Happy Halloween

Happy Halloween!!  The excitement is extremely high in my house this morning. B did not want to go to school. He made his case that since Halloween is his favorite holiday he should be able to choose what he wants to do for the day.:) Ahh..kids. He can be so funny.  He did in fact, go to school. :)

I thought it would be fun to create a spooky lunch for Halloween. How cute is this?  I used my fun Halloween cookie cutters to cut the shapes for a graveyard scene. I made peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and a whole wheat wrap for the brown tree, tombstone and bat. I cut black olives to make spiders crawling throughout the lunch, with a little help from some cream cheese to help the spiders stick. The fingers, I know gross, and rolled turkey with sliced almonds as fingers.I cut a few slits in the turkey where the knuckles would appear, and added some taco sauce on the ends for blood. (This was B's idea.)  The ghost is made of cheese with mini chocolate chips for eyes. I had to have some fruit in there, so these fresh strawberries completed the lunch. B was so excited to take this to school.

The tick or treat parade is after school, with some trick or treating to follow.  How are you celebrating Halloween?

Thanks for stopping by, Kayla

School Lunch..Spooky Shapes

Halloween is tomorrow. Wahhoooo...  My kids are so excited. I have been sending B to school each day with Halloween inspired lunches. My time has been more limited lately, so I have only snapped a couple pictures to share on snacktimemom. Here is a lunch I made earlier this week. I used cake pop sticks that I found at JoAnn's to make fruit kabobs. I cut ghosts and bats from watermelon, and added some mango. I also cut a fruit strip into bat shapes. Also in this lunch, a ham and cheese wrap, animal crckers, and a granola bar in a cup. Recipe found here.

Thanks for visiting, Kayla

Fall Crafts..Spooky Eyes and Ghost Feet

 Are your kids excited for Halloween?  My oldest has declared Halloween his favorite Holiday.  We have totes filled with decorations that are displayed all over the house, and outside. This year my husband and the boys made a zombie climbing a tree using old clothes and a mask stuffed with leaves. We have ghosts hanging from branches, and spooky hands coming out of the ground. Ha! Halloween is certainly celebrated around here.

 

Lately we have been making Fall/Halloween crafts inside.  I have been perusing pinterest which is my go to place for kids craft ideas. We decided to make ghost feet by painting the kids feet white and press onto black paper, super easy. 

  

  

We also made spooky eyes. I saw this idea on the Today's Show. All you have to do is paint a paper towel holder black, cut slits for eyes, and insert a glow stick. We waiting until dark and set the spooky eyes in a bush outside. It was a great outcome. The eyes really glow. The boys loved this. 

  

Thanks for visiting, Kayla

Apple Banana Gluten Free Baked Oatmeal

Here is another variety of my baked oatmeal cups. They came out so...yummy, and the house smelled amazing. I made these for my sister the other day. They are a dense muffin that will fill you right up in the morning. I make a double batch and freeze them. They defrost nicely in the toaster oven.

You will need:

 2 c. gluten free oats (divided)
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. salt
3 tbs. sugar
1 c. milk
1/2 tsp. vanilla
1/4 c. applesauce
1 mashed banana
1 medium apple, diced
1 tbs. ground fax mixed with 3 tbs. warm water

Mix 1 cup oats with the milk, and let it sit in the bowl for about 15 minutes.  Pulse the remaining cup of oats in food processor, to make into a flour. Mix with remaining ingredients. Bake at 400 for 20 minutes.  I store mine in the fridge. If you store them on the counter in a closed container they will not last as long because there is so much moisture.


Thanks for visiting, Kayla

Granola Bars in a Cup, gluten free

This is my latest granola bar recipe.  I decided to change the regular bars up a bit, and try them out in mini muffin cups instead. It worked beautifully. This recipe is similar to my other granola bars but with a few ingredient changes.  They are gluten free, bonus, which was handy when my niece Tracy came over today. She was a very willing taste tester, and has since texted me for the recipe. It is so much easier to just say " it will be on the blog this week." Before snacktimemom, I typed out recipes for friends and family, and sent them via email. The blog is so much easier to refer people to.  If you give these a try, you will be pleased at how quickly they form in the fridge, and how quick and easy they are to make. 

You will need:
1/2 c. crunchy peanut butter
1/3 c. raw honey
1/4 c. coconut oil
2 c. gluten free oats
1/4 c. pecan meal
1/2 c. shredded unsweetened coconut
1/4 c. chocolate chips

Melt peanut butter, honey and coconut oil over medium heat. Take off burner and add remaining ingredients.  I usually wait a few minutes before I add the chocolate chips so they do not melt.  Spoon into mini muffin cups and place in the fridge to harden. Enjoy!

Thanks for visiting, Kayla

School Lunch

How crazy is it that we are in the last week of October already? It doesn't seem possible. It seems as though we are so busy some days that time just passes us by.  There are so many yummy snacks I have lined up to make, but with no time to make them. Oh well, soon enough. Today we jazz up peanut butter and jelly with cookie cutter stars. I feel like the shapes give a fun look to a child's lunch, which in the end makes them want to eat it. Goal met. :) Also in this lunch we have cucumbers, popcorn, strawberries, mango, a yogurt tube, and a gluten free cinnamon raisin cookie, found here.

Thanks for visiting, Kayla

Gluten Free Apple Crisp

Apple Crisp is on of my all time Fall favorites. Changing up my regular recipe to a gluten free recipe was easier than I thought. It only took one attempt, which in my house is a complete success. I just used gluten free oat flour and gluten free oats. Delicious!

You will need:

4 medium organic apples                       
3/4 c. brown sugar     
1/2 c. gluten free oat flour   
1/2 c. gluten free oats
1/3 c. butter, softened
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. nutmeg    

Method:

Slice apples and arrange in a greased pie plate, or 8x8 baking dish. Mix all ingredients and sprinkle over apples. Bake  at 375 for about 30 minutes. Serve with ice cream or vanilla yogurt. Enjoy!    

Kayla

School Lunch..Kabobs

The simplicity continues. I created a very basic lunch here, with only a few choices. I am learning that sometimes with fewer choices for B to choose from, the easier it is for him to eat all of his lunch right up. And would you look at these fun kabobs. They look so yummy, I wanted them.

In this lunch:
Tomato basil wrap with turkey, cheese, mustard, spinach and pickle
Veggie, olive and cheese kabobs
Organic cheese it type crackers
Organic Strawberries

Kayla

School Lunch

As I sit back and look at this lunch, it certainly looks green. :) Usually a variety of colors help create a delicious lunch that is eye appealing too. This one, not so much. Oh well, it was still delicious, or so I heard. Instead of the usual full size wrap I usually make for B's lunches, I cut two wraps in half, and made one of each kind. The tomato basil wrap is filled with ham, cheese, mustard, and spinach. The spinach wrap is filled with turkey, cheese, mayo, and spinach. Also included: Organic green grapes, cut carrots, cucumbers, pretzel sticks, and white chocolate chips for a treat.

How is school going for your little one's this year?

Kayla

Soccer Snack

It's soccer season. Yay! I absolutely love watching my little guy play soccer. It is a great way for the kids to run around and play with their friends, and get some energy out too. At B's first practice the coach sent around a snack sign up sheet. Of course I signed up. I wanted to bring a fun snack that the parents and kids would love. These banana chocolate chip muffins did the trick. I decided to add a little bit of fun to them, by making soccer ball toothpicks. Simple and adorable.The kids loved them. The best part, they are egg free. B has a friend with an egg allergy on his team, so accommodating was easy.

You will need:

3/4 C. Milk
1/4 C. Vegetable Oil
1 TBS. Ground Flax, mixed with 3 TBS. Warm Water
1 C. All Purpose Flour
1 C. Wheat Flour
1/2 C. Sugar
2 TSP. Baking Powder
1/2 TSP. Salt
2 Mashed Bananas
1/2 C. Chocolate Chips

Method:
Beat milk, oil, and flax mixture in a large bowl.  Fold in sugar, mashed banana, and chocolate chips. Add all dry ingredients.  Pour into muffin cups and bake at 400 for approx.. 20 minutes. 
Enjoy!

Kayla

School Lunch...Ham and Cheese Pita's

The pita pocket is going over very well for lunches. If you have not tried it, you must. Pitas, and wraps really help add some variety to school lunches. A plain old sandwich is simply that. Plain, and old. :) No, sandwiches are great, just a little over done, right?

In this lunch
Ham and Cheese pita with mustard and spinach, tomato and pickles on the side
Organic Mango
Organic Strawberries
Organic Cheese Crackers
Bar recipe

Kayla

Apple Picking

 

We went apple picking last weekend. This Fall activity is by far our absolute favorite. Each year my family marks the calendar with the best possible day that fits into our schedule, and we have an apple picking countdown. I know it may sound silly, but this is a huge hit in our household. The day finally arrived, and the boys were ecstatic.

 

We make the hour drive to Ricker Hill Orchards in Turner Maine. Ricker Hill has Organic U Pick apples. Our tradition is to pick first, and then play. Guests have the option to buy a day pass which includes the corn maze, hay slide, bounce houses, animals, and all sorts of other fun activities. The kids had a blast. Below are a few pictures taken at the orchard. It was a beautiful Fall day.

Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Bars

As you may recall I made this recipe a few weeks ago, but in a ball form.  I had a few people ask me if they could be made without the raw cocoa butter, since it is not a staple most people have on hand. So, I decided to make the recipe again without the cocoa butter to see how much it would affect the taste.  They came out great.  This time I chose to make them into bars.

You will need:
1 1/2 c. cashews, unsalted
1 c. pitted dates
1/4 tsp. sea salt
1 tsp. vanilla
3 tbs. mini chocolate chips

Method:
Pulse cashews in food processor until they are tiny pieces. It should look like this.
Add the remaining ingredients and pulse to combine. You may have to scrape the mixture down and pulse again until you see it coming together. Your mixture should look like this.

Press into a parchment lined 8x8 pan, and chill in fridge before cutting into bars.  Store in refrigerator.  Enjoy!

You can view my original post here.
Kayla