Breakfast Sandwiches

These sandwiches are freezer heroes. They’re energizing morning meals and hearty after-school snacks, and they can even pinch-hit for dinner on busy nights. Not to mention, they’re easy to assemble and hold up well in the deep freeze. Get the complete how-to: Make-Ahead Breakfast Sandwiches

Homemade Bagels

I promise it’s easier than you think to make your own soft, chewy homemade bagels. They’re so much better than store-bought–and so much cheaper than the bakery. Add the toppings your gang likes best. I have an easy-to-follow, step-by-step recipe, including a short-cut if you have a bread machine.

• Get the recipe: Homemade Bagels
• Get the recipe: Homemade Bread Machine Bagels

Simple Sushi Rolls

This recipe for easy sushi rolls is perfect for beginners and a great project for kids. It’s also a nice way to fit some extra veggies in everyone’s day. Feel free to tuck some sliced avocado in there too. Get the recipe and how-to: Simple Veggie Sushi Rolls

Guacamole

This guacamole recipe couldn’t be easier with just four simple ingredients, but it almost always gets compliments when I bring it to a party. I think that’s because the simple, fresh flavors really shine through. One of my son’s friends even called it “better than Chipotle’s”. Get the recipe: No-Fuss Guacamole

Hummus

Homemade hummus is as easy as pushing a button on your blender or food processor. Skip the store-bought version for the fresher flavor of making it yourself. Get the recipe for Very Lemony Homemade Hummus

Corn Tortilla Chips

All you need are three ingredients to make a batch of homemade baked tortilla chips. They’re so much crunchier and heartier than the bagged kind, which now seem flimsy and inadequate next to these substantial wedges, especially delicious when served warm and fresh. Get the recipe: Homemade Corn Tortilla Chips

Sports Drink

Yes, sports drinks are overused, especially in typical youth rec sports. But some young athletes do need what a sports drink provides, especially if they’re exercising for long periods of time. Avoid the synthetic food dyes, artificial flavors, stabilizers, and other stuff in commercial sports drinks by making your own lemon-flavored electrolyte beverage with just a few simple ingredients. Get the recipe: Homemade Sports Drink

Copy Cat Vanilla Steamer

The Starbucks Vanilla Steamer is one of my favorite cold-weather splurges. It’s also a drink young kids can enjoy, since it’s coffee-free and caffeine-free. I started making these a few years ago when it occurred to me that I could treat myself (for a lot less money) at home. Get the recipe: Copy Cat Starbucks Vanilla Steamer

Ice Pops

It’s the perfect way to clear out the fruit drawer, especially when items are nearing past-their-prime status. Instead of wasting that fruit, whirl it in a blender with a touch of honey to make homemade ice pops (the honey keeps them sort of slushy). Pour them into these fun ice pop pouches or these reusable molds. Get the recipe: 2-Ingredient Fruit Popsicles

Granola

It’s just the thing for half-empty bags of nuts and seeds taking up space in your pantry and freezer. In just one hour of prep, you’ll have breakfasts, snacks, and yogurt toppings for the next week or more.

• Get the recipe: Use-What-You-Have Granola
• Get the recipe: Double Chocolate Granola

Yogurt Tubes

A little bit of yogurt + a little bit of fruit + a splash of milk = DIY yogurt tubes that are fun fresh or frozen and deliver calcium, potassium, protein, and vitamin D in each tube. Get the recipe: Homemade Yogurt Tubes