Healthy Snacks for kids

I really struggle with my kids diet. I recently had a church meeting that was talking about using your food storage but also using what you store.  Along with that they had ideas for healthy snacks.  It was perfect. I haven't really priced them out but I am told they are healthy and cheaper to make. I do realize a lot of my grocery bill are crackers, fruit snacks, string cheese. stuff like that.  Here are some great alternatives to buying stuff at the store. For me, just saving a trip to the store saves money becuase it seems like I always go for a few items like milk, eggs, etc and come back spending way more than that.

I have tried all of these and love them. They came mostly from my meeting but I am sure you can find other varities out there on pinstrest and the internet.  Most do take quite a bit of time but I always double or triple the batch and some things I put in the freezer especially the graham crackers and they work great. Most of these ingredients are pretty common which I love that I already have. I didn't have dried fruit but most everything else I had. If I can make them anyone can.

Granola Bars

 2 cups old-fashioned oatmeal (not the quick oats)

1 cup sliced almonds

1 cup shredded coconut, loosely packed

1/2 cup toasted wheat germ (optional, I like better without)

3 tablespoons unsalted butter (butter I think works better than margarine.)

2/3 cup honey

1/4 cup light brown sugar, lightly packed

1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

1/2 cup chopped pitted dates (I substitute dried blueberries)

1/2 cup chopped dried apricots (optional)

1/2 cup dried cranberries (optional)

1.  Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Butter an 8 by 12-inch baking dish and line it with parchment paper.

2.  Toss the oatmeal, almonds, and coconut together on a sheet pan and bake for 10 to 12 minutes, stirring occasionally, until lightly browned. Transfer the mixture to a large mixing bowl and stir in the wheat germ.

3.  Reduce the oven temperature to 300 degrees F.

4.  Place the butter, honey, brown sugar, vanilla, and salt in a small saucepan and bring to a boil over medium heat. Cook and stir for a minute, then pour over the toasted oatmeal mixture. Add the dates, apricots, and cranberries and stir well.

5.  Pour the mixture into the prepared pan. Wet your fingers and lightly press the mixture evenly into the pan. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, until light golden brown. Cool for at least 2 to 3 hours before cutting into squares. Serve at room temperature.

Graham Crackers

 1 ½ cup all-purpose flour

1 cup whole wheat pastry flour

1 cup dark brown sugar, packed

1 tsp. baking soda

¾ tsp kosher salt

7 tbsp unsalted butter, cut into 1-inch cubes and frozen

1/3 cup honey

5 tbsp milk

2 tbsp vanilla extract

 1.  Combine the flour, brown sugar, baking soda and salt in the bowl of a food processor fitted with the steel blade or in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment.  Pulse or mix on low to incorporate.  Add the butter and pulse several times or mix on low until the mixture is the consistency of coarse meal.

 2.  In a small bowl, whisk together the honey, milk and vanilla extract.  Add to the flour mixture and pulse several times or mix on low until the dough barely comes together.  It will be very soft and sticky.  Lay out a large piece of plastic wrap and dust it lightly with flour, then turn the dough out onto it and pat into a rectangle about 1-inch thick.  Wrap it, then chill it until firm, about 2 hours or overnight.

 3.  Divide the dough in half and return one half to the refrigerator.  Lightly flour the work surface and roll the dough into a long rectangle about 1/8 inch thick.  The dough will be sticky, so flour as necessary. Trim the edges of the rectangle to 4 inches wide.  Working with the shorter side of the rectangle parallel to the work surface, cut the strip every 4 ½ inches to make 4 crackers. OR roll out and use a cookie cutter to cut out desired shapes.  Gather scraps and re-roll and cut again until all scraps are used up.

 4.  Place the crackers on one or two parchment-lined baking sheets and sprinkle with cinnamon-sugar topping, if desired.  Chill until firm, about 30 to 45 minutes or 15-20 minutes in the freezer.  Repeat with the second batch of dough.  Finally gather any scraps together into a ball, chill until firm, and re-roll.

 5.  Adjust the oven rack to the upper and lower positions and preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Bake for 15-25 minutes, until browned and slightly firm to the touch, rotating the sheets halfway through to ensure even baking.

Nutrigrain Bars

½ cup salted butter, softened

½ cup sweetened applesauce

2 tbsp honey

1/2 cup brown sugar

1 cup whole wheat flour

1 ½ cups all-purpose flour

1 cup oats

1 tsp vanilla

3/4  tsp salt

8-10 oz. jelly or jam

 1.    Mix all ingredients together (except jam) until they form a coarse meal –  

2.   Press one half of the mixture into a foil lined, sprayed 9 X 13 pan

3.   Spread jelly over the crust

4.   Crumble the remaining mixture over the top and press down onto the jelly lightly

5.   Bake at 350 for 20-25 minutes

6.   Allow to cool before cutting into bars

Variations:

Substitute almond extract for the vanilla and add ½ cup sliced almonds to the dough.

Try adding ½ tsp ground cinnamon with a spiced jam.