Rainbow Snack

Since Gracie was buying lunch today (a rarity I tell you!) I had to make something festive for her snack.

Actually my friend Candice gave me this idea based on one she found in a magazine.

To make this snack you will need:

• Wooden skewers (cut the pointy end off after you make your kabob!) or lollipop sticks
• Strawberry Slices
• Mandarin orange slices
  
• Pineapple chunks
• Green Apple chunks
• Blueberries (this will add to it, I didn't have any and forgot to get them :(
• Purple (well they are called red) grapes

Put your fruit on the skewers, but off the pointy end when you are done and pack in a container.

Viola! A edible rainbow!

Leprechaun Treat

I am posting this idea first, so you will give yourself more time to make it than I did! I found the idea online, and we loved it! Yum, Yum!!

To make this snack you will need:

• Several HOURS!
• 3 cups of boiling water
• 1 big box of Lime Jello
• 1 16 oz. tub of Cool Whip

Mix the Lime Jello powder with the boiling water for 2 minutes or until completely dissolved. Add the Cool Whip to the bowl. Stir until all the Cool Whip melts into the warm Jello mixture. Carefully pour the Jello into glass containers. This makes approximately 10 servings 1/2 cup each. Refrigerate the mixture for about 8 hours until set. Top with a little Cool Whip.

Horton Dinner

Now, to finish off a fun Seussical day with a Horton Dinner!

How fun is this idea?!!

Although, I will tell you, that connecting the dots with the spaghetti was a little more challenging than I would think, and my 7 year old got bored and quit after a while. But, I made my very first meat balls and she LOVED them, and I think it all matched the theme of the day perfectly.

Click on the link to find the printable, but other than that you just need to make spaghetti and meat balls. The original blogger used green beans for stems for her meatballs, but I found celery sticks did a great job for me.

Seuss Lunch

Okay, I had tons of ideas for a fun Seuss lunch to pack Gracie, so I will just share my ideas and maybe you can use some...or all.

Oh, and I found pictures on the web of the books/characters that went with the food names, so I made my own circles and added the pictures and a fun description of each item. Gracie loved it, and so did her teachers!!

She had:

• Pink Ink Drink (pink lemonade)
• Green Eggs & Ham (ham and crackers from a lunchable--I brushed the crackers with green tinted milk to color them, and placed a small circle of cheese on top of the cracker to make it look like an egg yolk)
• Cheese Trees (the cheese from a lunchable that I cut into trees with a knife)
• Red Fish, Blue Fish (colored gold fish crackers)
• Who Pudding (Vanilla instant pudding)

I also packed her a granola bar for snack time and covered it with a paper Cat in The Hat hat.

Seuss Snack

I found this super fun, and super easy snack online, and I just have to share it with you. I made it for an after-school snack, but you could have it for desert after dinner if you'd rather.

To make this snack you will need:

• vanilla ice cream
• plastic cups
• sharpie marker
• vanilla wafers
• strawberry slices
• cool whip

Now, the original recipe called for milk, but I thought it would make the cookies soggy, so I went with vanilla ice cream.

First, I drew a Cat In The Hat face on my recycled plastic cups. And, added a red bow tie. I printed off a picture of the cat and stuck it inside the empty cup and traced the outlines on the outside of the cup.

Any how, I filled my plastic cups (saved from apple sauce lunch sized containers) with 1 scoop of vanilla ice cream. Then I dipped my vanilla wafers in the cool whip covering them as best I could one at a time. Put the first cookie on top of the ice cream. Now put a strawberry slice on top. Now, another cool whip covered cookie. You get the idea. Make it as tall as you want--but be careful, it will get unsteady after a while. You want to end your pattern with a cookie.

Keep it in the freezer until your kids are ready to eat it. But, don't make it too early (like the day before) because it will freeze everything and your kids will have a hard time eating it.

Groundhog Day Treat

Mommy Craft

I found this idea under the heading of "hibernating animals," but when I started racking my brain for groundhog ideas, I just knew I had to make this for an afternoon snack for my kids!

To make this snack you will need:

• Chocolate pudding
• Oreos or graham crackers (or both)
• Teddy Grahams

Use pudding snack cups or make your own and add your layers. First, crush oreos in a small baggy with a rolling pin. In a separate baggy crush graham crackers (or use some of the Teddy Grahams). I put my oreos on top first, but realized that the other layer blended with my groundhog too much. So, if you are using both crumbles, use your lighter one (graham cracker) first. Lightly spoon out the crumbles on top of the pudding. This is your dirt. The pudding is his burrow under ground. Now, stick a Teddy Graham in the middle of your dessert pushing him down until you just see his little head. From the head up he looks like a groundhog--right ? Well, my kids LOVED the snack, and I am sure yours will too. It is sweet and fun!

Grapes At "Midnight"

This is just a fun idea I found, also from Martha.

It is Spanish custom to eat 12 grapes at "midnight" to bring good luck to the coming year.

My kids love grapes, and I loved that it was a healthy treat for the evening!

And, while we are talking "snack ideas" for New Years, let your kids have a fun champagne class of sparkling grape or apple juice.

You can find these usually in the juice isle, and they are made by trusted brands like Welch's.

I found plastic champagne glasses at the Dollar Store, and my kids thought they were super special when we all "toasted" the New Year.

Candy Indian Corn Treat

Mommy Craft

This was another cute treat idea I found. I used these and the turkey pops and made treat bags (you'll see that idea next) for my kids and another special little boy.

To make this treat you will need:

• Reece's Pieces
  
• Snack sized baggies
• Tissue paper in yellow and green
• Tape (clear)

I fell in love with how cute this was, and how wonderful it turned out! I found the idea here.

First, put Reece's Pieces in a snack sized storage baggie and zip shut. Get ALL of the air out. Cut lengths of your yellow and green tissue paper about an inch longer than your baggie, and half the width of your baggie. I used two cut peices of yellow and two pieces of green for each Indian corn treat.

Roll your baggie up as tight as you can. and make sure that the zipper part of the bag is not showing when you assemble the corn.

Stack your tissue paper up green, green, yellow, yellow. Put your baggie on top and middle of the pile. Gather all the layers at one end of your corn--tape the end together. Do the same at the other end.

Mommy Tip: If you wanted a different look you could roll the candy with just the yellow tissue paper and then add construction paper shucks to the corn as well.

I always say--use your imagination and make it your own way! :)

Pilgrim Hat Cookies

Mommy Craft

I made these cute little pilgrim hats for Gracie's first grade Thanksgiving feast--and they were a hit. It took me so much longer than I thought to make them--but if you aren't making 30--it is well worth the effort.

To make this snack craft you will need:

• Chocolate chips
• Graham Crackers
• Marshmallows
• Tooth picks
• Paint brush (seriously!)
• Wax Paper
• Icing or candy melts
  

I painted the chocolate on my pieces--it really was a lot easier. You want to melt your chocolate--you can use the microwave or a double boiler.

Paint your graham cracker squares and place them on a plate/pan with wax paper.

Next, stick the marshmallow with a tooth pick. This will make this MUCH easier as well. Dip your marshmallow in the melted chocolate and use the paint brush to cover bare areas if you need (you will when the chocolate starts getting low.

Now, put the marshmallow on top of the graham cracker tooth pick UP. You are just using the tooth pick as an added handle. Once the chocolate on the marshmallow and cracker set, remove the tooth pick. You will likely need to paint the top of the marshmallow to make it an even color.

Using icing (or do like I did and melt some left over colored candy melts and put in an icing bag) and make your band and buckle.

Mommy tips: 1. do NOT attempt to melt the entire bag of chocolate chips at one time (lesson learned) 2. I made my "buckles" ahead of time and made square shapes on wax paper. I let it set and then they peeled off and stuck right to the band that I piped around the marshmallow.

Football Treats

Mommy Craft

I saw this idea on the back of a Cocoa Krispies box once and filed it away for later. Glad I did, because these were cute and yummy!

To make this snack you will need:

• Cocoa Rice Krispies
• Butter
• Marshmallows
  
• Chocolate Chips (melted) or brown or white icing
• Wax Paper

Follow the directions to make your rice krispie treats, only use cocoa krispies.

Let your mixture cool--A LOT!

Use wax paper to get a handful of the mixture and shape into a football. Put on your plate or serving dish. Repeat until all of the krispies are used.

Now, melt your chocolate chips and put in a icing bag, or fold a piece of wax paper like I did, and make laces on your footballs. You could also use brown or white icing to do this as well.

Enjoy!

**A few "notes:" mine have a different color to them because I added in some regular rice krispies thinking I wouldn't have enough for the butter & marshmallow mixture I "eye balled." Also, the Rice Krispie website has the recipe for the footballs, but they add in peanut butter, and I thought "nah." So, I used the original recipe to make the krispie mixture, which I have added below. Click on this link if you want to give the peanut butter one a try **

Here are their "pretty" footballs, but I have to say mine came out cute too**

Rice Krispie Recipe

• 3 tablespoons butter or margarine
• 1 package (10 oz., about 40) regular marshmallows
• - OR 4 cups miniature marshmallows
• 6 cups Rice Krispies®

1. In large saucepan melt butter over low heat. Add marshmallows and stir until completely melted. Remove from heat.

2. Add KELLOGG'S RICE KRISPIES cereal. Stir until well coated.

MICROWAVE DIRECTIONS:
In microwave-safe bowl heat butter and marshmallows on HIGH for 3 minutes, stirring after 2 minutes. Stir until smooth. Follow steps 2 and 3 above. Microwave cooking times may vary.


Note

For best results, use fresh marshmallows.
1 jar (7 oz.) marshmallow crème can be substituted for marshmallows.
Diet, reduced calorie or tub margarine is not recommended.
Store no more than two days at room temperature in airtight container. To freeze, place in layers separated by wax paper in airtight container. Freeze for up to 6 weeks. Let stand at room temperature for 15 minutes before serving.

Fall Treat Tree

Mommy Craft

This edible fall idea has been around for a while, and like the finger print tree, it has many versions, so get creative..and messy.

Now if you asked me which one I chose, I would say my own super duper HARD way!

I am not an engineer, but I couldn't figure out how peanut butter was going to hold these pretzel sticks upright, so I got the bright idea to use a marshmallow cut in half for a base.

It kind of worked...

For this snack craft you will need:

• Pretzel rods
• Graham cracker squares
  
• Regular shaped pretzels
• M&M's in fall colors, or sprinkles
• Peanut Butter
• Marshmallows (optional)

The idea is to put the pretzel rod and stick it to the graham cracker base, Then you break the pretzels regular shaped snacks to look like branches and stick your candy leaves to them, also with peanut butter.

I only had miniature pretzel rods and regular shapes, so I took 3 rods and stuck them in half of a marshmallow that was stuck to the graham cracker. I used the other half of my marshmallow to put a the other end of the pretzel rods. I broke the regular shaped pretzels and made branches and stuck them in to the top marshmallow as well. I cut my M&M's in half (to cut down on the weight and because it looked more leaf like) and then put peanut butter on those and stuck them in the branches.

All of this took time and patience, and my saving grace was the freezer. It helped freeze it all together.

Just before snack time I pulled them out and covered the bottom marshmallow with more peanut butter and shook on some crushed pretzels and M&M's to look like fallen leaves.

I wouldn't call it a piece of art--but it was kind of cute, and Gracie thought it was yummy. (Nope, Thomas wouldn't touch his).

Owl S'Mores

Mommy Craft

I made these last week for Gracie's fall snack (not-a-party) at school, but decided to wait and post them with the owl theme. I found the adorable idea online (hers are way prettier than mine), and just had to try them out.

Now, I usually put my mommy tips at the bottom of posts, but let me warn you: *these are not as easy as they look to make.*

Now, maybe I went in to it too cocky, or maybe I just stressed since I had to make them for her class, but looks are deceiving! Now, don't get me wrong you CAN do this--just give yourself time, and some extra materials to work with, you are going to have to do a little trial and error. Read below the post for more tips from a mommy who has made these.

To make this snack idea you will need:

• Graham crackers
• Chocolate Chips
• Yellow Candy melts (look in cake decorating isle)
• Candy Corn
• Marshmallows
  

Cut your marshmallow in half. Put the halves on the cracker side by side and squish them together slightly.

Place a yellow candy melt on top of each marshmallow half.

Microwave for 5-7 seconds *watching it the whole time!* You want the marshmallows to puff up a bit. Turn the microwave off (or open door) when you see the marshmallow puff. When they go down IMMEDIATELY put your chocolate chips in the center of the yellow candy melt, and squeeze a candy corn piece between the eyes.

Sounds easy, right? ;) Seriously, you can do it and they are a huge hit...here are some more tips.

Mommy Tips:

1. Have your chocolate chips and candy corn right beside your microwave, you need to be able to get to them quickly.
2. Learn my lesson the easy way--you are going to have to do microwave them one or two at a time. I started with 6, then 3, and ended up doing 1 at a time after wasting lots of ingredients and time.
3. I found more luck (and less marshmallow explosion by a) cutting my marshmallow in thirds, discarding the middle and using the two outside pieces for my eyes. b)pushing the marshmallow pieces together as much as I could without losing shape and c) putting the marshmallow "eyes" on the cracker about an inch down from the top, keeping it as far from edges as possible while still maintaining the "owl look."
4. Your chocolate chips are probably not going to stick. At least not right away. It will take time for the heat to rise to the chips, so move them carefully to your flat space for them to cool. You may have to go back and use a hot knife (like I did) and gently melt the bottom of the chocolate chips and carefully place them back on the eyes.
   
5. Make sure you use wax paper on your microwaveable dish, or you will be doing tons of dishes, and to use it on a flat surface to store the cookies until you are ready.
   

Witches Hats

Mommy Craft

This was a fun snack that my first grader loved finding in her snack bag for school! And mommy loved how simple it was.

For this snack idea you will need:

• Refrigerator crescent rolls (it has to be crescents and not regular)
• Oven/baking sheet
  
• Cinnamon or cinnamon sugar (optional)

Simply roll out your crescent shapes one by one and put them on your baking sheet. Fold up the bottom of the triangle to made it look like the brim of a hat. Then fold a small portion of the top peak over to one side to resemble the top of a witches hat.

I added cinnamon to mine and it gave them a neat color and flavor.

Bake according to directions minus a minute or two. I noticed mine baked quicker because they weren't rolled to the traditional shape.

Enjoy!

Marshmallow Pumpkins

Mommy Craft

I am re-dating this post to match pumpkin week, but I made these for Gracie's fall snack not-a-party at school on 10/29.

I had originally thought about leaf cookies, but when I stumbled on this idea from another craft blog, I just had to do it.

They were a HUGE hit as well!

For this snack you will need:

• Marshmallows
• Candy sticks (check the cake decorating isle)
• Orange candy melts (you could use white and then color with food coloring after it is melted)
  
• Green thin ribbon
• Wax Paper

This was the most simple snack.

Get all of your supplies out and ready. Put the candy sticks in the center of your marshmallows and line them up in rows on wax paper.

Next, follow the instructions on your candy melts. I melted a few in a microwaveable bowl for 30 seconds at a time until the melted candy was smooth.

Dip your marshmallow in the melted candy and use a butter knife to evenly spread the candy coating all over the marshmallow including the top and bottom.

Put your finished pumpkin on the wax paper and move to the next one.

You will see that the coating doesn't take long to harden and get a pretty color to it.

When your pumpkins are all done and you have let them harden; add a green ribbon for the vine.

Ta-da!

Jack-O-Lantern Pizza

Mommy Craft

Home made pizza kit + some imagination.

Your kids will love it when you play with you food!

I snapped a picture when it came out of the oven, and then I used the pizza wheel to start cutting it and realized that it looked even more pumpkin-like with the ridges in it!

Jack-O-Lantern Fruit "Cups"

Mommy Craft

A very healthy snack idea perfect for the Halloween season!

For this snack idea you will need:

• Oranges (one per child)
• Canned fruit cocktail
• Sharp knife

This is super simple to make.

Cut the top off of your orange. Scoop out all of the orange and pulp and juice on the inside. (If you are thrifty like me, squeeze your juice into something you can save for the kids' breakfast the next day). A spoon works best to get all of the insides out, but be careful you don't want to break any of the orange "bowl."

Cut triangle eyes, nose and a mouth into one side of your orange.

Fill the orange "bowl" with drained fruit cocktail. Put your lid back on and here is a fun, healthy snack your kids won't be able to resist.

Jack-O-Lantern Bagel Snack

A yummy fall snack, or a fun surprise at the breakfast table!

For this snack you will need:

• Bagels cut in half (I used the mini size)
• Cream cheese softened
• Orange food coloring
• Raisins

This snack is as easy as it looks. Simply mix in orange food coloring in to a little softened cream cheese. You'll need about a tablespoon per half of bagel. The use raisins to make it look like a jack-o-lantern.

Yum!

Mommy Note: You may notice that I thought about shaping the raising about 2/3 of the way through my project. If you press the raisin between your thumb and forefinger of one hand, and the forefinger of the other hand it will make a triangle.

Mini Caramel Apples

Toddler, Pre-K, K, 6 & Up

I am not a huge fan of caramel apples (or giving my kids sugar ;), but when I found this idea, I just had to give it a try!

For this snack idea you will need:

• Apple(s) I just used 2 for my family. If you have more kids, you will want more apples
• Melon baller
• Caramel for melting
• Pretzel sticks or thin popsicle sticks

Enjoy!

Mommy Notes:

The woman who made the original idea has hers looking so much prettier than mine. I did not have a metal melon-baller, and my plastic one was struggling, so I used a metal measuring scoop spoon. It is a really cute, and easy snack to make, and you can add nuts or other toppings. Her caramel looks better too, it may be the brand I used, or that she melted pieces, and I just bought a tub of ready to microwave and dip caramel. However they look, just enjoy making them and eating them too!

Here is what the original idea looked like that I based my apples on.

Apple Sauce

Make for: Toddler, Pre-K,
Make with: K, 6 & Up

A yummy tasting, and yummy smelling treat for fall!

If you want to make some for your kids, or with your older ones...here's how.

To make this snack you will need:

• 10 lg. cooking apples, peeled, cored & sliced or cut in chunks
• 1/2 c. water
• 1 tsp. cinnamon
• 1/2 to 1 c. sugar

Put all ingredients into crockpot. Should be about 3/4 full. Cover and cook on low 8 to 10 hours (high 3 to 4 hours).

Enjoy the smell through your house as it cooks, and then enjoy the yummy taste when it is done!

Mmmmmm....

Columbus Boat Snack

Toddler, Pre-K, K, 6 & Up

I am so glad I found a great opportunity to try out this fun snack! Of course you don't have to do it on Columbus Day--your child will love this any day of the week!

For this snack you will need:

• Oranges (I just did 3, obviously you would need plenty for a party)
• Jello in any color or flavor (brighter colors make more of an impression)
• Toothpicks
• Paper

Now, I prepared my kids snack the night before so I would have less mess, and it takes time for the Jello to set.

First, cut your oranges in half. Squeeze the juice out and get all of the insides out. I cut around the fruit and then scooped it out with a small measuring spoon.

Make your Jello according to instructions, and pour inside the orange cups. (I waited for mine to cool down before pouring, I was worried that the boiling temperatures could boil the skin).

Once the jello sets, cut your orange half in half again. Now add your tooth pick and sail. I made my sails look like the sails from the Columbus boats to tie in our theme, but you could just stick to triangles if you wanted.

Here's a look at the original idea I based my snack on: