Frugal Living: Cure after-school munchies with homemade treats

It's almost back-to-school time for many families. Kids often come home from school and go directly to the kitchen in search of a snack. Finding an after-school snack that won't ruin their appetite for dinner can be a challenge. Fresh fruit and raw cut vegetables are healthy, but can become boring. Try including hummus with cut vegetables or dip with fruit.

What snacks do you feed your kids after school?

Here are a few more tasty ideas:

Baked treats: Muffins and quick breads work well for sneaking in fruits or vegetables; think carrots or zucchini. Visit www.frugalvillage.com/2009/02/05/7-easy-quick-breads for a few quick bread recipes.

Cereal: Add milk and fruit. Or try a fun cereal mix. You can adjust the ingredients and make it ahead, pre-packaging it into individual portions for the entire week.

1 cup toasted-oat cereal (plain, honey nut, apple cinnamon, frosted)

1 cup trail-mix cereal

1 cup nuts, such as almonds, mixed nuts, peanuts, pecans, pumpkin or sunflower seeds, walnuts

1 cup Goldfish crackers

1 cup dried fruit, such as raisins, cranberries or banana chips

1 cup candy-coated chocolates

1 cup baking chips (chocolate, peanut butter and/or butterscotch)

1 cup miniature pretzels

1 cup mini-marshmallows

1 cup animal crackers or bear-shaped graham crackers

Combine in a large bowl, divide, and store in plastic zip-enclosure baggies.

Yogurt: Buy plain yogurt and add your own fruit preserves. Top with granola, oatmeal or wheat germ or serve with graham crackers.

Cheese and crackers: Try cubed, string or cottage cheese and serve it with whole-grain crackers, pretzels or fruit. Or as a twist, mix cream cheese and fruit preserves and serve on graham crackers, a bagel, English muffin or raisin toast.

Eggs: Hard-boil eggs ahead of time and have them cold and ready for when kids get home. Make deviled eggs, too.

Popcorn or rice cakes: Popcorn is cheap and light. For sweet and savory popcorn recipes, visit www.recipegoldmine.com/popcorn/popcorn.html. For rice cakes, you can spread peanut butter on them to make them more appealing.

Smoothies: They can be made with healthy ingredients, such as fruit, ice, juices, milk and yogurt. You can pour smoothies into cups and freeze them to enjoy a fruity yogurt treat to eat with a spoon.

Applesauce: If not homemade, check your local grocery aisle for a variety of fruit sauce options, such as pear sauce or strawberry applesauce. Speaking of apples, they can be baked and even cooked in a Crock-Pot. For a recipe for Crock-Pot apples, visit www.food.com/recipe/slow-cooked-baked-apples-328381.

One reader, Ellise from South Carolina, shares: "I make apple toast. Here's the recipe.

1 tablespoon butter

4 slices bread

1 large Granny Smith apple, peeled, cored and thinly sliced cinnamon, to taste

brown or white sugar, to taste

Set oven to broil. Spread butter on one side of each slice of bread. Place apple slices on buttered side of bread. Sprinkle cinnamon and sugar on top. Place bread on a baking sheet. Place in oven until toasted."

Frozen fruit: Frozen grapes, blueberries or bananas are delicious ways to enjoy fruit. Another reader, Joseph from North Carolina, shares: "I just made this for the first time and am amazed at how great it tastes. It's exactly like banana ice cream and comes out like soft serve. You'll need some bananas and milk. Freeze a banana. Peel it, chop it into chunks, and put it into your food processor. Blend with a splash of milk until creamy. Then eat.

This does not taste like a low-fat product; it is very rich and creamy."

Dear Sara: Twice in two years I have had to change the front brake pads on my husband's van. (I am a mechanic.) His idea of stopping is to wait until the last minute before applying the brakes ... hard. Many years ago, I remember hearing about a gadget that you could put on your dash that would beep if you hit the brakes too hard or accelerated too fast. I'm guessing it was designed to get better gas mileage. Is there such a contraption, or do I need to keep changing brake pads? -- Nancy C., email

Dear Nancy: I'm not sure if this is the gadget that you're thinking about, but it's the only one that I've heard about that does what you are describing. It's called the Digital Fuel Mizer and can be bought here for $69.95: www.autosportcatalog.com.

Dear Sara: I am trying to clean out cabinets and I have an assortment of candles to clean out, some new and some partly burnt. I would like to melt some down and remake them, but I don't know how. Can you help? What can I do with the rest? -- Cathey S., email

Dear Cathey: You could donate them all and be clutter-free. If you only have bits and pieces of scented candles, they can be put into a candle warmer. They can be melted and poured into tart molds, small tins, tea cups, votive holders or into jars. You'll need new wicks, which can be bought at retail craft stores, such as Michaels. Leftover candles can be melted with a double boiler. You can also melt them in a soup can or a coffee can that's placed inside a saucepan heated on low, filled with 2 to 3 inches of water. (Don't ever use a microwave.) There's a tutorial on my forums: www.frugalvillage.com/forums/soapmaking-candlemaking/.

As far as another use for candle wax goes, one of my readers, B.C. from North Carolina, shares a gift idea: "I make fire starters for my emergency kits. I have a paper egg carton, where I keep dryer lint balls and a couple of cotton plugs from over-the-counter medication bottles. I melt the wax and pour it over the lint or cotton. These make great fire starters in an emergency. You can just rip or cut off a few 'eggs' and light the paper." You could make them and give them away.

Dear Sara: I read your article about using Dawn on spots on clothes. Do you mix it with water or do you use it full-strength? Do you have to rub it in or just spray it on? Can I use any kind or do I have to use the original? -- Cathy, email

Dear Cathy: I use original blue Dawn and squirt it directly from the bottle onto the clothing. I use it as a prewash treatment. You can rub it in a bit. You can also dilute the Dawn in a sink filled with water and soak the garment. Then rinse the clothing before running it through a regular wash cycle. I haven't tried other dish soaps because original Dawn is what works for me.

Another product that will work is Simple Green, which I dilute. You can add 1/4 cup in your washer (fill washer with water first), or fill a spray bottle with half water and half Simple Green and spray it onto clothes as a pre-treatment.