March 25, 2011
Favorite Afternoon Snacks
Welcome Home Wonderful
Are your kids trained as well as mine? The minute they walk in the door from school, the backpacks are dropped, the shoes kicked off, and hungry mouths beg, "what can we have for snack?" Most days I try to conjure something clever and ever-so-slightly healthy. We'll pull out cheese and crackers, pop a piece of whole-wheat cinnamon toast on a plate, scoop peanut butter into the center of a hollowed out apple. But, something those stand-by's aren't enough. After all, the kids have been in school all day and they need to snuggle their little bodies up by their mama and get cooking in the kitchen. (Okay, whatevs. Their mama needs to sneak in some serious snuggle time with them. But who's keeping track of which way this all works? Not me. I'm just glad for the time with my cute kids).
On those days when we have 20 minutes to spare and spend together, this is a perfect recipe to stir up. The recipe is so simple, even my tiniest helpers can lend a hand. It's super speedy to make and bake. And, it's the sort of recipe that leaves the kids begging, begging, begging for more! more! more! In short, it's ridiculously quick, easy, and delish. Just the sort of snack that welcomes your kiddos home with a big, warm hug.
Get Your Kids in the Kitchen
One of my favorite parts about this recipe is how many little tasks there are for kids to help with. Whether you're baking with a 2-year-old or 10-year-old, here's how you can get them involved in the afterschool snack making:
- One and Two Year Olds. Invite your teeny tots to sprinkle the cheese into the bowl, and stir the batter to mix the recipe all together.
- Three and Four Year Olds.Preschoolers will love pouring in pre-measured cups of flour, milk, and baking powder.
- Five and Six Year Olds. Kindergarten-aged kiddos will be splendid at cracking the egg. Just make sure you invite them to crack it into a small bowl before adding it to the batter! That way, any bits of shell can be fished out.
- Seven to Ten Year Olds.Invite your grade-schoolers to practice their fractions by measuring out the specific amounts of each ingredient needed.
EASY AFTERSCHOOL SNACKS: BLT BACON BITES
- 3/4 cup flour + 1/2 cups for flouring your muffin tin
- 3/4 teaspoon baking powder
- 3/4 cup whole milk
- 1 egg, lightly beaten
- 1 1/2 cups colby-jack cheese, shredded
- 1 small roma tomato, diced
- 3 slices SMITHFIELD Bacon, cooked and crumbled
- 1/4 cup chopped spinach
- A pinch of salt & lots of fresh-cracked pepper
- Ranch Dressing for Dipping
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Spray a mini-muffin tin with a generous layer of non-stick cooking spray, then sprinkle a generous layer of flour. Tap the muffin tin to remove any excess flour. In a large bowl, stir together the flour, baking powder, milk, and egg until a thin batter forms. Stir in the remaining ingredients (except for the ranch dressing!) and spoon into your greased muffin tins. Bake immediately in a preheated oven for 10-20 minutes, or until puffs are golden brown and cooked through. Remove from the oven and cool slightly before serving. Serve with Ranch dressing for dipping. Enjoy!
25 Comments
This sounds awesome, and I love that you added the part where you can get your kids into the kitchen. My 19 month old stirs whatever I’m cooking and adds pepper and other spices to our eggs every morning. He can also crack an egg like a pro. Thanks for the wonderful post!
I’m anxious to try these with my daughter! Great way to get her to eat her vegetables! Thank you!
We love apples and almond butter in the afternoon. But these look amazing for any time of day!
I think this recipe sounds delicious!!
My favorite afternoon snack is granola, or some sort of sammy. Mostly a really good organic granola.
My boys will love these! Thanks for sharing!
WOW!! Just found this web sight “and” the recipe (BLT Bacon Bites). I can not wait to try them.
Thank you for sharing.
Everything you crave and all the comfort that comes with it in one yummy bite! I love these. Thank you for the recipe!
Love this recipe,I have to boys and both waiting for me to make these.
What a great idea (and good use for a mini-muffin tin)! My daughter will love these.
So glad these treats are finally up on the site! I can’t wait to make them!! :)
These look wonderful!!! I know that my kids would love these anytime.
Thank you for sharing this! These sound fantastic for a party too!
These look delicious! I don’t know about kids (yet), but I bet they would be fabulous at a brunch!
Via cheeky kitchen… These look absolutely splendid, I think these will be served immediately before some PB bacon choco chip cookies!
They look yummy and fun! I’m so glad the recipe is up!
