One thing about children that can be frustrating at times is that the older they get, the more they seem to always be hungry. Granted, it is just a natural part of them growing up, but it can be difficult to keep them from getting hungry. One of the easiest solutions is to make sure when you cook things that you have extra portions leftover for the kids to eat. However, sometimes kids just want a small snack instead of an entire meal.
Luckily, many models of pizza ovens are big enough to fit an industrial sized baking sheet into them. If you don’t have a pizza oven, research the potential options available to you. Making snacks with a pizza oven means that you can bake large batches of smaller foodstuffs for your kids to snack on when they get hungry. Your choices for snacks are limited only by your creativity. The following are some snack ideas for your children that you can make with a pizza oven.
Sweet Treats
All children seem to love to snack on anything that is sweet. Pizza ovens can easily be used to bake all sorts of sweet snacks. There are the traditional standbys like chocolate chip cookies or fudge brownies, but these can get to be a bit repetitive at times. Instead of baking these all the time, you can shake things up a bit by making slightly healthier items like oatmeal raisin cookies, banana nut muffins or carrot cake bites.
Another item you can make that takes almost no time is flavored roasted nuts. Unsalted peanuts, almonds, and pecans work best for this treat. All you have to do is take the nuts of your choice and spread them in a single layer on a pan. Roast them in the oven for a few minutes and then toss them in a mixture of spices and sugar. Coating the nuts with cinnamon and sugar is always popular as is mixing a little cocoa powder with sugar. Then, let them cool and you have a pretty healthy snack that is simple to make and easy to clean up. What more could a parent want?
Savory Snacks
These types of snacks can be a bit more labor intensive, but your children will definitely appreciate them. One great snack to make is pizza bagel bites. Your children can help make these as well.
You can take a couple dozen miniature bagels and spread them on a tray. Then spread a little pizza sauce from a jar on top of the bagels. You can use a pureed marinara sauce in a pinch as well. Follow this up by putting either shredded or slices of mozzarella cheese on top. Finally, top it off with your kids’ favorite toppings like pepperoni, onions, or cooked ground beef before putting the pizza bagel bites in the oven.
Once the cheese is melted and just starting to brown in places, they are done.
You can also use a pizza oven to make things you can eat right away like miniature meatballs that you toss in BBQ or marinara sauce as well as snacks for later like beef jerky.
A Bigger Snack for Bigger Appetites
Another great snack teenagers and adults love to eat are nachos. Just pour out a bag of tortilla chips on a baking sheet and top with cheese, refried beans, and cooked ground beef. Bake this until the cheese is melted and then add whatever cold toppings you want like sour cream, tomatoes, and jalapenos. This will satisfy even the hungriest of appetites.
A pizza oven can be a very versatile tool in the kitchen, and it isn’t just for making pizzas. You can make any number of healthy and not so healthy snacks for your children. The key is to use your imagination, so your child can try new things. They may never tell you, but they will truly appreciate your efforts.
