day and put them into freezer bags.

Last, I made a double batch of Homemade Poptarts. We ate some of them for breakfast on Sunday morning, and the rest went into the freezer. These are so good when warmed in the toaster oven, served with fruit and a glass of milk!

poptarts

I should also mention that I roasted two chickens and made broth for the freezer. It’s always great to have homemade chicken broth on hand!

As you can imagine, my wheat grinder, oven, and dishwasher got quite a workout that day! And I slept really well that night. :)

What’s your favorite food to have on hand for snacks or easy meals?

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Healthy Snacks I Feed My Family

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Here is a big list of healthy snacks that I feed my family. This list is guaranteed to keep your children full and happily satisfied forever – or at least until the next time they need a snack (which may be within the next five minutes, so you may want to read quickly).

I obviously don’t have all of these snacks on hand at all times, but when my kids are hungry between meals, this is an idea of what I might offer.

vanilla_wafers

Whole Wheat Vanilla Wafers

What are your favorite healthy snacks to feed your kids?

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Make Your Own Larabars

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It’s so easy to make your own Larabars!

Homemade Larabars

Larabars:

  • Are made with all real food ingredients
  • Have no added sugar (unless you add chocolate chips, and who can resist?)
  • Can be made with all varieties of ingredients
  • Are naturally gluten and grain free

Ever since I got to try some Larabars for a review back in March, I’ve been hooked. They are amazingly yummy, incredibly healthy and what do you know…they are gluten free!

I’m amazed that they contain so few ingredients…my favorite Cashew Cookie bar is made of only dates and cashews…that’s IT. And it really does taste like a cookie. Only better.  :)

Ready to make your own Larabars?


Make Your Own Larabars
 
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Author:
Serves: 12
Ingredients
  • 1½ cups raw cashews
  • 8 dates (remove pits)
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 2 Tablespoons water
  • ¼ cup add ins like mini chocolate chips, dried fruit, or fresh fruit like blueberries (optional)
Instructions
  1. Grind cashews in a food processor until fine.
  2. Slowly add dates, vanilla, and water and pulse until the mixture forms a dough.
  3. Fold in chocolate chips or fruit.
  4. Press mixture into a parchment paper-lined 8x8 inch pan.
  5. Refrigerate for about one hour.
  6. Cut into 12 bars.

larabars_remade

Need a great source for nuts when you make Larabars? Be sure to check out Braga Farms as a wonderful source for organic nuts! Braga Farms is a fabulous family farm to purchase organic nuts from. You can not beat their quality or their prices! I just placed an order and I can’t wait to get my great box of organic nuts!

These homemade Larabars are great to take on the road for a filling and nourishing snack. Make them with any combination of fruit and nuts for your family’s preferences.

Need more healthy snack ideas? You’ll love this wonderful and helpful eBook full of 227 Healthy Snack ideas and recipes!

[wp_eStore_fancy1 id=6]

 

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Homemade Whole Wheat Vanilla Wafers

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We have become a household of the “eat it while you can because it won’t be around long, hurry they’re almost gone already” sort. That’s definitely how it was the day I first made homemade vanilla wafers. Now I double the recipe when I make these.

Homemade Whole Wheat Vanilla WafersYum

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Homemade Whole Wheat Vanilla Wafers
 
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Author:
Ingredients
  • ½ cup butter, softened
  • ½ cup sucanat or brown sugar
  • 1 egg
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract (this is a great recipe to use with your homemade vanilla extract!!)
  • 1 cup whole wheat flour (I use freshly ground whole wheat flour made from hard white wheat)
  • ¼ teaspoon sea salt
  • ½ teaspoon baking powder
Instructions
  1. Cream butter and sucanat together. Beat in egg and vanilla extract. Stir in flour, salt and baking powder.
  2. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Scrape the dough into a pastry bag with a large, plain piping tip.
  3. Pipe nickel sized amounts of dough onto the parchment paper. (If you don't have the tools you need to "pipe" these onto your cookie sheet...I think just plopping tiny plops down with a spoon will work okay too.)
  4. If, after you are done piping dough, you have a big pan full of ugly, weird shaped blobs, you have done very, very well.
  5. Bake at 325° for five to fifteen minutes. (This is a broad range of time, but each oven is different. Check them after five minutes to see how they're doing!)
  6. Turn off the oven and let the cookies sit inside for a half hour or so to crisp up.

vanillawafers1sm

vanillawafers2sm

vanillawafers3sm

See? The ugly blobs spread out while they bake and make nice circle shaped Vanilla Wafers that your children will devour before their daddy comes home.

vanilla_wafers

And two days later when their daddy hears about the homemade vanilla wafers he will say to you, “What? Vanilla wafers? You made vanilla wafers? I never saw any vanilla wafers.”

Or something like that.

I have got to remember to set some of these aside next time.
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Other snacks you might be interested in making:  Homemade Graham Crackers; Crispy Cheese Crackers; Chewy Granola Bars

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