Homemade Lunch Snacks

This is the first school year that I have had to pack a lunch for one of my kids. My oldest, Carter, has entered the halls of first grade at a parochial school that does not serve lunch so everyone must bring a packed lunch. Being the food Nazi that I am I was determined to provide a healthy homemade desirable lunch snack that would not leave my son feeling deprived and longing for all the other pre-packaged chemical laden foods that I know that other kids will be eating right in front of him. So in late August I set out making 4 different recipes of sweet delectable treats and froze them in individual servings. They were a hit! Of course I am sure that the previous 6 ½ years of brainwashing him that EVERYTHING homemade is better than store bought pre-made junk helped.

We just finished off those 4 recipes that were stashed away and made 3 more batches of similar snacks. We probably went through them faster than necessary because my daughter could not understand that the snacks were for her big brother’s lunches and that I could whip up other things for her at home. So my 4 year old Vivian consumed some of the snacks and if the littlest one, 18 month old Dillon, saw her nibbling on one then of course he had to have one also . . .but overall I think 4 batches that lasted us from the beginning of the school year to October 20th is pretty good.

The adjective “healthy” is used loosely here. I really should describe these snacks as “slightly better than a cookie” and of course everything homemade is way better than store bought, right?

1) Rice Krispie treats made with whole grain Cheerios (generic brand of course) instead of Rice Krispies
2) Playgroup Granola Bars http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Playgroup-Granola-Bars/Detail.aspx -- I don’t think these are great but the kids love them. Healthy qualities include wheat germ and raisins.
3) Chewy Granola Bars http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Chewy-Granola-Bars/Detail.aspx -- Made with rolled oats. Carter does not eat oatmeal so I like that a lot of these bars are made with old fashioned/rolled oats. Fiber anyone?
4) No bake cereal bars. http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/No-Bake-Cereal-Bars/Detail.aspx Ok this is one that I kept eating. A little too close to candy really to be considered “healthy” but it does have that protein packed peanut butter in it and whole grain cheerios. J
5) Granola Cereal Bars - crunchy http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Granola-Cereal-Bars/Detail.aspx I was surprised that this one was also a favorite with the kids. Oats and peanut butter are the pluses for this one.
6) Peatnuty Caramel Bars http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Peanutty-Caramel-Bars/Detail.aspx Ok, this one is also way too close to candy and I kept sneaking them. I gave this one out only once a week or less as a treat but at least it has peanuts in it which I can not get Carter to eat otherwise.


It was funny and horrifying to hear my son report on what other kids brought for their lunches. It was his favorite thing to tell me about school the first couple weeks. I’m glad to hear that the kid who brought a sprite every day the first week has been told that soda is not permissible. I would love to know which girl is bringing a salad and bacon every day. Some girl was apparently making the moves on my Carter because she gave him a little Debbie treat but the school started enforcing their “no sharing or trading” lunch policy.