Tag Archives: chocolate chips

#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 🙂

#NationalChocolateChipDay

I’m really not sure that there is much more of a crowd pleaser of a holiday than #nationalchocolatechipday! I can’t seem to find any deals out there for this sweet treat today, but PRO TIP: you can always get a free chocolate chip cookie at DoubleTree Hotels and at your local Public grocery store – never forget that!

Instead, I figured I’d dole out some of my favorite, inexpensive recipes involving chocolate chips.

1) Chocolate Chip Zucchini Muffins

PassionForSavings has an AWESOME recipe for chocolate chip zucchini muffins. Not only are these DELICIOUS but they are also very budget-friendly, guilt-free, and freezable! Win-win-win!

chocolate_chip_zucchini_muffins

Chocolate Chip Zucchini Muffins [http://www.passionforsavings.com/chocolate-chip-zucchini-muffins-recipe/]

All the usual suspects here (eggs, oil, sugar, brown sugar, vanilla, flour, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder) + chocolate chips and shredded zucchini! Mix it all up, and bake at 350 for 22-25 minutes, and you’ve got an awesome snack or breakfast – kids won’t even notice the zucchini’s there!

2) Chocolate Chip Banana Bread

You’d be hard pressed to find a sweet treat I like more than banana bread, let alone chocolate chip banana bread!

chocolate_chip_banana_bread

Chocolate Chip Banana Bread [http://tinaschic.com/2015/04/chocolate-chip-banana-bread/]

Tina’s Chic Corner makes an awesome version. All you need is some overripe bananas (I think we all seem to find ourselves with these from time to time), sugar, eggs, vanilla, flour, baking soda, salt, Greek yogurt, and chocolate chips to add to it! Mix it all up, pop in a loaf pan, bake for almost an hour, and cool before cutting. This is another recipe that you can absolutely freeze. It’s a great treat to bake for a breakfast, brunch, or even as a gift to a neighbor or friend!

3) Classic Chocolate Chip Cookie

Everyone needs a classic chocolate chip cookie recipe. I’d always prefer to not use the slice and bake kind! It’s always worth it to upgrade, and Pinch of Yum has a great version of this classic recipe – think soft and chewy (personally, my favorite kind!) These are pretty easy! I think the key here is the 8 TABLESPOONS of butter. Let’s not even pretend this one’s healthy 🙂

chocolate_chip_cookies

Chocolate Chip Cookies [http://pinchofyum.com/the-best-soft-chocolate-chip-cookies]

This recipe URGES you to not overbake these, as timing is essential for keeping these cookies soft and delicious. They cool for about 30 minutes or so. and then sink down into “dense, buttery, soft cookies” – drooling yet?

These are also freezable – make a bunch and save for occasions and desserts!

Well, I’m inspired. Let’s get baking and enjoy #nationalchocolatechipday!

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