Snacking: Fall edition

These kids . . . they keep changing and growing up so fast.  And you know why?  Because they are constantly hungry and eating me out of house and home.  One of the things I hear the most from my kids is "Mom, I'm hungry.  I want a snack."  In my pantry, I have a "snack box" - a clear plastic bin in which I keep all the pre-portioned non-perishable snacks that I buy.  It takes up way less space than all the boxes of cereal bars, fruit snacks, pretzels, etc. and when I'm packing lunches or snacks, I grab from there.  One of our rules is that those snacks are for when we're out of the house.  At home, we eat fruit, yogurt, veggies, toast, or crackers and snacks from the big boxes, not the pouches.  If you're a mom, you already know the next part of this - the constant asking and negotiating for something from the snack box.  It's a never ending cycle.

But, here are two snacks I made this fall that were a big hit.  We ate them at home and I put them in baggies to take to school & the gym. The Fall Chex mix with more ingredients actually took less time to make and the apple chips, well, they were a lesson in patience.  We finished off both batches pretty quickly. 

Apple Chips

Slice the apples really, really thin.  I used a mandolin slicer on the thinnest setting.  Because they were that thin, I didn't bother to core or peel the apples.

Place the apples in a single layer on a silicon baking mat (or parchment paper) and sprinkle with a little bit of cinnamon.  Bake in a 200 degree oven for 2-3 hours, flipping them over after the first hour.  Mine weren't crispy enough until at least the 3 hour mark. 

Fall Chex Mix (makes about 10 cups)

adapted from MyBakingAddiction.com

4 cups Vanilla Chex
4 cups Golden Grahams
1.5 cups mini salted pretzel twists
3/4 cup raisins
1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted
1/4 cup honey
2 tsp. pumpkin spice
1 cup candy corn (if you don't like candy corn, you could do m&ms or yogurt covered raisins)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  In a large bowl, mix the cereals, pretzels, and raisins.  In a small saucepan, melt the butter and add the honey, stirring until smooth and combined.  Add the pumpkin spice and stir.

Pour the honey mixture over the cereal mixture and stir until coated.  Spread on a large rimmed baking skeet and bake in preheated oven for 15-20 minutes.  Let it cool for one hour.  Add the candy corn and serve.  Will keep in a covered container for about a week (unless your kids eat it all first).