It’s back to school (and tutoring and soccer and football and piano and lacrosse) time!
Even though my kids start school in mid-August, I don’t really take the school year seriously until September. Probably not great, but I just can’t get my mind around dealing with homework, bus schedules and tests when it’s 100 degrees. So now that we’re into September and the mornings are cool (at least here in Colorado!) I’m thinking about how to prepare healthy meals and snacks for my family. And (maybe more importantly) how to help them make healthy choices for themselves.
This year I’m partnering with Produce for Kids and taking their Power Your Lunchbox Promise. Check it all out here:
Basically, Produce for Kids provides lots of easy, yummy ideas for lunches (and snacks!), you make the promise, and they and their partners donate to Feeding America. It’s a win-win-win!
So as I made the promise this year, I again focused on snack foods rather than lunch foods. My kids all buy their lunch at school, so what we really need to focus on is a healthy, easy snack time. Here’s what we came up with this year:
Energy Bites
I don’t have a formal recipe, but I’ve been making these yummy snacks for years. I determine what goes in them based on what’s in my pantry. Here’s what I gathered today:
Sun-Maid Raisins, almonds, oat bran, oatmeal, a few mini chocolate chips I found in the way back, and peanut butter. In the past I’ve also added dried peaches, coconut, cereal and yogurt-covered raisins. Anything goes as long as it’s small:
Once you’ve gathered all the odds and ends, simply dump everything (except the peanut butter) into a bowl:
Mix that all up, then slowly add the peanut butter:
Stir the mixture around until it is combined. Test the mixture to see if you can roll it into a ball that will stick together. Does it come apart? Add more peanut butter. Go overboard on the peanut butter? Add more dry ingredients. Here’s what mine looked like:
It’s ready to roll!
Grab a sheet pan and cover with foil. You will also need a scoop of some kind:
One down, about 100 more to go! The nice thing is, the kids can help:
I usually store these in the freezer, they stay nice and firm that way. And when the kids are ready, they can pack them up for a healthy, energy-filled snack on the go:
They’re easy to eat, and actually fill them up until dinner – which seems to be getting later and later as they get older!
Check out more recipe ideas and make the Promise:
