Tag Archives: back to school

#NationalAntsOnALogDay

Ants On A Log

Yes – that’s a national day!

Hope everyone had an incredible Labor Day weekend. Mine was spent upstate in the Adirondacks fully relaxing, barbecuing, and – early for the season – apple picking! Stay tuned later today for what I plan on making tonight with my apple bounty!

Before I delve into that, I saw that today was #NationalAntsOnALogDay – that’s certainly a mouthful – but I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to talk to you about a snack near and dear to my heart since it was something I ate as a child and now serve up to my kids all the time as a fun, easy, healthy snack.

Let’s break down the original recipe, firstly. A classic ants on a log is a stalk of celery, filled with peanut butter of your choice, and topped with raisins. So easy – so fun. However, I had this creeping feeling that ants on a log are even MORE fun these days, and I knew that Pinterest would have some crazy variations for me to try with  my kids this week – especially with the onset of packing school lunches again! I found some super fun recipes and had to share with all of you!

All of these recipes are equally as simple, healthy, and quick. Enjoy!

Tuna Canoes

Tuna Canoes

Tuna Canoes [http://www.parents.com/recipes/familyrecipes/snacks/quick-and-easy-kid-snacks/#page=3]

As if this name isn’t already fun enough…I love this! Tuna canoes are simple – fill celery sections with your favorite tuna salad. Top with thawed frozen peas! This is a great, filling, high-protein option.

Ants On A Log – Chocolate Chip Edition

chocolate_chips

Ants On A Log With Chocolate Chips [http://jezebel.com/5843026/how-to-feed-kids]

A lot of kids aren’t into raisins – no biggie! Switch them out with chocolate chips (or pieces of cereal, or granola bites, or craisins, or dried cherries…you get the jist). Really what this comes down to is tweaking this fun snack to make it suitable for anyone. Hey – don’t like peanut butter? Try almond butter! Variation is key.

Laughing Cow Variations

Laughing Cow

Laughing Cow [fiestafarms.ca]

If you haven’t discovered the joy of Laughing Cow Cheeses yet – get on board! They are individually wrapped triangles of spreadable cheese – they’re low cal + healthy + come in a TON of fun flavors that blend awesomely with a sweet or savory treat. Trusper.com uses it for several variations of ants on a log – Laughing Cow + Salsa, Laughing Cow + chopped apples. Give it a taste and play around!

Enjoy! Tell us YOUR favorite ants on a log recipe and enjoy playing with your food this week 🙂

Free Lunch Kit with Backpack Purchase!

toys_r_us

Speaking of back to school supplies — found this awesome deal seconds after posting my feature back to school blog that I simply MUST share with you guys 🙂

Toys R’ Us has an awesome promotion where if you buy a backpack $12.99 or more expensive, you can choose a $9.99 value Lunch Kit for free!

Check out their backpack selection here. Some really cute trendy backpacks here! From Frozen to Minions to Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, there is going to be something to please just about any kid’s liking here.

Huge lunchbox selection for $9.99 or less as well — chances are that you can get a matching one! Nice!

Definitely check this out while this deals live.

Back To School!

back_to_school

‘Tis the season. If you aren’t experiencing this as we speak this Monday, you are sure to soon. Gone are the days of camping and vacations and entertaining your kids all day long, but only to be replaced by lunch packing, school supplies, and carpools. There’s been TONS of deals and cute ideas all over the internet for back to school, and I wanted to share some of my favorite ones!

Deals

Ah, Staples, a staple in back to school shopping. Check out their site for all their sales from $7 for 4 dozen #2 Pencils, to $3 for a 24 pack of Crayola colored pencils to $3 for a 10 pack of Crayola markers. Essential items, discounted.

Walmart is also an incredible discount resource that makes life easier by allowing free in-store pickup and even free shipping in some cases. Save yourself some time and check out some of their deals. From $7 4-pack composition books and $7 4-packs of spiral notebooks to $5 for 2 dozen ball point pens they’ve definitely got you covered. Also interesting are their bundles! Prices range for their K-2nd Grade bundles but these allow you to get all the essentials in the styles you’re looking for. Makes it much easier not to overbuy or forget necessary items. Love it!

Back to School purchases aren’t limited to supplies – your growing kids need some new clothes for the new year as well. I always hate splurging on clothes that hardly fit them after a mere year, so I stand by Old Navy as my go-to! They’re stylish and trendy and definitely do not break the bank. They run tons of promotions and discounts and you know you are NEVER paying full price – the best feeling! Old Navy has everything from $20 for a 4-pack of uniform collared shirts to $8 denim – insane!

Back to School Fun

Back to School is also an opportunity to be, well, adorable. I still have pictures from my first day from Kindergarten to my Senior Year of High School. I was annoyed while they were happening, but I truly treasure them now.

I absolutely adore these FREE chalkboard printables – print them, frame them, and voila – adorable.

first_day_of_school

First Day of School [http://www.yellowblissroad.com/first-day-of-school-chalkboard/]

Thanks, YellowBlissRoad!

Also totally adore MeAndMyInsanity’s idea of simply using a spiral notebook. It’s to theme, it’s cheap, and so, so easy.

back_to_school_2

Back to School [http://meandmyinsanity.com/2013/08/an-apple-soda-for-the-teacher-back-to-school-gift.html#comment-15656]

The options are endless, and you’ll really love having these keepsakes. Hope this was helpful, and don’t forget to also check out Free Printable Lunch Notes to make sure your kids know you are thinking about them all day long and to have a wonderful day!

Free Printable Lunch Notes

Before it was ’embarassing’, was there anything better than getting a note from a parent in your lunchbox? I still remember mine, and still adore such a timeless concept of support and love.

printable_lunch_notes

Printable Lunch Notes [http://www.frugalcouponliving.com/2012/07/26/back-to-school-free-printable-lunch-notes/]

Check out these printable lunch notes from Frugal Coupon Living – these are so cute! They’re witty and colorful and perfect for a quick note of encouragement! They said that they printed and laminated so that they can reuse them over and over – what an awesome time + money saving idea!

Can’t get enough of these 🙂

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