Snacks for Smart Kids

I'm the snack mom. It follows, as I'm pretty sure my love language is food. This past week, my daughter's scholastic bowl team competed in the state regional tournament. Of course, it was scheduled over the dinner hour, and given that the team is mostly guys, they are always astonishingly hungry. I knew I needed something bitesize but nutritious, tasty but brainfood.

I cruised Pinterest looking at several recipes for rollups similar to this one. What I've learned about feeding high school students is that they will try newish foods if it's close enough to something they already like, but don't get crazy. I decided to make my own version with familiar ingredients and an easy prep. I started with four burrito sized tortillas and added a thin layer (you could still see some tortilla through it) of Philadelphia veggie cream cheese. I went with veggie because I think it flavorful without being too much of any single flavor. Even my kid, who abhors peppers (and there's red pepper in the spread), found it tasty.

Then I laid out thinly sliced roast beef and cheddar on two of the tortillas and turkey and Colby-Jack cheese on the other two. I rolled them up as tightly as I could. The cream cheese, even though there wasn't much, worked to hold the wrap together. Then I cut off the non filled parts of the ends and sliced each tortilla into about 9, one inch slices. This dish from Pampered Chef was awesome for storing the rollups and keeping them cold.

I waited to pull the roll-ups out until after we had won our first match. At first, they were all a little shy, but the next time I looked over everything, even the grapes, were GONE. I guess they were a hit. I was stunned my daughter liked it well enough to take a smaller tortilla version in her lunch the next day.

Obviously, this isn't really much of a recipe, but it is a great idea when you need a light snack, but want something more than straight carbs. It also makes a great change of pace for school lunches. Plus, you can customize the flavors to your liking and make almost everyone happy.

Comments

I am always looking for good snacks that are filling. I find myself always grabbing chips or crackers and bringing them to classes. I am in class Tuesdays and Thursdays from 1:30-8:45 and I always grab something quick from the pod. However, I don't find it super filling. This seems like a super easy thing to prep and store and take to class!
Maisha Karim said…
This snack looks so easy to make and sounds pretty good. If I had more time before I left for school, I would totally make these for myself. I'm a commuter so if I'm hungry I usually just wait until I get home to eat or I might pick up something from the student center. Making this would keep my stomach satisfied until I'm done with classes so I can eat an actual meal when I get home. Let's hope I actually get to make it so I can take it with me to school.