Power Balls : A healthier after-school snack

After tiring of seeing my kids subsist on nutella and toast as their go-to "wander into the kitchen looking for something easy to make" after school (and in our case between school) snack, I decided to revisit an old favorite recipe I haven't made in quite awhile. 

This recipe for power balls was actually the first thing I had in-print with the beloved and sadly long-gone Wondertime magazine. The original name for this treat, and what my family calls them--is"fiber balls", but I think we can all agree that name is mildly unappealing. Of course the fancy photographers at Wondertime were able to seriously cute-ify this handful of yumminess, but I think from the ingredient list, you'll get the idea. 

What I love about this recipe is that it's packed with good things, has tons of flexibility and is yummy enough that my kids will gobble them up. They are the perfect thing to toss in lunch boxes, have in the fridge for a quick after-school snack, or help everyone make it from lunch until dinner. 

And, they have replaced the nutella-binge going on this house. 

Though I forgot to count when I made them yesterday, you'll get a good 3-dozen from this recipe, I believe. Wrapped tightly, they freeze well if you want to store some away for another time. I like to use my small cookie dough scooper to get even-sized balls and then roll them by hand. 

So freshen up the snack list or the lunchbox staples and add these to the list! 

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hello! + an apple bread recipe you must make

Can we just pretend for a little bit, that I didn't take a massive break from this space for the last chunk of summer? Because fall feels like it's here and I just want to talk about apple cake. I still have plans to rewind and catch up on the last weeks of summer with all of you. So many changes around here that I just needed some time to get my bearings. I'll be honest, this summer was a tough one--packed so full and leaving me feeling like I couldn't catch my breath as we plummeted from one thing to the next until I found myself staring at the last days before the ring of the school bell. 

But as my husband (and Wendell Berry) says, we'll soon find our rhythm. And I'm starting to see that happen.

In the meantime, this weekend was good to me and my family. Yes, there were double soccer games on Saturday. But there was also rain, and long afternoons in the kitchen. And used books sales. And lazing about on the couch. And luxurious sleeping in.

And apple bread. 

If you've been reading my blog for awhile, you know that if I'm making this, then fall is most definitely in full swing. So I like to think of this apple bread as a precursor to fall. It means fall is in the air. It means cool nights--that just might require the down comforter, if you're lucky. 

This recipe couldn't be simpler. At the top of my recipe card it naively says that this is a recipe for "Apple Bread". But really, this is definitely a cake. A very, very good cake with a crispy, flaky top with moist (I hate that word), soft, apple-cinnamon-y insides. If you have apples, I'm confident you'll have everything else you need to make this recipe in your pantry.  And bonus--it makes two loaves--one to eat, one to share. My favorite kind of recipe. 

So hello. How are you? I miss this place. Make some apple bread, will you?

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Apple Bread (eats more like cake)

• 1 1/4 cups vegetable oil
• 2 cups granulated sugar
• 3 eggs
• 2 teaspoons vanilla
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
• 2 teaspoons cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 3 cups flour
• 1/2 cup chopped pecans (optional)
• 3 cups chopped, peeled apples

Combine oil, sugar, eggs, vanilla, and mix well. Sift dry ingredients and add to wet ingredients. Fold in apples and nuts. Pour into two greased + floured (or parchment-lined) 9x5 loaf pans. Take for 60 minutes at 350 degrees. Turn off oven and leave for an additional 5 minutes or until loaves test done. 

Make this now. Peanut butter popcorn

I'm pretty sure I could get away with not even posting pictures with this recipe, because when I said the words "peanut butter popcorn" on Facebook the other day, people were suddenly scrambling for the recipe. 

And I admit, that when my friend Kate mentioned she was making her peanut butter popcorn for her kids, I IMMEDIATELY sent her a message that I needed the recipe. I may have even carried my phone around in my hand waiting for her response. 

So yeah, this one's good. Peanut butter popcorn--do I really need to say anything else to make you want to try this? 

The original recipe is not my own. All credit goes to Kate who has now created an epidemic in my home. 

However, I'm sharing her recipe with a few notes of my own..some tweaks that I've made now that I have a few batches under my belt (a pun that may sadly be true.) All things in moderation, right? 

So do yourself a favor. Make this. Now. Today. Tonight for snow-day-movie-night. 

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PEANUT BUTTER POPCORN

by Kate, commentary by Molly

1/2 cup unpopped corn kernels

1 cup peanut butter

1/2 cup honey

1 tablespoon vanilla

cinnamon (optional, to taste)

Pop corn and set aside in large bowl. Over medium heat, melt peanut butter and honey until smooth. Remove from heat and stir in vanilla. Pour over popcorn and stir to coat. Add cinnamon, if desired.

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MY NOTES:

(#5 being most important)

1. I pop my popcorn on the stovetop in coconut oil. I found that I needed a very generous 1/2 cup of popcorn so that the recipe doesn't come out too peanut-buttery. Then we move from delicious snack to major belly ache from too much sweetness. So I highly recommend a generous 1/2 cup of unpopped corn. 

2. I transfer my popped corn to a large bowl and then use the residual heat in the pot to melt the peanut butter/honey mixture. Saves on dirty dishes, right? 

3. The worst part is the mixing. Kate says she sometimes puts it all in a paper bag and shakes the heck out of it. I pop my popcorn in a pretty large/tall soup pot. I found it works best to put the popped corn back into this pot (that already has the melted peanut butter mixture in it) and do all the stirring to coat in this pot. 

4. If you happen to not finish it all (doubtful) I put it in a ziploc bag and thought it was still really good the next day.

5. My kids didn't go for this, but a little sea salt sprinkled on top of your bowl of peanut butter popcorn sends this over the top. 

6. You're welcome.