I can’t believe it’s time for my kids to go back to school. Summer always goes by way too fast when we are having so much fun. I have four fantastic children who have all embraced my love of food. Over the years, I have found no matter what they ate at school for lunch, they come home near starvation. We have always tried to keep fresh fruit, granola bars and other quick snacks available during the school year to keep them alive. On days that I pick them up from school, I always ask about their day and what they had for lunch. Inevitably they seemed to have eaten a large lunch but can’t wait to get home because they are so incredibly hungry. I think I look forward to this conversation because it makes me giggle to myself.

My kids are all in good health and physical condition. Two of my sons are very serious about weightlifting, eating more than 4,000 calories a day while remaining extremely lean. So, in our house healthy, calorically balanced snacks are important for building muscles and staying fit.

We have played around with recipes for granola, protein bars, protein ice cream, both low calorie and high calorie. My eldest son loves science just as much as I do, so we discuss and experiment with food chemistry to discover variations of recipes to allow for his caloric needs.

Everyone in our house loves fresh fruit. Often, I will buy way too much, or at least that is my intention, and it is gone in a day or two. My wife and I have never kept soda, Kool Aid, chips, candy or cookies in our house. I would rather them eat all the fruit than to eat large quantities of salty and sugary stuff. Comically, when my oldest son was a toddler, he thought that black olives were candy because we would get containers of higher quality olives to enjoy, and I think he saw them as a treat. He is 20 years old now, and still really loves black olives as a snack.

Another favorite purchased snack we can’t seem to keep in the house is toasted seaweed. You can buy a set of small packages of them that are just lightly salted or several assorted flavors. I just recently picked up a Korean BBQ flavored one that disappears a little too quickly.

Granola and yogurt have always been among my favorite snacks. Like fresh fruit, all our kids love granola. Whether we buy it or make it, it tends to disappear quickly. Protein ice cream was something my oldest son discovered from YouTube. At its base level, it is natural flavorings, protein powder, yogurt or milk alternative, ice, and just a tiny bit of xanthan gum or guar gum. You put it all in a food processor and blend. As the gum and everything blends at high speed, it beats air into the now thickened mixture that gets creamy and light. You can omit the gum, but it will lose much of the volume and lightness.

I realize as I write this, that our fridge is always stocked with the ingredients to make a decent charcuterie board, which I think is a wonderful afterschool snack for adults and kids alike. In our house, after school snacks are just a pre-workout meal for two of us and an appetizer for the rest of us as I decide and prepare that evening’s dinner, which I always intend to be simple but ends up being a daily adventure into the culinary universe.

Granola bars

• 1 cup dates, pitted
• 1/4 cup honey
• 1/4 cup peanut butter
• 1 cup chopped and toasted nuts, this can be a mixture of your choice or just almonds.
• 1 ½ cup rolled oats
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• Chocolate chips chopped dried fruit, shredded coconut, or any other fun ingredient you might want to try in a granola bar. Needs to be a dry ingredient. If you add significant quantities of additional ingredients, the quantity of dates, honey and peanut butter will have to be slightly increased.

1. Place dates into a food processor and blend to a smooth paste.
2. Combine honey and peanut butter in a pot and melt over low heat.
3. Combine everything in a large bowl and carefully mix to combine.
4. Pour mixture onto a sheet pan lined with parchment paper and press firmly into an even layer.
5. Cover with plastic wrap and place in the fridge or freezer for 20 minutes, or until set.
6. Cut into desired size and store in an airtight container for several days, or in the freezer for up to three months.

Apple nachos

• 1 Apple sliced thin
• Caramel or chocolate sauce
• Mini chocolate chips
• Toasted shredded coconut, or granola
• Fresh berries
• Whipped cream

1. Arrange the apple slices on a plate randomly.
2. Drizzle preferred sauce over the apples.
3. Sprinkle randomly chocolate chips, coconut and/or granola on top of apples and sauce.
4. Add a couple fresh berries on top.
5. Place a dollop of whipped cream in the middle on top of everything.
6. Add anything else that might be fun and delicious to you. Enjoy!

About

Lincoln Land Community College offers credit programs in Culinary Arts, Hospitality Management and Baking/Pastry, and non-credit cooking and food classes through LLCC Community Education.

Cooking or food questions? Email epicuriosity101@llcc.edu.