<p>I volunteered to bring snacks for a school group’s “retreat.” I need to figure out what to make that can be eaten at room temperature whenever they decide to take a break. Something that doesn’t need to be kept hot or cold, doesn’t get stale. I know there are cookies and cupcakes but how about something else, maybe something savory? </p>
<p>Ideas?</p>
<p>White House Fruit and Nut bars: [White</a> House Fruit and Oat Bars - NYTimes.com](<a href=“http://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/12/dining/12yossesrex1.html]White”>White House Fruit and Oat Bars Recipe - NYT Cooking)</p>
<p>These are a huge hit with everyone I give them too.</p>
<p>String cheese keeps fine at room temp for longer than you’d think. Clementines are good if in season. Nuts are good too. Or sunflower seeds. Smartfood is yummy.</p>
<p>This is delicious!</p>
<p>TEXAS TRASH<br>
1/4 c. butter
1 1/4 tsp. seasoned salt
4 1/2 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
8 c. Chex mixed cereals (Corn, Rice & Wheat)
1 c. mixed nuts
1 c. pretzels
1 c. goldfish
Preheat oven to 250 degrees. In open roasting pan melt butter in oven. Stir in seasoned salt and Worcestershire sauce. Gradually add cereals, nuts, pretzels and goldfish. Stir until all pieces are evenly coated. Bake 1 hour, stirring every 15 minutes. Spread on paper towels to cool. Store in airtight container.</p>
<p>Cheese sticks: [Cheese</a> Sticks Recipe - Cheese Sticks Snack Recipe](<a href=“http://southernfood.about.com/od/cheesesnacks/r/bl30424f.htm]Cheese”>Classic Cheese Straws Recipe)</p>
<p>Cherries and grapes.</p>
<p>If you like blue cheese: </p>
<p>Alysha�s Bleu Cheese Pecans</p>
<p>2 tablespoons butter
1/2 cup crumbled bleu cheese
3 cups pecans</p>
<p>In a medium saucepan, melt the butter and the bleu cheese together. Stir in pecans, and cook until they are coated. Spread out over on a cookie sheet and bake in the oven at 350� for approximately 10 minutes.</p>
<p>Cheese and hummus stay good for hours. You might not want to bring out all the bread or crackers at once.</p>
<p>Great ideas everyone! </p>
<p>I try to stay away from nuts because (1) I am allergic and don’t want to be around them, and (2) some in the group may be allergic.</p>
<p>Several of the idea have been gluten free, which I appreciate. I am personally gluten free and I like to be able to serve my own D gluten free snacks that are delicious.</p>
<p>Banana, but it isn’t really ‘homemade’.</p>
<p>The old standby in our house is trail mix/snack. You can make it with virtually anything. If you don’t like nuts, don’t put in nuts.</p>
<p>My kids used to like rolled oats or cheerios, cashews, mini pretzels, dried fruit and chocolate chips when they were little.</p>
<p>Rice Krispie treats.</p>
<p>Those laughing cow cheeses can be room temperature for a day or two (depending on the temp!) I see them at the grocery store unrefrigerated and can keep a round in my desk for a week. If it is a small group that would be nice with fruit and/or something crunchy</p>
<p>I don’t know how long you are talking about them sitting out. But I like to eat peanut butter on celery (stuffed into the convex curl of the celery). Also, sliced summer sausage and sliced cheese to go on Ritz crackers. Both of these are filling protein snacks.</p>
<p>Trail mix. You can put almost anything in it…package it in sandwich size ziploc bags…donzo. If kids can’t have nuts or chocolate…use candy corn instead. I usually put honey nut Cheerios in it too. Those…some kind of candy (depending on the allergy situation), raisins, dried bananas or other dried fruits, coconut sometimes, use your imagination.</p>
<p>Recipe Name: HIDDEN VALLEY RANCH PRETZELS
Not sure if Snyder’s sour dough pretzels are gluten free - I do know at least 1 of their pretzel products are but perhaps you can find a substitute. Store in air tight container.</p>
<p>1 envelope of hidden valley original dressing
16 hard pretzels , broken into pieces ( Snyder’s sour dough are best )
3/4 cup oil
1Tlbsp dill weed
1/2 tsp. garlic salt
1/2 tsp. onion salt. </p>
<p>Mix
oil,garlic salt,onion salt,hidden vally dressing. mix in a bowl and cover
pretzels. Bake for 15 to 25 min. at 250 stirring several times. </p>
<p>Note: these are best if you can get fresh dill weed, if not dried works just as well. </p>
<hr>
<p>Homemade granola bars or oatmeal peanut butter cookies?</p>
<p>Popcorn of some kind?</p>
<p>Like the pretzel & chex mix ideas (you can add sesame sticks)</p>
<p>Fruit to cut up once there? Bananas, Apples, etc.</p>
<p>Look on the Pillsbury website, lots & lots of ideas to choose from…</p>
<p>Thanks again. The retreat is from 4-9 pm. I will send the treats with D and they will just be out until they decide to eat them…probably at 7 or 8 pm. No popcorn in deference to the kids with braces. They are singing in close quarters so I think I’ll skip the garlic.</p>
<p>In your experience, do kids actually peel and eat fruit (clementines, bananas). Maybe I just know the laziest kids on earth because in my experience, they will not take a piece of fruit that has to be peeled. Heck, I made a lovely cake for an after prom party, and even cut a piece to “get it started” and no one helped themselves to cake.</p>
<p>Guess you have to know your group.</p>
<p>Kids around here love fruit- platters of cut watermelon, honey dew, cantaloupe, small bunches of grapes, cherries, strawberries are popular.</p>
<p>How about marshmallow bars using Chocolate or Cinammon Chex cereal instead of Rice Krispies (the latter is still not gluten-free, as it has barley malt).</p>
<p>Salsa and chips. Buy the salsa in a jar (not fresh) like Pace or Tostito brand…</p>
<p>Pretzels and cheese dip (there are cans of the cheese dip in the pretzel aisle.</p>
<p>I think you’re right about fruit that the kids would have to peel–I find that if I have fruit already cut up, it goes quickly. That being said, clementines are really easy to peel and they’re small. I’m not a big fan of plain bananas, so I’d vote for the clementines.</p>
<p>You can make different zip lock bags of variations of GOOP/trail mix</p>
<p>Granola, peanuts, M&MS, raisins, gold fish, cheerios, etc. You can make some nut free. You can make some raisin free, you can make some chocolate free, you can make some gluten/cereal free.</p>