Hi guys! If you follow along on Instagram, you know that we spent the first part of July vacationing in Montana. It was relaxing and beautiful . . . while it lasted. Sadly, all good things come to an end. Here in Arizona August means “Back to School”. Monday is my kids’ first day back, which puts me in a completely different frame of mind. Here, in no particular order, are a few of the things I’m thinking about right now: the return of homework, the merits of waking up at 5:45 a.m. vs. 6:00, how to get my kids to eat breakfast, new shoes, Dixon Ticonderoga pencils, my daughter being a SENIOR, Burrito Supremes {always}, two-pocket folders, and packing lunches.
When we go to Walmart to stock up on school supplies, these are a few of our essentials: Quaker Fruit & Cream Instant Oatmeal, Quaker Chewy granola bars, and Life Maple and Brown Sugar cereal.
They are conveniently located on the cereal aisle at my local Walmart store.
My kids will actually eat breakfast in the morning if we have Life cereal and/or Quaker Instant Oatmeal pouches in the house. For lunch, a Quaker Chewy granola bar is a no-brainer for tossing in the old brown bag with a turkey wrap and a piece of fruit. While granola bars are always a crowd-pleaser all on their own, nothing gets my kids more excited than finding homemade cookies in their lunches when they get to school. This year I decided to surprise them on the first day with a special treat – Peaches n’ Cream Oatmeal Cookies. It’s a yummy twist on traditional oatmeal chocolate chip cookies, with a subtle peachy flavor and white chocolate chips.
Peaches n’ Cream Oatmeal Cookies
2 sticks butter, softened
¾ C. brown sugar
¾ C. granulated sugar
2 eggs
2 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt
½ tsp. baking powder
2 tsp. vanilla extract
2 ¼ C. flour
6 Quaker Peaches n’ Cream Instant Oatmeal pouches
1 C. white chocolate chips {optional, but super delicious and recommended}
¾ C. brown sugar
¾ C. granulated sugar
2 eggs
2 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt
½ tsp. baking powder
2 tsp. vanilla extract
2 ¼ C. flour
6 Quaker Peaches n’ Cream Instant Oatmeal pouches
1 C. white chocolate chips {optional, but super delicious and recommended}
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Cream butter and sugar in mixing bowl. Add eggs one at a time, until well blended. Add baking soda, salt, baking powder and vanilla extract. Mix in flour and oatmeal. Fold in white chocolate chips.
Scoop onto baking sheet and bake 10-12 minutes, or until lightly golden on top. I get best results when I use a stoneware baking sheet and let the cookies rest for 5-10 minutes after removing from the oven before removing to a cooling rack. They turn out soft and perfectly chewy every time.
One thing I remember fondly about going to school as a kid are the notes and silly pictures my mom used to scribble on our napkins every day. I always looked forward to seeing those. My teenagers love a really good bad joke, so, in honor of my mom, I designed some little lunchbox jokes to make their first day of school lunches extra special. If you have younger kids they'll probably appreciate these all the more.
I laughed at the "mom embarrassment" - I think my teens would love it if I put jokes in their lunches. My oldest is going to be a sophmore this year and I think I might just be a blubbering mess when she becomes a senior. #client
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