Our family returned last week from an incredible, long awaited trip to Costa Rica. We arrived home at 2 AM on our kids’ first day of school. To say the transition has felt a bit…abrupt…would be putting it mildly. Overnight, we traded lazy mornings and umbrella drinks by the pool for car pick up lines, homework, and learning locker codes.
While I wouldn’t have planned it this way on purpose, I’m not altogether sad about how things worked out. Our family thrives on routine, and the loosey goosey days of summer were starting to feel more burdensome than freeing.
But, wow, I forgot how absolutely RAVENOUS kids are after school. They roll in hungry with a side of testy and tired, so their first instinct is to melt into the couch, immediately start bugging each other, or troll the pantry like trash pandas. Giving them a soft landing with a little snack is my best strategy for warding off the crankiness and reducing the number of “when’s dinner, mom???” questions I get.
The Wonder of the After School Grazing Plate
The great news is, you don’t have to be the On Top Of It Mom to cure the after school hangries. I’m usually working until the second I have to leave to pick the kids up, so I don’t have a lot of margin for fancy snacks. My go-to is a grazing plate with whatever I can cobble together from the fruit drawer and the pantry. Here are some of the most common things that get thrown onto our plates:
Cheese slices, sticks, or cubes
Crackers
Pretzel crisps
Hummus
Popcorn
Baby carrots
Peanut butter
Apple slices
Berries
Pepperoni
Now, if you’d like to cosplay as the On Top of It Mom occasionally (which I do), here are some really simple recipes you can make ahead of time or whip up in 15 minutes or less to add to your after school rotation.
Amish Peanut Butter Spread
This addictive peanut butter and fluff dip is made in just 5 minutes and pairs great with fruit or pretzels. My kids LOVE this stuff.
Sweet and Salty Trail Mix
A college roommate of mine taught me to add oyster crackers to trail mix for a sweet and salty snack with a really satisfying crunch.
Savory Ranch Chex Mix
This stuff is DANGEROUS. A combo of addictive salty snacks covered in Ranch dressing mix and baked for even more crunch. So, so good.
Old Fashioned Oatmeal Raisin Cookies
I finally made an oatmeal raisin cookie that my kids like! (Though they like them even more when I add chocolate chips). These are a lovely sweet treat that offers a little more than straight sugar.
Easy Blender Pumpkin Muffins
These come together entirely in a blender, and they’ve got some nutritional heft thanks to the oats and pumpkin. They work equally well with smashed bananas!
Sour Cream Banana Bread
This is our gold standard quick bread, and my youngest son’s favorite. It’s easy to make, easy to double, and freezes well. I love keeping a loaf of this in the freezer to pull out during really busy weeks.
Orange Julius
My kids love these Orange Julius copy cats, and I love feeling like we’re at a mall in 2002. They aren’t the most nutritious snack around, but they’re delicious and refreshing. It’s tough to be hangry in the presence of an Orange Julius.
Fluffernutter Sandwiches
For extreme hanger emergencies and generally no good very bad days, there’s always a Fluffernutter Sandwich. Peanut butter and fluff and banana sandwiched between the whitest of white breads can cure a multitude of ailments. You can enjoy it as-is or grill it for max gooey comfort food.
I hope that having some easy YESes available to you for after school snacks makes your days a little bit easier. If you have a favorite after school hack, please share it in the comments!