Jaymes

Okay - the "seaweed" thing - several of you have mentioned it. I'm not familiar with it. Are seaweed snacks something you buy premade, or are all y'all buying seaweed and drying it out and fashioning snacks? "April Fools food" - got a lot of laughs there. And good ideas. Mini-meatloaves with pink "icing," - meatloaf is a hell of a lot of work, at least now that I'm old it seems like it. But I do the whole thing - three meats, etc. - the works. However, it is something that I make from time to time. I bake several meatloaves, then cut them into thirds, wrap tightly and into the freezer they go, where they wait for me to pull them out and heat them up (in the microwave) for my dinner. I could make several tiny meatloaves at the same time, so it would be easy for me to heat them up and then frost with the pink potatoes. We've got cookie cutters, but hadn't thought about using them on other things, like pita, tortillas, thin sandwich rounds, etc. So much of this seems so obvious and I remember being far more creative when I was raising my family. But now, brain seems to have gone all frosty, like those meatloaves. It's a really good thing that babies get sent to us when we're young. Don't have a Trader Joe's close to us, but one is opening up out here sometime within the next few months, so I'll be sure to go there as soon as it does, this thread in hand. CatPoet - there are some interesting twists on what are, here in Texas anyway, some "old stand-bys." No Texan worthy of the name is unfamiliar with our famous "queso dip," but it's Velveeta and Ro-Tel tomatoes, which are spicy. Too spicy for little kids. I have to admit that Velveeta and sourcream and ranch dressing sounds pretty ghastly, but hey, if it tastes good, and the kids will happily dip in their celery sticks, broccoli flowers, bell pepper slices, who am I to complain. It makes me smile to think about it, but I'm going to try it. And "peanut butter dip"? We usually just put a big blob of peanut butter on the plate, and the kids dip their apple slices and grapes into it. Yep, got to try peanut butter dip. We always have frozen fruit at the ready for a quick smoothie. Also, when we lived in Panama, there were many small "batidos" shops - you select your fresh fruit from a wide and tempting array, and then into the blender it went, along with some evap milk, crushed ice, and a bit of sugar, depending upon how sweet your fruit is. I know everybody has their own version of whipped fruit smoothie-type drink, but those synonymous with Panama remain my favorites. That's something I make for the kids. Not to mention for myself. Love them. And our freezer is also stocked with over-ripe bananas, waiting for the next banana bread project. I'm going to throw some good bananas in there as well, for the Magic Shell. What a great thing to do! Thanks again to y'all. All y'all. I'm so excited about trying all y'all's ideas. Know I've said it several times, but can't say it enough.

And I'd probably toss it as well, just to be safe, if you have no idea what it is. That's the best rule, right? However, I will say that I have noticed what sounds like the exact same thing when I buy olive oil that's "unfiltered." I always use it all up with no ill effect. I guess that's the first thing I'd do - see if the label says it's unfiltered. If so, I'd probably still use it. ETA: I did a quick search about unfiltered olive oil and that cloudy sediment because, as I said, I see it in the unfiltered olive oil I buy and we always eat it, but became concerned that perhaps it's bad for you. Turns out that it's normal and many people prefer it: http://www.oliveoiltimes.com/olive-oil-basics/filtered-olive-oil/2254 So, if I were you, I'd check to see if the label says it's unfiltered; and, if so, smell it to be sure it's not rancid. Then I'd happily congratulate myself for the excellent price. And use it all up.

This does sound good, and is reminiscent of something I used to make when my kids were small. My daughter and her husband do have a small garden in the back yard and, although many things have burned up and are no longer producing, the zucchini just keeps coming. Think I'll make some zucchini boats for lunch or snack for the kiddos.

Some really good ideas here. I hadn't even thought about almond butter, but that obviously would be a nice change of pace from the ubiquitous peanut butter. And crepes! Of course. And because these kids are fluent in Spanish, they'll like talking about "paletas." Thanks!

First day that I've got all four of them all day long. Lunch big success! Put 18-mo-old down for nap, and the other three and I rolled up some Lil' Smokies in Crescent dough, and baked them. Served with a variety of dipping sauces and if there's one thing 3,4, and 6 yr-olds-like, it's dipping sauces. We had honey mustard, BBQ and Ranch. Also had apple slices on the side. Took a while to do. Brother (the 3-yr-old) was more interested in eating the sausages rather than wrapping, but hey, whatever, right? So the activity was engaging. And the result was very good. Thanks again everybody. We're trying those Nlutella cakes tomorrow.

Good idea. Don't think they have the Dr. Seuss book, so I can get that, too. And, I noticed when I clicked on the link, there's a whole section on Cooking for Kids. A caveat, though. I've got my hands full just seeing to it that they don't leave any permanent marks on one another before mommy gets home, so if any of this cooking is too involved or time-consuming, I probably won't have the energy for it. You know? And I am going to order that APT Egg Plate Set to which you linked. Thanks for both of these!

I actually just ordered some good malt powder from Horlicks and one day this week they're going to find out what a real old-fashioned chocolate malt tastes like.

The kids do like hard-boiled eggs. I'm not familiar with the unusual shapes. Where should I go to seek out what I'd need?

Sorta hot and miserable for picking stuff outside in Houston right now and also that would mean I'd have to trade cars with my daughter because I don't even have room in my car for four infant/kid car seats, let alone the car seats themselves. Not to mention that ol' Hootie Mama is having a hard enough time wrangling all these little kids here at their house. I agree that taking them berry-picking sounds like fun in theory... Think I'll suggest it to their mommy and daddy. Do want to say, though, that the other set of grandparents live on a farm a couple hours' drive from here, so the kids load up on fresh vegetables when they visit. And also there's a small garden here in our backyard. Most everything has burned up with this heat, but we're still getting a small handful of strawberries every day. But it's a wonderful thought. I remember picking blueberries, raspberries, lingonberries, etc., when we lived in Alaska. I don't really think food experiences get any better than that. .

There are so many wonderful ideas in this thread that I hardly know where to start. The kids are on school break right now - they go to a Spanish Day Camp in the summer, but the fall semester for kindergarten, and Spanish Immersion Pre-School doesn't start until next week. So I have all four of them all day! I'm going to start with some of the suggestions that involve hands-on effort, so I can keep us all busy. The pigs-in-a-blanket (I think the older two can help me bake them in the toaster oven and all of the older three can wrap); nutella cake in a microwave; mix-it-yourself Ranch Dressing with cold raw veggies; quesadillas (served with my salsa that I'll make really mild for them); cheese, ham, salami on crackers; Jell-O; homemade tootsie rolls; puff-up cheese toast.... And for sure those cute little pear bunny salads. Sound like a good start? Please, please, please, if anything else comes to mind, share. Also want to thank several of you that offered good non-food ideas as to how I can direct them to spend their time having fun, and not driving Grandma Hootie right up the proverbial wall. Those non-food posts did get "hidden," but then we exchanged pm ideas about some ideas. Any of you that have some more of those good and fun ideas (like the big hula hoop bubbles and hot Ivory soap!) please feel MORE than free to PM them to me. Y'know...getting old kinda sucks. But being a grandma is pretty terrific. Thanks so very much to every one of you that has been so kind and generous to take your time and share your talents, thoughts and ideas with me. I'm a little bit verklempt about the response I've gotten here!

Absolutely. Did you happen to click on that "pear bunny salad" link back at the beginning of this thread? Several of the "pear bunnies" had maraschino cherries for noses. Definitely going to be doing that.

Those are adorable. This is turning into a really fun thread. And Kerry - "90-second nutella cakes in the microwave"? How on earth do I do that?

Feel the need to reiterate that we're talking about snacks. Overall, these kids eat a healthy diet. My daughter and her husband, while not fanatical about it, are sort of health nuts - they watch their diets (and the kids' diets), exercise, etc. But they're big believers in "everything in moderation," so they're not going to get their jogging shorts in a twist over the occasional buñuelo or slice of butterscotch toast. And, like I said, I'm in a pretty heated competition for "most fun grandma." There are two other competitors: "Mimi" and "Gran," one of whom is my former husband's second wife. So I'm determined. Now, where were we? Oh yes, looking for that cookie jar.

Here's a blast from my past - this thread has reminded me of something that I used to make for my kids back when we were living in Tucson. A popular dish there - the "Tucson take" on the classic tortilla and cheese combo - is a "cheese crisp." I've had a lot of tortilla and cheese dishes through the years, but those ones in Tucson are still at the top of my "special food memories" list. As I said upthread, I'm going to print these ideas and carry a hardcopy in my purse the next time I go shopping. But, the kids are ready to come walking in the door any minute. Too late to shop today. But we have everything required to make these Tucson-style cheese crisps. And that's what they're getting today! http://www.everydaysouthwest.com/first-courses/classic-cheese-crisps-recipe/

Are y'all using flour tortillas or corn tortillas or does it matter?

Fine by me. Although, as I said, don't want to overdo it with the "healthy" thing, I sure don't want to just load them up with sugar every afternoon either. These are some more great ideas. Thought about making some mini-quiches, but wasn't sure that the little kids would like them. I will, however, confess that what I actually thought about doing was buying a box of frozen mini-quiches from Costco. Maybe it would be worth a go. Would be something substantial and, along with fruit, a nice snack.

Me, too. But I don't bake pies. I could probably just buy some of that pie dough - maybe the pie shells - and cut them into strips and do this. Could bake them in the toaster over, and the two biggest kids (both girls) could help with that. Everyone, of course, could help with the sprinkling of the cinnamon and sugar - although the one that just turned three is a boy, and a Godzilla mini-me whirlwind of destruction. He'd undoubtedly get a huge kick out of sprinkling the sisters more than he would sprinkling the pie dough.

If you don't mind doing it, I'd love it!

Who wouldn't like that? I'm probably not going to be doing any bread baking, but I can buy pretty decent loaves of bread at a local bakery. Maybe even challah?

Overlooked this the first time around. But I just clicked on the link and laughed out loud. We're for sure doing that, and sooner rather than later. Hilarious. Thanks!

I'll tell y'all one thing. I'm going to print this thread and carry a hardcopy of it in my purse for when I go shopping.

Ramen noodles? Like just a pack of dry noodles? Or are you heating it to make soup?

Well, like the kids say, OMG. I think I love that, too! But what are "soft stuffy egg buns"? That doesn't sound familiar. I don't think I know what that is. Do I?

Can I possibly explain to all of you how grateful I am? And how glad I am that I decided to ask for help?

Well, the oldest just turned 6 a week ago. She's going into kindergarten. Then they're 4 1/2; 3; 1 1/2. Pretty little. They do help with things like stirring, but mainly they fight over the spoon, and then the winner manages to flick the dough all over the kitchen. When my kids were little, they did start learning to cook things in the microwave. Haven't paid much attention to the "microwave thread" but that's sure one thing I used it for - teaching youngsters how to cook without worrying about an open flame. Think I'll go ahead and invest in that book now, though. Looks like a great idea. Love cheese toast. Don't know why I hadn't thought of that. Seems kinda obvious now, doesn't it? But that's why I've come here for help. Things I would have thought of in a flash years ago don't come so readily to mind anymore.