My nephew famously told my sister, years ago, “You know what a boy likes when he comes home from school?”
Milk and Warm Cookies
It’s great advice, honestly.
So, there is one (age-old) idea for an after-school snack! You can always just buy the store-bought dough and throw just a few in the oven every day, otherwise, if you are like me, you’ll finish the batch, “cleaning up”.
But there are more ideas for after school snacks than milk and warm cookies. If you are always running around, or (like me) sitting around “running” from zoom meeting to zoom meeting, you may have, *gasp* offered only some mini chip bags or a string cheese or two. I must say, I have gained popularity with some kids (mainly my 4 year old nephew) for being cool enough to have mini bags of Cheetos. But I’m not too proud of that.
After School Snack Ideas
Most of my after school snack ideas I get from my sisters, so if you aren’t so lucky to have sisters like mine, I thought I would share a couple of after school ideas here. These aren’t meant to be recipes, just general snacky vibe inspirations.
Charcuterie/Veggies and Dip:
It’s not rocket science, but it still kind of astounds me every time I see my sister chopping away at a large jicama, arranging carrots, bell pepper and cucumbers slices around a bowl of dip (typically Greek yogurt mixed with onion soup mix) and moments later see all the cousins crowded around devouring it, usually before she is even finished chopping.
Adding some salami, crackers or nuts to it is the icing on the cake. Put out the veggies and at least in my family, the kids don’t turn up their nose (except at the kid who dares to double dip), they dig in. Make it a practice, and they will get a lot more nutrition than my baby bag of Cheetos!
Fruit and Dip
In the same way, cutting up fruit (despite it’s a bit of a pain), pays dividends in after school snacking. My husband is notorious for this at every meal. I love it for after school.
Oddly enough, few kids (especially those with wiggly teeth) are pumped about biting into a big apple from a beautiful fruit bowl. But, if you cut them, spread them with peanut butter, or put together a quick sweet dip, they’ll disappear! Same with cantaloupe, watermelon, orange slices, bananas, etc. Add a little Nutella, caramel, make a fun pumpkin dip for the fall, and the fruit bowl will be gone before the fruit flies come for you.
I understand how annoying and time consuming it can be to cut fruit some days, though, so for those days? Grapes. Throw them in a pretty colander and have them on the counter when kids come home, they are impossible to resist! We always have grapes in our house. I won’t tell you how much I spend on them. That’s another story!
Tea Time
Another idea brought to you by my adult niece! She was recently reminiscing fondly about her grade school days when they lived in Nebraska and would come home in fall or winter and have Constant Comment tea and “fancy German cookies”. What a lovely memory.
Tea time is all about the tradition and warm feeling of custom and shared enjoyment. The warmth of a cup of tea together, having to slowly enjoy as it cools, and adding a crustless sandwich, a scone, biscotti, or some kind of fancy (probably European) cookie, from a macaron to a shortbread to a madeleine, makes the entire experience slow, memorable and calming.
Most of these snacks are likely store bought and lack any prep time. Putting on the kettle is a signal the hustle and bustle portion of the day is over. The scent of the tea (my favorites are peppermint and Good Earth, especially the rarely found peppermint version) make the memory more lasting, as scents do!
Bread and Cocoa
Okay, okay, no one said this was a health-related article. As a once in a while treat, maybe after an especially long day or week, nothing feels more special than warm bread and cocoa. My mom baked bread just about every day of my childhood, so I may be partial. My oldest sister gave me a bread-maker for my 18th birthday, and I still have it! It’s one of the best gifts I have ever been given. To be totally honest, I almost always make the standard (childhood favorite) white bread. I can always spice up with a jam or cinnamon or a slice of cheese or tomato or any number of things. Mostly just some butter is all I need.
You don’t need a real bread maker either. There are plenty of simple bread recipes and mixes both for rising breads and sweet breads. Make a banana bread, a pumpkin bread or any number of savory options to echo the seasons changes. Add cocoa with cinnamon, marshmallows, a candy cane or whipped cream and you truly have a celebratory occasion. This is a sporadic treat, but it feels so much more special than an ice cream treat or a bigger bag of Cheetos!
Share It Together
It’s so hard to take a break, ever. But research shows that food consumed mindlessly while working, driving, rushing to and fro leads to unintended and unenjoyed calories! This school year, let’s try to take a 15 minute break to make a snack and share it with the kids, if we can. Sip some tea. Grab some grapes. Really enjoy that warm slice of bread with butter and a sprinkle of cinnamon. Avoid chomping down the 200 calorie “protein” bar before dinner or before taking kids to practice. Light an early evening candle. Experience the seasons with your snacks and your favorite people! I can guarantee they will remember it.
