All across the country, it's the heart of the second half of the school year. Lunch boxes are being packed, lunch money is being counted out and parent/child battle lines are being drawn over that all-important issue: after-school snacks.

Left to their own devices, the average grade-schooler would quickly be up to their chins in a can of cake frosting, which they'd be eating with a spoon while waiting for their toaster pastries to heat up so they could smear them with peanut butter and eat them with a big glass of chocolate milk.

Most parents, on the other hand, would like to imagine the sort of scenario where Junior, having peeled a fresh carrot plucked straight from the ground, cheerfully munches it straight, while sipping on frosty glass of salt-free vegetable juice.

It doesn't take a genius to figure out that a middle ground needs to be found, something that appeals to the rampaging sweet tooth of youth while incorporating maturity's demand for something at least marginally healthful on the menu.

This week, I'll try to present a few ideas to fill the younguns' bellies until dinner without turning them into the overweight kids we hear about every time we turn on a health-related show. And we'll even get you and the kids together in the kitchen again!

Starting Simple

When I say "raisins," do you envision those rock-hard little purplish-black things you used to have to pry out of a cardboard box to eat, that is if you couldn't find someone to trade with at lunch? Well, friends, you can just banish that image to the depths. Earthbound Farm, the folks who've brought you the best in organic bagged salads for the last 17 years or so, have branched out into the dried fruit business.

Their organic jumbo Thompson seedless raisins, sold in the aforementioned tiny cardboard boxes, larger 1.5-ounce boxes and 10-ounce canisters, are little bundles of sweetness. They're not too sweet, not cloying, but smooth. They're moist and chewable, and don't stick to your teeth like some of the lesser offerings.

I plan on making my universally famous Oatmeal-Raisin Cookies with them in the near future, and you'll hear about it.

Another simple snack is one that I'll bet two things on: First, I'll bet you haven't had it in years. Second, the minute I mention it you'll slap your head and say "Oh, yeah!"

Get a jar of your favorite peanut butter, a couple of stalks of celery and get to stuffing. Or, alternately, you may do your stuffing with pimento-cheese spread, which I understand is the law in some places in the Midwest.

Cut the stalks into 2-inch sections and let the kids have at them. They'll get protein from the peanut butter and vitamins and minerals aplenty from the celery. These also travel well, provided you don't overstuff, for school lunch packing.

Beef, chicken or turkey jerky is another great, simple snack. Watch the spice, though! Some of the big national brands specialize in "peppered" jerky that can be a bit too intense for young palates.

Roll It Up

One way to guarantee snacking success is to present the munchies in an interesting way. Give your kid a piece of deli meat and a piece of string cheese, and he'll probably eat it, but roll the cheese up in the meat and slap one of those "party" toothpicks on it and you're sure to be asked for more. Another great idea is tortilla rollups, with small (or halved) flour tortillas used to roll up anything from peanut butter to cheese spreads to tuna or ham salad.

Be careful of using the party toothpicks with very young children. You might want to "seal" their rolls with a small dot of honey instead.

Shape It Up

Variety is the spice of life, and the same is true of snacktime. Kids who would ordinarily accuse you of neglect for handing them an apple or orange at snacktime might be much more interested if the orange is wedged, or the apple is cut into rings or strips.

Restaurant chefs will tell you presentation is a huge part of any dish's success, and the same holds true for your young eaters. It takes less than a minute to make a smiley face out of pineapple wedges and sesame sticks on a plate, and they're much more likely to be devoured than if you present the same items in a pile. You can even get the kids involved here! Give them an array of shapes and colors to work with, and invite them to make edible "art" on a plate.

Sweet, But Healthful

Let's be realistic. You're not going to win every day. Some days, the vegetables or meat are going to be eschewed in favor of sweet stuff no matter how well you present them.

One trick is to make the sweets something special. Yes, occasionally you'll grab for the pack of Oreos or box of Cracker Jack, but "sweet day" will be a lot more fun and a lot more meaningful if the sweets are something you and the children made together. This recipe is perfect for that! There are a lot of yummy ingredients the kids can help measure, and they're sure to love mixing and mashing them all together.

These would also be a great use for some of those Earthbound Farms raisins we talked about earlier.

Oatmeal Peanut Butter Bars

1 c. creamy peanut butter
½ c. packed brown sugar
½ c. corn syrup
1/3 c. butter
2 tsp. vanilla extract
3 1/3 c. rolled oats
½ c. flaked coconut
½ c. sunflower seeds
¾ c. raisins
½ c. semisweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350° Fahrenheit

In a large bowl, stir together the peanut butter, the butter or margarine, the brown sugar, the syrup and the vanilla until smooth.

Add all the other ingredients. Stir well.

Press the mixture into 13 x 9 inch greased pan. Bake for 20-25 minutes. Let cool on wire rack before cutting into bars.

These will keep up to two weeks, tightly sealed, but I'm betting they won't be around your house that long!

Got a comment? Question? Recipe to share? Drop me a line anytime!