School may only be out for a few days, but already the “I’m hungry, do we have any snacks” can be heard all day long. So I’m making them do the work with these three easy kid-approved snacks that they can make on their own, with only a parent to supervise oven use. What’s on the snacking menu? Sun-butter puppy chow, granola and energy bites!
Sun-Butter Puppy Chow
I’m sure we’ve all made puppy chow before. But for those who can’t use peanut butter, substitute sun butter and boom – you’ve got a nut-free puppy chow that pretty much tastes the same as the original, if not better. I actually prefer it to “regular” puppy chow.
And to make this easier, I do a couple of things: one, I cut the original recipe in half so it’s easier to make; second, I use one bowl and a gallon-sized freezer bag to contain the powder sugar mess. There’s also a bit of portion control when you make this in a smaller batch…well, almost…we never have leftovers after snacking!
Sun Butter Puppy Chow
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp butter
- 1/4 cup sun butter
- 1/2 cup chocolate chips
- 1/2 tsp vanilla
- 4-1/2 cups corn, rice or wheat chex cereal
- 1 cup powdered sugar (add more if needed)
Instructions
- In a large bowl, melt butter, sun butter and chocolate chips. Stir in vanilla until smooth.
- Pour cereal into bowl and carefully stir until cereal is coated.
- Transfer to a large gallon freezer bag. Add powder sugar. Close bag and shake until coated.
Energy Bites
Next on the easy snack list are energy bites. No time to supervise use of the oven? Then this Nut-Free Energy Bites recipe is for you. What I like best about this recipe is that the kids can do this one on their own. All they have to do is just measure out your ingredients, mix together and chill for a bit until they are firm enough to scoop. Store any extras in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
Granola
Granola rounds out the kid-approved snacks list. Not only does it make for a good, healthy snack on its own, it’s also a great topping on yogurt or ice cream. It adds that nice crunch that kids may be looking for. I make a small batch and store it in a freezer bag until we need more.
What’s great about granola is that you can add whatever you have on hand. I wanted a chocolaty taste to this granola so I used chocolate Cheerios cereal, but any cereal would have been a great addition. And while many granola recipes tend to use honey, I like to use a honey/maple syrup mixture, but that’s just my preference.
Nut-Free Granola
Ingredients
- 2 cups oatmeal
- 1 cup cereal (ex: Cheerios, Golden Grahams, Chex cereals)
- 4 tbsp butter
- 1/4 cup brown sugar
- 2 tbsp maple syrup
- 2 tbsp honey
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 1/2 cup dried fruit (raisins/craisins)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350. Line cookie sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
- Mix oatmeal and cereal in a large bowl.
- Heat the butter, brown sugar, maple syrup, honey and salt in a small saucepan until melted.
- Remove from heat and add vanilla. Stir.
- Add to oatmeal/cereal mixture and stir until coated.
- Add dried fruit now or after granola is done baking.
- Spread mixture evenly on cookie sheet and place in oven.
- Bake for about 15-20 minutes or until golden. Be sure to stir the granola in 5 minute increments so it bakes evenly and doesn’t burn.
- Remove and cool. If you didn’t add dried fruit earlier, add now and stir.
- Keep granola in an airtight container.
Do you have a snack idea you’d like to share? Comment below with your recipe and I’ll give it a try! Happy Snacking!
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These look delicious! I’ll have to try them with my kids!
Hope the kids like them!