snacks

The Last Snack

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turkey sandwiches for kids

Tomorrow is our last turn at kindergarten snack. I offered to make Miss Priss any snack she desired. What did she pick? Plain turkey sandwiches on white squishy bread (with the crusts cut off). With a big sigh and a heavy heart, I complied. So, here they are. The most basic snack I do, but it is probably the one that Miss Priss likes the best.

That does not mean that you, readers, have to serve plain turkey sandwiches for kid snacks. You can click Party Sandwiches for one of the easiest recipes you will ever follow, but I am also posting links back to old posts with the other super snacks from this year. Are you signed up to bring an item for an end of the year party? Any of the choices below will work!

Dill Dip

Dill Dip, Veggies, and Pretzels

Fruit Dip

apple dip close up

Turkey Wraps

turkey wrap close

Pizza Bread

slice pizza bread

Dirt and Worms

dirt and worms tray

Chex Mix

dinosaur chex mix

Dirt and Worms

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dirt and worms close

In honor of the gardening unit Miss Priss and her class are completing right now, we will be sending Dirt and Worms for kindergarten snack tomorrow. Miss Priss thought it might not be a “healthy” snack, and she is probably right. I did a little rationalizing much like Bill Cosby’s reasons for serving chocolate cake for breakfast, and I think the milk in the pudding bumps the snack into the safe zone.

Ingredients

  • 2 (20 oz.) packages Oreo cookies
  • 1/2 stick butter (4 T.), softened
  • 1 (8 oz.) cream cheese, softened
  • 1 c. powdered sugar
  • 3 1/2 c. milk
  • 2 sm. vanilla instant pudding boxes
  • 1 (12 oz.) Cool Whip
  • Gummi worms

dirt and worms first layer

Directions

  • Cream the butter, cream cheese, and powdered sugar together in one bowl. Mix pudding together with the milk in another bowl until stiff. Add the Cool Whip to the pudding mixture. Mix the cream cheese mixture into the pudding mixture until smooth (I use a whisk).
  • Crush the Oreos in a food processor. Start with 1 1/2 packages, then crush the rest if you need more crumbs.
  • For individual snacks, Layer 1 heaping tablespoon of Oreo crumbs, then ~1/2 cup pudding mixture, then another tablespoon of crumbs in 9 oz. clear plastic tumblers. Top with 1-2 Gummi worms. You will get ~20 individual cups.
  • Can be made the night before and refrigerated until time to serve.

dirt and worms tray

Variations

  • Replace the vanilla instant pudding with chocolate. I think the chocolate pudding makes the snack too chocolate-y, which is why I use the vanilla. The chocolate pudding color is obviously more authentic as real dirt.
  • Use graham cracker crumbs instead of Oreos, and mini Swedish fish instead of Gummi worms, and top with a small drink umbrella to make “the beach”.
  • Line a flower pot with tin foil and layer crushed Oreos and pudding in the pot. Top with Gummi worms and a plastic flower(s).

There is a chance we will have one more kindergarten snack opportunity this year. Any thoughts? I don’t think I can top the Dirt and Worms.

dirt and worms cups

Kindergarten Snack, Again

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turkey wrap close

Miss Priss is slowly embracing TheRoomMom version of snack after she realized she wasn’t as hungry in the afternoon on our snack days. She requested turkey wraps for her class this rotation. Not only is it easy to make a basic wrap, but it can be a good school lunch option, and you can fill it with all kinds of meat, cheese, or veggies depending on the tastes of your child. I made extras tonight to take with me to school tomorrow to share with my co-teacher.

turkey wrap ingredients

Ingredients

  • large flour tortillas (I needed 2 packs of 10 tortillas)
  • 1 1/2 to 2 lbs. thinly sliced turkey
  • cream cheese, softened
  • shredded lettuce (optional)
  • grated carrots (optional)

assembling turkey wrap

Directions

  • Spread a thin layer of cream cheese on one side of a tortilla. Cover the entire surface.
  • Cover the cream cheese with a layer of turkey. I use 2-3 slices.
  • Near one edge of the tortilla, sprinkle a line of lettuce and grated carrot.
  • From the end with the lettuce and carrot, roll the tortilla.
  • Slice into 5 pieces. (I discard the ends– and by discard, I mean TheRoomDad eats them.)
  • Can be made the night before and refrigerated since they don’t get soggy!

turkey wraps sliced

For Adults

  • I like to spread the tortilla with Boursin or Alouette cheese and add additional thinly sliced veggies like red pepper.
  • Hummus makes a good spread too instead of the cream cheese.

I am also sending in bags of pretzels because I think this snack may be too “weird” for some kindergarteners. We did make half of the wraps with cream cheese and turkey only, so I am hoping all of the kids might give it a try. What are other good wrap combinations for children or adults?

turkey wraps tupperware

Buffalo Chicken Dip

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buffalo chicken dip

It has taken me several days to write about the final party dip decision for our dip-for-dinner meal while watching the Super Bowl. After considering all of my dip options for Super Bowl Sunday, I opted for a new RoomMom recipe. Several years ago, I ate something like this at a friend’s house. She picked it up in the pre-made section of her grocery store. Then, I started seeing a variety of Buffalo Chicken Dip recipes popping up on Pinterest. If you like hot wings, you will like this.

Ingredients

  • 1 (8-oz) package cream cheese, room temperature
  • 2 chicken breasts, skin on, bone in (about 2 lbs)
  • 1/2 c. Louisiana Hot Sauce (or Tabasco)
  • 1/2 c. blue cheese salad dressing (or ranch)
  • 6-8 oz. shredded Colby-Monterey Jack cheese
  • Tortilla chips or Frito Scoops
  • Celery sticks

Directions

  • Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Put chicken breasts on a roasting pan. Rub skin with olive oil and season generously with Kosher salt and black pepper. Cook chicken for about 40 minutes until golden on the top and cooked through. Remove from oven and tent with foil. Let rest until cool enough to handle. When cooled, remove skin and pull chicken off the bone; cut into bite sized pieces and set aside.

roasted chicken breasts   chopped chicken

  • Beat cream cheese, hot sauce, and blue cheese dressing together until smooth.

beat cream cheese

  • Fold in chicken pieces.
  • Spray baking dish with Pam and spread mixture into the dish.
  • Sprinkle Colby-Jack cheese on top.

dip before baking

  • Bake at 350 degrees about 20 minutes until cheese is melted and bubbly.
  • Serve hot with chips and celery sticks.

Notes

  • You can use 2 (10-oz) cans of chunk white chicken, drained if you do not have time to cook your own chicken. Although, now that I have perfected roasting a package of chicken breasts, I recommend the method above.
  • A pie pan or a 9×9 baking dish is a good size for serving this dip.

buffalo chicken dip close up

Pizza Bread

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11

slice pizza bread

It was our turn again in the kindergarten snack rotation. This time I talked Miss Priss into pizza bread. Our dear neighbor friend has a dear longtime friend who brings a batch of this stuff every time she visits. I love it, and it tastes great at room temperature. I thought it would be a good kindergarten snack that would appeal to all kinds of different eaters (that is code for picky).

If you missed the dill dip post, I will update you about our snack dilemmas. My daughter eats lunch at 10 am and has a snack each day at noon. Since the snack is at normal people lunchtime, I always feel obligated to send in something a little more substantial than a graham cracker when it is our turn to provide snack. My daughter disagrees. She wants me to send in a tiny bag of pretzels like all of the other kids. I don’t want to be like all of the other kids. Disregarding the damage I may be doing to my daughter’s school image, I moved ahead with the pizza bread.

ready dough

Ingredients

  • Ready-Dough*, thawed only– not raised (available in the grocery store freezer section) 
  • turkey pepperoni cut into slivers
  • shredded mozzarella or pizza cheese

* If you can’t locate Ready-Dough, use Pillsbury French Bread in the refrigerated section of the grocery store.

assembling pizza bread

Directions

  • Flatten the thawed Ready-Dough out into a rectangle on a cookie sheet sprayed with Pam. Try to press it out as close to the edges as possible without ripping holes in the dough. If using Pillsbury French Bread, unroll and press out the same way.
  • Sprinkle a generous amount of cheese down the center of the dough. Top with the slivered pepperoni.
  • Fold the sides of the dough into the center like you are folding a business letter. Pinch the ends together.
  • Flip the loaf, so it is seam side down on the cookie sheet and bake according to the package directions for pizza (400 degrees about 15 minutes).
  • Let cool slightly and slice. Serve warm or at room temperature.

folding pizza bread

Notes

  • If you are sending pizza bread to school for snack, make up the loaves, put on cookie sheets, cover with Saran wrap and refrigerate overnight. In the morning, wake up 20 minutes early and put loaves in the oven. Get in the shower while the bread is cooking. Pull out of the oven and let cool. Slice and arrange in a large tupperware. Get as close to room temperature as possible before putting the lid on the tupperware. Send a note to the teachers letting them know to keep snack at room temperature until serving and to NOT refrigerate.
  • If you are taking to a tailgate, follow the school snack serving directions above.
  • If you are taking to a Super Bowl party at a friend’s house, bake the bread at your house, let cool, and wrap completely in tin foil. Re-heat in the tin foil at the friend’s house and serve hot. Set out a dish of marinara sauce for dipping!

pizza bread slices