Fall has officially arrived here in the PNW, from our brisk (and sometimes wet) walks to running out of time when the sun starts to set, just barely after the circus we call dinner. If your kids are anything like mine, they are ravenous ALL THE TIME. I can only stomach throwing so many pumpkin spice oreos their way….when I stumbled across some amazing recipes for snacks and treats for the family. The flavors of fall definitely come through and are healthier alternative to boot!
The first recipe is a spin on an October family favorite around here, Monster Cookies…...but made into energy bites, these are a perfect pick me up for kid’s coming home from school or a toddler (over the age 1, as they contain honey) who woke up cranky from naptime. This recipe is from Kitchen Fun With My 3 Sons “Monster Energy Bites” and it was so easy to make and fast too. I love that these taste basically like cookies but you use peanut butter and honey as an alternative sweetener.
I love Pumpkin Bread, and we’ve made various kinds throughout the years. From the boxed to homemade version, they either had a funky texture or the taste was overly sweet. This is now the champion, Best Pumpkin Bread Ever and my kids didn't even taste a bit of the whole wheat flour. It’s the right amount of sweet, using maple syrup and unsweetened applesauce and the texture was just absolutely moist perfection. The recipe I used is from Eating Bird Food Healthy Pumpkin Bread and even my picky eaters were having seconds.
I decided to use our NEW Night Sky Suction-Go-Bowl when baking and made 2 loaves (one with chocolate chips and one without, the kids devoured both). Since the bowls are smaller than standard loaf pans I checked the bread at 30 minutes and they were already done. Whenever I bake with either my suction-go-bowl or my silicone cupcake liners, I like to make sure that all the washing suds have been boiled away from the silicone. I just boil them for 5-10 minutes and air dry and then they are ready to go, suds free. I usually spray coconut oil as well, as I like things to be slick and quick in my kitchen.
I seriously made both these in one afternoon, they were so easy to throw together. I will warn you though, you may want to double (or triple if you have a gaggle of kiddos) as we had no leftovers.
What fall inspired snacks/treats are favorites for your family? Do you have a “go-to” that you’ve been waiting all year to make????
