Back To School Snacks with Orville Redenbacher

It's Back-to-School time! I know! Where did the Summer go? It seems one day we're gearing up for days on the beach, and the next, the kids are back at school!

What goes hand in hand with Back-to-School prep? Pencils, paper, and...popcorn! We send our children to school with all the tools and materials they need to learn. This should include some healthy snacks! How about something full of fibre, whole grains, and flavour?!

What's even better is that you can get your children in the lunch and snack prep mode by having them help you out? Have them help make a bunch of  snacks for the school week on a Sunday evening and each morning, they can choose what they'd like to put in their lunch bags! Kids love being creating and doing things themselves helps them feel empowered. If they make it, they'll be proud of themselves and want to eat their creations!

In our house, Little One enjoys her popcorn like it's no one's business! Popcorn and family go together well. When we have some downtime, we sometimes have popcorn and watched "Tangled" or whatever other movie the toddler wants to watch with us.

Sure, she's still a bit young to be making Back-to-School snacks, but she does need snacks for play groups, on the road, at friends' houses, etc. She loves helping out in the kitchen, so Orville Redenbacher's® Smart Pop! is fabulous to have on hand at  home.

Here are a few quick Orville Redenbacher Smart Pop! recipes to get your kids through the school week.
Pop some extra popcorn the night before, and package them in individual snack bags (to retain that just-popped freshness). If you want some flavour, in a large bowl, add freshly popped popcorn, sprinkle with taco seasoning or Parmesan cheese, and shake until coated evenly. Little One LOVES cheese-flavoured popcorn!

If you and your kids have a few extra minutes, the following recipe is another great one for school snacks.

Orville's Power Crunch Bars

Serves: 24 servings (1 bar each)

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Baking Time: 10-12 minutes

Ingredients

·         1 mini bag (31 g each) Orville Redenbacher's® Smart Pop!® 100 Calorie Buttery Flavour Microwave Popcorn

·         1/2 Teaspoon baking soda

·         1 1/2 Cup quick-cooking rolled oats

·         3/4 Cup dried cranberries

·         1 Teaspoon vanilla extract

·         1/2 Cup margarine, softened

·         3/4 Cup all-purpose flour

·         3 *serving (1/3 sec spray) PAM® Original No-Stick Cooking Spray

·         1/4 Teaspoon salt

·         1/2 Teaspoon ground cinnamon

·         3/4 Cup firmly packed brown sugar

·         1 Tablespoon water

Directions

1.       Preheat oven to 375°F. Spray 15x10-inch jelly roll pan with cooking spray. Combine oats, flour, baking soda, cinnamon and salt in medium bowl; set aside.

2.       Prepare popcorn according to package directions. Remove any unpopped kernels; set aside.

3.       Combine brown sugar and margarine in large bowl, using electric mixer on high speed.  Add water and vanilla; beat until light and fluffy.  Gradually add flour mixture and blend well. Turn mixer on low speed; add cranberries.

4.       Cover hands with plastic gloves or sandwich size plastic bags; spray with cooking spray. Mix popcorn into dough. Spread mixture into prepared pan.  Bake 10 to 12 minutes or until golden brown.

5.       Let cool before cutting into 24 bars.  Store in tightly sealed container.

 Discolsure- The recipes posted on this blog have been developed by the Orville Redenbacher team, and are not my own. I am receiving a sample of Orville Redenbacher's® Smart Pop! to make a batch of my own.