WFMW: Banana Boats

Okay, I have to admit, this idea isn’t original. I got it from my friend Gretchen when she hosted a playdate a few years ago. But it’s so good, we’re still using it!

One of our favorite kid snacks is Banana Boats. They’re tasty, healthy and so easy! And did I mention kids (oh, okay…and every grown-up who’s ever tried them) love ‘em?

Take a banana and cut it in half width-wise (is that a word?). Then halve each half again lengthwise so you have 4 pieces of banana, each with a flat side and a rounded side.

Top the flat side of each with a layer of peanut butter. Top that with granola (our favorite is Cascadian Farm). Serve.

I was planning to take pictures of my lovely creations, which I made for an after-school snack today, but they literally got snarfed down by Big Sis before I even got the camera out. Oops.

I’ll post pics when I can. Until then, enjoy!

For more great ideas, check out Works for me Wednesday at Rocks in my Dryer.

WFMW: PB & G Crackers

Well, I thought of this a week too late for the “Five Ingredients or Less” WFMW, but it’s a good idea that works for me!

I came up with this last year when I was watching one of the neighbor kids after school three days a week, and I had three hungry mouths to feed midafternoon.

Peanut Butter and Grape Crackers

Take a Triscuit cracker (healthy whole grain, but you can use what you like). Spread it with peanut butter. Add 2 grape halves (red looks pretty, but use what you have on hand). I’ve also topped the peanut butter with thinly sliced apple.

Now, the Triscuits aren’t my kids’ favorite crackers, but slather them with peanut butter and a grape, and they go down FAST! I like using a grape because it’s that much healthier than jelly, and counts toward their daily fruit intake.

Did I mention that I downed about 10 of these last night? They’re THAT good!

For more great ideas, check out Rocks in My Dryer.

WFMW: Never buy Uncrustables again!

I always swore I would never be one of those moms who cut the crusts off her kids’ sandwiches. Eat it, because they’ll make you hair curly (anyone else hear that growing up?). Besides, if you have a food hang-up, learn to handle it yourself. If you want the crusts off, YOU take them off.

So when Big Sis started first grade and began taking her lunch to school, I left the crusts on her pb&j. But every day that week, she’d come home crabby (low blood sugar?) with most of her lunch untouched…except for the sandwich.

It turns out that it took her so long to remove the crust of the sandwich herself that she didn’t have time to eat anything else (her lunch period is only a half-hour, including travel time)!

So I gave up on the crust battle, at least for school lunches. But I got tired of hand-trimming them with a knife. So rooted through my kitchen gadgets and found these great cookie cutters. They’re big (sandwich-sized), cute, and easy to clean (dishwasher-safe). Depending on the design (heart or flower), they keep most of the sandwich while leaving behind the soft, yummy middle.

I also hated taking time to make a sandwich every morning, so I stole an idea I read somewhere (sorry, no idea where!) and made and froze an entire loaf’s worth of sandwiches at a time. A pb&j assembly line: spread peanut butter, spread jelly, fold together, cut crusts off with cookie cutter, wrap in wax paper, insert into zip-top freezer bag (about 8 sandwiches fit). She usually has a hot lunch at school about once a week, so one session buys me two weeks of sandwiches.

So now making lunch is a grab and toss affair: frozen sandwich (it defrosts by lunchtime), chips, fruit, and maybe something sweet (if she’s been good about eating her fruits & veggies). She buys chocolate milk at school.

Hey…so far, it works for me! I’ve never bought a box of Uncrustables yet! (But if you do, I can’t judge you, of course…it’s what works for YOU!)

For more great ideas, check out Rocks in My Dryer.