Apple Boats

I'm just hanging out with the kiddos and a couple of their friends eating an after school snack.  They all opted for cold cereal -- all except for the 1-(almost 2-)year-old.  He and I are enjoying enchilada cassarole leftovers for our late lunch. (recipe coming soon).  But it just got me thinking that I should share one of our favorite snacks.  I love new, healthy ideas for snacks for my kids.  Here's the thing... I'm not sharing recipes on here because I think I have more or better ones than anyone else out there... I'm sharing because I LOVE getting new ideas that are actually practical and that work for my family.  So, I figure why not share a little of what we do... who knows, it may be new to someone! :)

Anywho... here's a great one for a few reasons that I'll get into shortly.  It's....

APPLE BOATS

All you do is cut an apple in half, then cut the seeds out like so....

Then fill that "boat" with peanut butter.  

My kids, love, love, LOVE these.  One thing I really love about them is that it pairs a protein with a sugar.  The almost-2-year-old that roams this joint is known to wake up "on the wrong side of the bed", if you will, from time to time/ALL THE TIME!  I asked the doctor about it and he said it's probably because his blood sugar is low.  Funny thing about doctors, they are smart!  It makes such a different with his mood (and my sanity) when I give him a sugar with protein right when he wakes up.  It just seems to regulate his blood sugar - and you know what they say - no one ain't happy if the baby ain't happy.  Okay, that's not really how it goes BUT isn't it true that the mama ain't happy if the baby ain't happy?  And we all know what happens if mama ain't happy.  Watch out.

Peanut butter on graham crackers, scrambled eggs and juice, fruit and yogurt, and pretzels and cheese are other kid-friendly go-to combos that are quick and easy.