FRIDAY SNACKS 

Fruit Kabobs, 0 weight watchers points plus
Sometimes for kids (and me!) fruit gets, well, a little dull. But magically when you make it into a beautiful kabob, everything changes. Make it even more exciting by adding something to dip it into like this yogurt and condensed milk dip or combine some vanilla yogurt and peanut butter or PB2, a low calorie peanut butter powder.

This week I asked for some Friday Five inspiration on Facebook and heard back that y’all would love some ideas for back to school snacks that are healthy and parent friendly. And although I have no children yet and am not heading back to school, although I wish I was, we can all use some snack remixing in our lives in my opinion, and maybe some back to school shopping. If only I could still convince my Mom that this was a necessity at my age. Here are some yummy snacks that parents and kids will love, and will hopefully add some excitement to your day, especially if you pack them up in this or this. Also if you are looking for more ideas, my friend swears by these two books for lunches for her kids.

                      Apples are health & Organic 

Health Teeth
if you can't brush your teeth after a meal, reach for a Granny Smith apple. Biting and chewing the tough, fibrous skin of the apple stimulates saliva production. The extreme tartness of Granny Smith apples aids in more salivation than a sweeter type of apple. High levels of saliva decrease bacteria in your mouth that attack teeth and cause cavities. Granny Smith apples are high in acid, which can break down tooth enamel. As a precaution, drink a glass of water with your apple to minimize any damage from acid. 

Blood Sugar 
Apples can help stabilize your blood sugar levels, which is particularly important if you have diabetes or are at risk of developing diabetes. Foods rich in soluble fiber delay absorption of sugar in your small intestine and may lower your risk of developing Type 2 diabetes. Women who eat an apple a day are nearly 30 percent less likely to develop Type 2 diabetes, "Best Health Magazine" reports. Make sure you meet your daily fiber recommendation for maximum benefits. You need 14 grams of fiber for every 1,000 calories in your diet, which amounts to 28 daily grams for an average 2,000-calorie diet, according to the Dietary Guidelines for Americans 2010. A medium 3-inch Granny Smith apple provides about 5 grams of dietary fiber.

 How to Make Caramel Corn 

INGREDIENTS

 1 cup butter

2 cups brown sugar

1/2 cup corn syrup (I use dark, but light is fine too)

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp baking soda

1 tsp vanilla

6 quarts popped popcorn, kept warm (I use 3 bags microwave popcorn)

Caramel is my favorite candy. Hands down my favorite by miles and miles. I love the buttery, smooth, indescribably delicious flavor. Caramel syrup, chewy candies, toffee, turtles, it really doesn’t matter, I am wild about them all. But my most beloved is caramel corn. The crunchy, slightly salty, sweet popcorn drives me crazy! And the day I found this recipe was in heaven. It’s from Jiffy Pop popcorn. Even novice candy makers will be successful with this recipe so don’t let any preconceived notions of failure stop you from trying this!

There are a few secrets to working with sugar that will help you. First and foremost, stir sugar until is has dissolved and is boiling, and then NEVER stir it again! If you do, the entire batch will turn back into crystallized sugar. What happens is that if even one grain of sugar sneaks into the syrup, it starts a chain reaction of crystallization. Unfortunately this is one situation where you can’t fix it. You’ll have to start all over again. Brushing the sides of the pan with a brush dipped in water will help keep sugar crystals from forming on the sides and being stirred into the syrup.

How to make banana pudding

Ingredients
3 ripe bananas, peeled and sliced into 1/4-inch rounds
1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
1/2 cup granulated sugar, plus 2 tablespoons
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
4 large eggs, separated
2 cups half-and-half
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
45 vanilla wafers
1 pinch cream of tartar
Directions
Heat the oven to 400 degrees F.

Toss the banana slices and lemon juice in a small bowl and set aside.

Combine 1/2 cup of the sugar, the flour and salt in a 3-quart saucier. Add the egg yolks and whisk to combine. Add the half-and-half and carefully whisk to combine. Cook over medium-low heat, stirring constantly until the mixture reaches 172 to 180 degrees F, approximately 5 to 10 minutes. The mixture will begin to thicken and bubble around the edges. Remove the pan from the heat and whisk in the vanilla extract.

Spread a small amount of the pudding in the bottom of an oven-safe 1 1/2-quart glass mixing bowl. Cover with a layer of vanilla wafers, followed by a layer of banana slices. Pour 1/3 of the remaining pudding on top of the bananas and repeat, ending with a layer of pudding.

Whisk the egg whites and cream of tartar in the bowl of a stand mixer on medium speed until soft peaks form. Gradually add the remaining 2 tablespoons of sugar and continue whisking until stiff peaks form. Spoon the meringue over the warm pudding, being sure to cover the edges. Bake until the meringue is evenly browned, about 8 to 10 minutes. Remove the pudding from the oven and cool for 15 minutes before serving. Cool completely before refrigerating. Refrigerate for up to 3 days.

How to make chocolate covered strawberries 


Ingredients
6 ounces semisweet chocolate, chopped
3 ounces white chocolate, chopped
1 pound strawberries with stems (about 20), washed and dried very well


Put the semisweet and white chocolates into 2 separate heatproof medium bowls. Fill 2 medium saucepans with a couple inches of water and bring to a simmer over medium heat. Turn off the heat; set the bowls of chocolate over the water to melt. Stir until smooth. (Alternatively, melt the chocolates in a microwave at half power, for 1 minute, stir and then heat for another minute or until melted.)

Once the chocolates are melted and smooth, remove from the heat. Line a sheet pan with parchment or waxed paper. Holding the strawberry by the stem, dip the fruit into the dark chocolate, lift and twist slightly, letting any excess chocolate fall back into the bowl. Set strawberries on the parchment paper. Repeat with the rest of the strawberries. Dip a fork in the white chocolate and drizzle the white chocolate over the dipped strawberries.

Set the strawberries aside until the chocolate sets, about 30 minutes.

      Strawberry ice cream 

Ingredients:

1 cup mashed strawberries

3/4 cup powdered sugar
3/4 cup fresh cream
1 cup full-fat milk , chilled
1/2 tsp lemon juice

Methods 

Combine ¾ cup of strawberries and the sugar in a bowl and mix well.

Add the cream and milk and mix well.

Add the lemon juice and mix well.

Pour the mixture into an aluminum tray, cover with an aluminum foil and put in the freezer for atleast 8 to 10 hours.

Remove it from the freezer and immediately blend in a mixer till the ice crystals are broken down. The mixture after blending should be thick and slushy and not watery.

Transfer the mixture to a bowl and add the remaining ¼ cup of strawberries and mix lightly.

Pour the mixture again into an aluminum tray or any other container and cover and freeze again for atleast 5 to 6 hours or till the ice cream sets.

Scoop and serve immediately

Pound Cake Recipe

• 1 cup butter (no substitutes), softened
• 3 cups sugar
• 6 eggs
• 6 tablespoons lemon juice (the REAL STUFF)
• 1 tablespoon grated lemon peel
• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 1/4 cups sour cream (I used light sour cream)  
• (ICING)

• 2 tablespoons butter, softened
• 2 1/2 cups confectioners’ sugar
• 3 tablespoons lemon juice
• 2 teaspoons grated lemon peel

Sweet frog yogurt there is no sweet frog located in Washington dc witch sucks because sweet frog is good i don't even like yogurt but they have different types of flavors vanilla cookies and creme banana flavored strawberry chocolate alot they even have mango eww i would not get that why because im picky eater and they have different toppings u can even put cereal in your yogurt whatever you would like.

Twinkies were the favorite snack when you were a kid child hood they were so good made you wanna slap your momma they were my momma favorite snack she got everybody hooked on liking it all the little kids and my friends class mates and all

A plantain to the untrained eye could easily be mistaken for a banana. It looks and smells like a banana, but if you ever bite into a raw plantain (plátano in Spanish), you’ll know it’s not. 

Plantains are bigger than bananas, harder to peel (especially when green), and can not be eaten raw. They must be cooked for consumption. So, why are they so popular in Caribbean cuisine? Plantains are very versatile. They are always ready for cooking no matter what stage of ripeness - green, yellow or black, and plantains are used in different dishes from appetizers to desserts. 

My momma always made us plantains because her momma always made it for her so she made it for us as well but there a good snack and its good so hey why not.

Krispy Juniors are the best donuts the only donuts i eat when my mom go grocery shopping even when its football season every sunday i would eat me some donuts while im watching the game

Chocolate chips my favorite cookies ever

Bubble Tape the throw back bubble jump omg my favorite candy when i was a little girl i can remember it like it was yesterday

Rice Krispies treats is my favorite snacks i always grab me one when im in the store the large one omg they just are so good

Frozen grapes when you feeeling healthy go to the grocery store and grab some frozen grapes its good for you and healthy

Blow pops flavors sour apple grape cherry strawberry watermelon everyday after school i use to run up streets after school i always say mom can i get 50 cent to go to the store & get me  to lolly pops from the corner store

Starbust GummiBursts is the best candy ever when u hungry and you just got out school

Kit Kat Reese Butterfingers Hersey CrunchBar Babyruth i love chocolate candy especially when you come home from a long day of school and you want a quick snack before dinner gets done

 Starburst & skittles my favorite candy the only candy i buy when i go in the store best candy ever

Flower Cup Cakes recipe

• 12 unfrosted vanilla or favorite flavor cupcakes
• 2 tablespoons dark chocolate frosting
• 1 (16-ounce) can vanilla frosting
• Green and yellow food color
• 12 marshmallows
• 1/2 cup each yellow, pink and orange nonpareil sprinkles

2 each yellow, red, orange, green and black spice drop

• Spoon chocolate frosting into a resealable plastic bag. Tint vanilla frosting bright green with the green and yellow food colors. Spoon 1/2 cup green frosting into a resealable plastic bag. Press out excess air; seal bags.
  
  
• Place each color of sprinkles in a separate bowl. Working with one sprinkle color at a time, cut a marshmallow crosswise into 5 thin slices, letting slices drop into sprinkles. Toss to coat sticky areas of marshmallow with sprinkles. Repeat with remaining marshmallows and colored sprinkles to make 20 petals of each color.
  
  
• Cut each spice drop in half crosswise. For ladybugs, cut 2 of the halved black spice drops in half again to make quarters. Press one quarter against one half of a red spice drop to make the head and body. Snip a very small (1/16-inch) corner from the bag with the chocolate frosting. Pipe the line down the back of the red spice drop; add spots and antennae with chocolate frosting.
  
  
• Working on one cupcake at a time, spread top with some green frosting and make smooth. Arrange 5 same-color marshmallow slices in a circle, like the petals of a flower, on top of each frosted cupcake. Press a cut spice drop, cut-side down, in the center of each petal arrangement. Repeat with remaining cupcakes and marshmallow slices.
  
  
• Snip a small (1/4 -inch) corner from bag of green frosting. Pipe lines of green frosting as the stems on a serving platter (see photo). Add several leaf shapes next to the stems with frosting. Arrange cupcakes on platter to look like a bouquet of flowers. Add spice drop ladybugs.

Smors are fast & easy something on the go manly when your camping with the family or close friends and when u want something sweet while in the woods

 

Nutty Bars. Swiss Rolls, Muffins, Banana Twins, Devil Square, Donut Sticks, Chocolate Cupcakes, Star Crunch, Chocolate Chip, Fudge Brownies, Strawberry Short Cakes, Zebra Cakes, Pecan Spinwheels, Fancy Cake, Honey Buns, Cosmics Brownies, Hosters Donettes, Oatmeal Creme Pies.
Are the best snacks in the history of the world my favorite snacks out of all of the snacks is in the picture is  Zevra Cakes Swiss rolls Oatmeal creme pies && Nutty Bars Honey buns the only thing i ever buy from the grocery store the only thing that i eat or might have a sweet tooth for everybody say to much sweet snacks are bad for you but i say heyy rock out and do you.

Cheese Cake i tried it once or twice out of life i use to just look at it and say eww i dont want to try it it looks nasty or just the image it in my head it will not make me want to eat it .

Starchy Foods such as bread, cereals. rice pasta and potatoes are really is a important part of a healthy diet. Starchy food should make up about a third of the food we eat. Starchy foods give you a good source of energy good protein & nutrients in our diet.

Capn Crunch my favorite cereal i dont even eat cereal like that but my first choice would be Capncrunch but it would be real good to eat after coming in the house from a long day at school.

Krabby Patties :) my favorite candy as a child i grew up off of krabby patties living in newyork i would go down stairs and go to the candy store and get some candy or get it out the candy ball machine that use to be the best.

Frooties my favorite candy this the only candy i get from the store 1 dollar for a big bag of frooties like 50 pieces

Fruit salad its organtic its very health especially if your on a diet it has appel in it strawberrys peaches mandrian oranges kiwi

Party Cake Ice Cream I really didnt like it at 1st I started to Just Look at things & just say i dont like it they say dont judge a book by its cover. You have to try it to like it everything that look good itsnt good & everything that look nasty is not nasty.

Cinnamon Rolls are good especially the cream after u baked them u put the cream on. I never really liked it or had a taste for cinnamon rolls. Until my family started taking me to this resturant called CiCi's Pizza. They have all the pizza u can think of or even imagine to think of and for dessret they have cinnamon rolls. Once i tried it and started to like the way it taste so after that i stared eatting cinnamons rolls and now i love them.

Krispy Kreme Doughnuts are the best doughnuts out of all of the doughnuts. If i could i would eat krispy kreme doughnuts all day everyday. I wish i lived at the factory im in love with krispy kreme doughnuts they are to die for literally. Everytime my mother go grocery shopping i grab a bag or box of krispy kremethey are the best ever. They are so good and so soft and they are addicted.

DQ Oreo Milkshake The Best Milkshake I ever had my second Favorite Ice Cream is Oreo My First Favorite Ice Cream is Vanilla There Is no DQ in Washington DC witch sucks :( they have the best ice cream ever the 1st time I tried DQ was when i went to go visit my cousin over the summer I had a brain freeze but didnt really care it was so good.

pizza bolis pizza is the best pizza in dc i have never tried pizza bolis until i moved to dc my uncle got me huked on their pizza because it is so good the cheese is to die for i order 2 boxes of pizza with a side of buffalo wings with rance & garlic with a orange soda. the best every other pizza is nasty now because i love bolis.

Hot cheetos is a good snack when i get out of school and go to the corner store grab me a bag and a slim jim & a drink i never like hot stuff because it burned my mouth but my cousin got me use to liking hot chips now so everytime i go grab a bag of chips or when i send somebody to the store for me they ask what you want? i say hot cheetos please or sometimes i never have to say they just know what chips to get me because i eat them so much.

Buffalo wings i love chicken oh my god me +chicken = love i love chicken i would eat chicken everyday if i can allday everyday espically buffalo wings chicken wings chicken breast drum sticks as long as its chicken im eatting when my mom order pizza bowls i always tell her order hot wings to please so i eat cheese pizza with garlic with hot wings & ranch best meal ever.

sweet potato pie my favorite desert on thanksgiving my mom and sisters always make sweet potato pie it would be two whole different pies one for me and the rest of the pies are for whoever want a pie i just perfer to have my pie all to myself.

  
strawberry cake with cream it looks better than every other strawberry cake that was up their every other cake was nasty or i didnt like it im a pickey eatter i only eat certain stuff that i like but they say dont judge a book by its cover so just because the picture looks nasty dont mean its nasty.

snicker doodles cookies are the best right when you walk into iverson mall its a cookie store right on your right hand side i order 6 to 7 cookies espically when they hot they warm them up for you they just so soft and melt in your mouth they are additive i love snicker doodles

this lemon cake do look real good and by the looks of it somebody took their time a to make it.
the icing looks yellow mixed with white the cake looks vanilla  

waffles with strawberrys on top & wip cream is the best in the morning especially when you go to ihop thats the 1st thing i order and put alot of syrup on my pancakes when i go out to eat i do stuff that my mother would never let me do in the house like when you go to ihop u you use all the syrup or just most of it in the bottle you know when you at home mom would never let you go crazy with syrup