Back to School: Simple Snacks

September means that school is in full swing. From kindergarten to college, everyone in school needs a snack once-in-awhile, and these snacks will be winners! Some you can pack into a lunch box, and others are perfect for a warm after school snack. Fruit, pizza, popcorn, Chex, and oatmeal are favorites to all, and everyone will appreciate these great flavors! Five great in recipes all in one post. We hope that you enjoy them!

Simple Oatmeal Bars

These things are the best! Three simple ingredients and viola, they're done in 5 minutes. I like to add different things to my bars too. It makes them seem less plain, and you don't get sick of them that easily because there's always new flavors in them. Some things I like to add: chocolate chips, nuts, dried fruit, or other grains.

So, here's how to do it! For every 1 1/2 cups of oats, add 1/2 cup peanut butter, and 3 Tbsp. honey. You can definitely add more honey, up to 1/2 cup, but we like the peanut butter to give most of the flavoring. Melt the peanut butter and honey on the stove and once melted, add oats. Mix until combined very well, and then add other ingredients once they're cooled off just a couple minutes. Flatten on am 8x8 pan that has a tin foil lining(if you're making more, use a 9x13 or cookie sheer). Let set in fridge for about an hour.

Basic Mini Cheesecakes

As I have said before, cheesecake is my absolute favorite dessert ever. I’d say chocolate, but my chocolate intake would be more than a dessert. So I call that more of a staple. That works...right?! My mom is a kindergarten teacher, mom of five, and one of the busiest people I know. I’ll never understand how she could teach full-time, run my brothers to sports practices, make dinner, watch me cheer and my sister play volleyball, get piano practiced and homework finished, and run other errands around town all while keeping the house clean. She is totally Wonder Woman. But, she always has some chocolate hidden in a jar in her classroom or in the toaster cupboard at home, and she taught me that helps the day go by a little bit smoother. So, I just have to keep it there in my life too! And of course, put it on top of these great cheesecakes.

I like to make flavored cheesecakes so much. I love trying new things and mixing new flavors together that I know I will always love because, cheesecake. But, sometimes you just need that classic flavor. One of the perks to a plain cheesecake is that you can add any toppings you would like to it. Perfect for a cheesecake bar or something like that. Some I’d recommend: fruit, nuts, chocolate, caramel, and candies.

Sunday Dinner Crockpot Roast and Potatoes

For as long as I can remember, at least one Sunday each month, walking into the house after church and getting a whiff of the best smell ever: roast beef, onion, and potatoes. I'd run to set the table and put the rolls in the oven. It was like my monthly version of Thanksgiving Dinner. I don't think anything can compare to a roast that has been slow cooking all day. I thought my mom was a magic cook (well I still think she is) to be able to make something that tasted so good. I'm glad that she's taught me her ways because living over 2 hours away, you can't drive home every Sunday for dinner, unfortunately. This roast is actually pretty simple. As much as I try to make this for two people, I don't think it will ever work out. I always end up filling it to the brim with food. It works because Sunday we eat around 2 p.m., have leftovers before dessert, and then more leftovers for lunch the nest day. So it actually ends up for about 3-4 meals for us, and we don't mind because we love this stuff.

Chicken Biscuit Rolls

Today is the first day of school for my junior year in my undergrad and I am honestly so excited to be here! Even though the work in college is difficult, it's so rewarding for me. And honestly, I wouldn't have started this blog if it wasn't for one of my classes that I took last year. We were given a project to start a blog of our choosing and post once per week. We used blogs, social media, presentations, and planning throughout the semester and I absolutely loved it! When the time came that the class was over, I decided to keep up with blogging because it was so much fun for me and I seriously enjoyed planning something out and making things the way I liked. It has helped me with social media, cooking better meals, and staying organized so much better. I believe that is one thing about college that some people misunderstand, that they're tyring to push you into a big career or something. When in reality, they're trying to help you find something that you love and enjoy doing. Even though the class I took was for a personal blog and marketing, it helped me find a hobby that I love to do!

Rise and Shine Breakfast For All

A good breakfast always makes my day start off 10x better! I usually go with cereal, granola, or oatmeal. They're simple staples that get me going for the day. But, sometimes you just need to change things up from the ordinary and have a fun breakfast! Six blogs have come together to share with you some of our favorite breakfast meals! From potatoes, to kale, to s'mores, we've got it all covered! Use these for your next breakfast party, family get-together, or even just an overcast Sunday morning. We love breakfast!

Two Dozen Chocolate Chip Cookies

These cookies are great because they make 2 dozen! I have halved it and it worked out great for me, so if you're wanting to make 1 dozen cookies, do that and it will work out great! But, I like to share cookies with others, and I still want a lot for myself, so 2 dozen is perfect for us! This recipe makes suuuper soft cookies and they look slightly undercookied, but they end up being perfect! They're very rich and so it makes it a little easier to stop after eating just a couple of them.
I never really liked cookies a ton growing up, but I have come to like them a lot more recently. I don't know why exactly though? I'm a chocolate lover, and usually brownies and ice cream means more chocolate, so that's my only guess. Ice cream is still my dessert of choice, but chocolate chip cookies are coming to be a very close second. Lucky for me, cookies are a lot easier to make than ice cream is, and it's also easier to share cookies with neighbors and friends. The day before my brother left on his mission, we got together and had dinner as a family. I brought these cookies for dessert, but they were gone before we even finished cooking dinner. SO GOOD! I have a favorite recipe, but they make like 8 or 9 dozen cookies, and that's way too many for me because after sharing, I still have about half of them left. And you know, I could eat all of them.