Bite-Size Banana Pie {Dairy-Free, Egg-Free, Nut-Free}

One way to make homework seem a little less daunting after school, is to have a spontaneous, fun after-school snack. It's amazing the power food has over us. I try to give my kids fruit most of the time for snacks, and it usually works, but they can get a little tired of plain fruit so every once in awhile I add some variety. If you are not allergic to wheat or soy, Keebler Ready Crust Mini Graham Cracker Crusts are perfect to keep on hand. You can fill them with pudding, fruit, jello, etc. and the kids love them! Today I made these...

Bite-Size Banana Pie {Dairy-Free, Egg-Free, Nut-Free}

Keebler Ready Crust Mini Graham Cracker Crusts
Bananas
Hershey's Chocolate Syrup {the regular one is dairy-free, nut-free}
Colorful Sprinkles
Dairy-Free Whipped Topping {optional}

Fill each crust with sliced bananas, drizzle chocolate syrup over them, top with whipped cream and/or sprinkles. I didn't have coconut milk on hand so I couldn't make my dairy-free whipped topping today, but click for the recipe. Serve immediately!

My kids loved these and it made this cloudy day seem so much more exciting! {Nevermind the fact that they are excited to get to see their Grammy & Papa tomorrow - I'm sure that has nothing to do with their excitement. yeah, right.}

Confetti Bananas {Dairy-free, {Peanut-free}

So, the kiddos got up from their quiet time begging for a snack, as is usual for our household and since I was out of 'convenience' kind of snacks, I decided to make up something with bananas. This is absolutely a no-brainer, but the girls loved it.

Confetti Bananas {dairy-free}

2 bananas, peeled and sliced

Hershey's Chocolate Syrup

Sprinkles of your choice

Divide sliced bananas into 3 bowls {or more if you desire}. Drizzle with chocolate syrup. Top with your favorite sprinkles. Serve with a toothpick for eating with. The end.

Banana Split Bites {Dairy-free, Egg-free, Nut-free}

When I found these little desserts, it was love at first sight. What's not to love about these cute little banana splits!?! I knew I had to make them pronto. And you should, too!

 

Banana Split Bites {dairy-free, peanut-free}

Bananas, cut into 4 pieces approx 2 inches long

Vegan chocolate chips, melted

Sprinkles

1 can Coconut milk

1 cup powdered sugar

Maraschino cherries

Dip each banana piece into the melted chocolate chips, approx. halfway up the banana. Then, dip into the sprinkles so that they cover the chocolate. Place banana in a muffin tin. Chill in fridge until chocolate is set.

Meanwhile, put coconut milk and powdered sugar into a chilled mixing bowl. {Chill bowl and beaters for about an hour before this step.} Beat on high until mixture becomes thick. Add more powdered sugar if necessary. Place a dollop of cream on top of each banana. Top with a cherry. Serve!

No-Dough 'Peanut' Butter Sandwich {Peanut-free, dairy-free, egg-free}

What do YOU do when you are packing lunchboxes before school and you realize there is not even one piece of bread in the house?? Maybe you do what I did this morning and improvised. I was going to make more PB&J Truffles, but decided it might be quicker to just grab a banana and pack it with soy butter and just a few Vegan Chocolate Chips. I don't know if you've ever tasted Soy Butter, but it tastes a lot like natural, non-sugary peanut butter {this opinion coming from a JIF fan}. So, I quickly sliced a banana in half length-wise, spread soy butter on one open side, strategically placed some yummy vegan choc chips on it and topped it with the other half of banana. Wrapped it in foil and sent my girl off to school.

This lunch idea did 3 things:

1. It gave my girl something different for lunch. Variety is the spice of life, you know!

2. It is providing her with a punch protein and a fruit serving all in one!

3. It saved me from having to run to the store early this morning. =)

Life is good.

Strawberry Banana Smoothies {Dairy-free}

Yesterday, I made these for my girls for an after-school snack and I scored big!! Because I don't make them often, {I don't know why, thank you for asking} they thought these were the most awesome snack and I was their favorite mom {not to mention, their ONLY mom}. These are super easy and now that I remember that, I will keep them on my list of healthy after-school snacks.

Strawberry-Banana Smoothies

Fresh strawberries, washed and sliced

1 banana, peeled and sliced*

4 oz. soy yogurt, in vanilla or plain {coconut milk yogurt works, too!}

4 oz. almond milk {plain for less sugar content}

crushed ice

*you can substitute a frozen banana instead of using ice.*

Makes 2 or 3 servings - and serve it with a straw! Everything is better with a straw!

Put all ingredients in blender and pulse until you get the consistency you want. I use a Cuisinart handheld Quick Mixer and it is perfect for this job. This is a great one to let the kids help with, too. For added protein, you could add some soy protein powder, but I haven't personally tried it so I cannot vouch for the taste.

Fruit Salad - Yummy, Yummy! {Allergy-free}

So, today's snack in VBS {Vacation Bible School} was animal crackers and frosting. Believe it or not, it DOES matter what brand you buy. Some products have been manufactured around common allergens even though they may not contain allergens. But, as we all know, cross-contamination can pose a very serious risk in some people. Therefore, it's safe to say that if you have an allergy be sure to pay attention to the fine print. (Sorry for the quality of the below pic.)

The animal cracker snack was easy to substitute. I bought the Barnum & Bailey Circus Animal Crackers because they do not contain any of the allergens that Daughter is allergic to and are not processed around any of her allergens. Most generic brands and/or Stouffer's brand of animal crackers, she cannot have because of the processing issue. So, I just bought her a small box of the circus animal crackers and gave her a very small container of Betty Crocker Chocolate Frosting (has none of her allergens) and she was good to go!

Tomorrow, Daughter will be having Fruit Salad and because I am not sure whether the fruit salad at VBS is canned (which could pose processing issues for Daughter) I just made my own fresh fruit version of fruit salad for her. She will be having some juicy peaches, apples, bananas and blueberries. The hardest part of this will be remembering to pack it in her bag in the morning!

All of these are great snacks and super easy. I'm going to be bringing these snacks out at our house on a regular basis instead of the pre-packaged things from now on!