Many times I opt for a "snack" instead of a regular meal.  Grew up on healthy snacks, like pb on crackers, almost anything on saltines.  Did the same for my sons too, they still snack. 

Many times, I'd just start into my pantry or 'fridge and "not have anything to make."  When it's snowing, 30 deg. below zero at night in windy Chicago, with two hungry sons, mom gets creative.  My favorite was "breakfast for dinner," which always was a hit.

Snackers and graziers, please share...

ANTS ON A LOG

Celery ribs

cream cheese, mixed with a little confectioner's sugar

raisins

Cut celery ribs into 2-3" lengths.  Mix the cream cheese (I use the 3 oz. size) with some confectioner's sugar (about 1-2 T.); put in a small plastic baggie, cut the corner off, pipe into the celery ribs.  Press the raisins into the cream cheese.

----------------------------

HEALTHY OATMEAL

1/2 C. regular oatmeal

1/2 C. reduced-fat milk

1/2 C. water

2 T. peanut butter

Put all together in small saucepan and boil gently until creamy.  This really sticks to your ribs and is good for you and not high in calories.

-----------------------------

FRUIT SMOOTHIE

1 C. favorite berries (frozen are best)

1 C. low-fat milk

2 T. honey or 1 T. sugar

Blend all together - if you want an icier texture, add some ice cubes while blending 

Berny, OMG no wonder you're worried about your daughter.  DS#2, was offered an overseas language scholarship to Spain/Portugal - he refused.  I hope she's in good hands.

Erna, lol, another water baby!  Yep, that Pacific isn't as nice as the Atlantic for swimming.  The Atlantic is like bath tub water, but you gotta watch out for the jellyfish.  Man O' War's were washing up on the beach; DH thought they were zip-lock baggies.  He was poking them with a stick - I told the stubborn mule "go ahead, step on one of them, but give me your cell phone because I'll be calling 911 soon."  He believed his blonde wife (being blond is a brilliant disguise).

Twinkle, I think alot of us will be making your carrot cake.  Have never made a carrot cake so will be shopping for the ingredients.  It's my guy's favorite and chef son thinks a great carrot cake would be a hit in the Hilton's Chop House (where he works). 

Hoping to find more good snack suggestions, lydia.

Peeking in and waving  :)    Since DH works 2nd shift and it's just Jake and I, we do a lot of simple meals for dinner.    

*I like to take whole wheat tortillas or wraps, sprinkle them with a tiny bit of cheese, fold in half and microwave for a minute or so.   Serve with salsa and a small dollop of light sour cream.  

*Jake can't have PB, but I make our "Ants" on a "snowy" log   LOL   I replace the PB with lite cream cheese and add the raisins.

*Oatmeal Waffles with blueberries or bananas

http://community.tasteofhome.com/forums/p/607514/5055028.aspx#5055028

*Whole Wheat toast with sliced banana and a drizzle of honey

*Any small pasta, cooked, then tossed with a can of diced tomatoes.   I add some crushed red pepper to mine, Jake likes a sprinkle of real parm cheese.

I'm sure there is more I'm forgetting!    Will definitely be checking back to see if I can get some new ideas, thank you.


:)
Jolene

Hello Girls

Lydia thanks so much for starting this great new topic - never have anough snack recipes for DS...

i will post something later as i have a major project to finish this week.

Waving to jolene - Thanks for your recipes!!

Hugs Twinkle 

Hello everyone!

I finally made it back!! :)

Lydia, thanks for starting a new thread! Great Idea!!

Morning Twinkle! I will have to look up that carrot cake!! sounds good! :)

Hi Jolene!

Shanon, did you make it home yet? It was warm yesterday and this morning, but there are storms moving in and a cold front coming through later tonight/tomorrow...

Waving to Renate, Erna, Berny and everyone that comes by!

I will try to post recipes later....I have to work all day today (1st of the month) and then help with a funeral tonight and tomorrow, so it will be later on before I can....

TTYL Jet

Hello Ladies!!! I'm back and it's right back to work. I got a call at 6am to come in and teach Home Ec. I have Jr. High in the morning and High School in the afternoon. It's my favorite school so it will be a good day.

Holy Cow! The trip home from England was a beast! We got to Gatwick airport later than what we wanted and began to check in. Gatwick has a security rule that you cannot have more than one carry-on (this includes a purse so if you have a purse with you, you cannot have anything else) so I had to condense. Once I condensed my luggage, my suitcase was too heavy and they wouldn't accept it. To make matters worse, there was a lady there who was rushing me because they were closing the gate. The attendent was extremely rude and was pushing every button. They charged us $160 USD for the overweight luggage! I had to give Scott a quick kiss and run...no goodbyes or I love yous...just kiss and run. I went through two separate security screenings and had to run to the extreme other end of the airport to get to the gate. When I got there, they weren't even close to closing the gate. I sat on the plane for 25 minutes before they shut the door. All that running for nothing. The flight was fine. I was glad to be home. I went straight to Mom's to show her my ring and she was very sick. I think she's enemic. Anyway, it was  a quiet evening. I got home late and my dog was a wild animal when I got home. She was so excited when I came in. It was hard to calm her down. But it was nice to be welcomed like that. Dogs are the best.

I am going to get some of my recipes together from England and post them on a separate thread. I'll try to do this withing the next couple of days. Not all of the food was good but some of it was great! Our last meal at Pepe Sale's was fantastic! The suckling pig was a terrific idea and I ate every bit of that little piggie. YUM! They served this really yummy bread called Sardenia Bread as an appetizer and the owner told me how to make it. I can't wait to try it! It was thin like a cracker with a tiny bit of olive oil with salt and minced rosemary sprinkled over it. YUM!

Yes, the weather is better here. In the 70's but it's going to get colder this week. It will be mild compared to what it has been but at least it's not icy rain and snow. I'm definitely ready for Spring. I'm going to plant some herbs and small veggies in some planters (bushel baskets) so that I can enjoy a hobby this summer! Gardening is a great escape for me! Well, talk to you all later!

Shannon

One of my favorite snacks is a grilled PB&J sandwich! You make it just like a grilled cheese except you put the peanut butter and jelly on the inside. It's messy and really rich but it's great when you need to indulge for a minute.

Speaking of cheese, go to the grocery and buy several different types of cheeses...smoked cheeses, soft cheeses, hard cheeses, pungeant cheeses along with some different types of bread - whole grain, potato, cheesebread etc and make grilled cheese sandwiches with them. I like to use different mustards or mayo/mustard blends on the cheese. I'll mix a little grainy mustard with mayo and spread it on the inside or a jalepeno mustard with a mild cheese. If you can find it, beer mustard is really good with a mild cheese too. I also like to get different cuts of meats (hams, salami's, beefs and so on) from the deli and grill these right along witht the cheese and mustard. It's like gourmet grilled cheese.

Have any of you experienced "Stinking Bishop" cheese? I've never smelled its match in stench! Scott and I went to a cheese monger in Bath and I picked up a piece of paper that was sitting on top of the Stinking Bishop wheel of cheese...OMG! The paper had enough stink on it to make a skunk coil and bury his nose! Wow!

TTYL

Shannon

Lydia, thanks for starting a new thread. Snacks are always welcome I guess in every house. I am always on the search to find some. I been wanting to make those Garbanzo beans. I found the recipe on an other bb.

Boy, you DH sure is adventures. I'm glad he listens to you once in awile. Wow, this is great that DS chef sons wants Twinkles carrot recipe. I copied it and it sure will be a hit with my lady group.

Be back tonight, till than, waving to all of you

Erna

Cajun-Style Garbanzo Nuts

1 15oz can garbanzo beans
cooking spray
1 tea. pepper ( I used white pepper)
1 tea. garlic powder
1/4 tea. cayenne pepper
1/4 tea. ground oregano
1/2 tea. salt (optional)

preheat oven to 325.

rinse & drain beans. Coat a baking sheet w/cooking spray. Spread beans on baking sheet.

Combine all spices in a small bowl, while beans are moist, sprinkle w/spice mixture. Bake for 45-55 min. or until brown & crisp, stir as needed.

These are real tasty and good on a salad.

I wrote a long post last nught,but I pushed a wrong bottum and it disappeared. Waving to all of you. We took my DS cat to the vet today and I had to make some important phone calls.We are leaving the 11. and we will be in Frankfurt on the 12.Will be back later.Renate

Twinkle I will E-mail you tomorrow.

Lydia, after reading about the carrot cake again it wouldn't let me rest in piece. after I got off the bb I went in the kitchen and I had all the ingredients handy and baked the cake. It is yummy. Tonight my to friends got to taste it too. Just got back from having coffee with them. I never frost my cakes, but my one friend complained and I guess next time I better do it.

 I also made the snack I posted and would not make it again. They just okay.

 Renate, you are not alone with loosing posts. Many times I hit the wrong key and woops, my typing dissapears. I lost the other day a 3 page letter. It is some were in the space, my friend did not get it. You see, we all make mistakes. Did you hear about those bad storms they been or had in Germany?

It warmed up here today and I even started cleaning off my outside tables and chairs.

 Bis spaeter

Erna

hello ladies

ok renate i will be looking for your mail. Have a safe trip!!

Erna this carrot cake needs the frosting - for me it isnt the real thing without it and i only use saigon cinnamon that make all the difference in flavor..... i will make them as Muffins for Easter.

The hurricane was terrible Erna 15 people killed  - i am just glad nothing happend here apart from the little damage to my sisters house.

Lydia my DS would snack all day and he is trying to do it - He loves crackers too but only if he has soup with it - strange... Breakfast for dinner we do that too sometimes as DS and i love cereal even plain without milk and we snack on them - lol

Shannon glad you had a safe trip home - too bad you had such a hassle coming back - i kno London Airports are a real pain in the a.. - they make things as difficult as possible. Enjoy your class and being back home.

Berny how about egg shaped rolls, rice kriepie treats or cookies that you color with food coloring??

 waving to everybody!

Better get back to work... have a nice day - Twinkle

Toasted Oats power cubes 

This resembles rice krispie treats but is made with toasted oats which are loaded with complex carbs (the kind you need) and fiber and yet they are still delicious. The best thing about this healthy snack recipe is the no bake simplicity. Ready in about 15-20 minutes

3 cups all-purpose flour (3 to 3 1/2 cups)
1/2 cup chopped dates
1/2 cup chopped dried apricots
1/2 cup chopped walnuts, toasted
3 tablespoons sugar
1 package Rapid Rise yeast
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup water
1/4 cup butter or margarine
Confectioners' sugar

In large bowl, combine 1 1/2 cups flour, dates, apricots, walnuts, sugar, undissolved yeast and salt. Heat milk, water and butter until very warm (125 to 130F); stir into dry ingredients. Stir in enough remaining flour to make soft dough. Knead on lightly floured surface until smooth and elastic, about 4 to 6 minutes. Cover; let rest 10 minutes.

On lightly floured surface, roll dough to 12-inch circle or 10 x 15-inch rectangle. Place on greased pizza pan or baking sheet. Bake at 400F for 20 minutes or until done. Remove from pan; cool on wire rack. Sift confectioners' sugar on top. Cut into wedges, strips, or squares to serve. Serve with whipped cream cheese or creamy peanut butter, if desired.

Servings: 12

Cottage Cheese Fritters

Smartard

4 eggs
230ml (8 floz) Oil for frying
50g (2oz) Cottage cheese
4 tsp Double cream
Brown sugar to taste

Pass the cottage cheese through a sieve into a bowl to produce a smooth paste.
Add eggs and cream to the bowl, and whisk together until smooth.
Heat oil in a frying pan and fry the mixture a small amount at a time, spreading it out as it is poured into the pan.
Allow the fritters to cook until they start to brown around the edges.
Carefully remove from the oil and drain on paper towels.
Arrange on a serving dish and sprinkle with brown sugar.
Serves four to six.