Apple Nachos!

Want to make an easy, healthy-ish snack for you or your kiddos is less than 20 minutes? I say healthy-ish because there are chocolate chips but those could easily be removed (Harvard claims peanut butter to be healthy, FYI). Apple nachos + healthy-ish + short prep time = great summertime snack! Here's what you'll need:

* 3 apples, sliced (I used Red Delicious which I thought was fine but my husband said they tasted like sponges, so maybe go with something more tart)
* Lemon juice
* Almond slices
* Pecans (though I used walnuts instead)
* 3 Tablespoons of peanut butter
* Chocolate chips (I used mini chocolate chips)
* (optional) Unsweetened coconut

Start by preparing your apples - wash them, slice them thin, and put them on a plate (if you don't have one of these handy apple slicers, go get one right meow!)

Sprinkle lemon juice over the apples to keep them from getting brown.

Melt your peanut butter in the microwave for 15-30 seconds (I did it for 45 seconds and it was bubbling over and almost burnt so anything less than that is your best bet!) and using a spoon, sprinkle half the peanut butter over the apples.

Next, add your almond slices...

And your pecans (or walnuts, in this case)...

And don't forget the chocolate chips! If you choose to add your coconut, now would be the time.

Go back over the apples with the rest of the peanut butter.

And there you have it! Apple nachos for 2, please!

TOTAL COSTS: About $20 (if you don't have any of the ingredients - prices from Vons)

$1.49/lb for apples
$2.29 for lemon juice
$3.99 for almond slices
$5.99 for pecans
$2.79 for peanut butter
$2.50 for chocolate chips

TOTAL AMOUNT OF TIME: 15-20 minutes

Depends on how much time you take slicing your apples

EASY-PEASY SCALE (1 super easy - 5 very difficult): 1 out of 5

This is such an easy snack to make, I don't know why I never made these before! And just as a heads-up, you might need a fork.

No-Bake Chocolate Oatmeal Bars or "Why Didn't I Make These Sooner?!" Bars

I don't say this about many things, but I wish I had seen this recipe from MoneySavingMom years ago. It has absolutely everything a high school kid for a bake sale, a poor college kid, a mom, and ME could ever want: simplicity, no oven, and chocolate + peanut butter = the ultimate marriage of flavors. If you have a dinner party tomorrow night and want an easy dessert or maybe you just want to treat yourself, grab a pan, a measuring cup, and these ingredients and be prepared to have your mouth salivate in 3... 2... 1...

* 1 Cup of peanut butter (make sure you have an almost full jar, as you'll use almost 3/4 of the contents!)

* 1/2 Cup of honey

* 1/2 Cup of coconut oil (or butter, if you prefer)

* 2 Cups of old fashion oats

* 1 Cup of shredded coconut

* 1/2 Cup of chopped nuts (I used walnuts), raisins, or dried cranberries

* 1 1/4 Cups of chocolate chips (photo shows mini but I used semi-sweet regular chocolate chips)

* 1 teaspoon of vanilla

In a medium saucepan, melt the peanut butter, honey and coconut oil (or butter). Make sure it doesn't burn by stirring frequently (took mine about 4 minutes to melt completely).

Once it has melted, take the pan off the heat and add the oats, shredded coconut, chocolate chips, nuts/raisins, and vanilla. Stir until the chocolate has completely melted.

Pour the mixture into a greased 9x13 pan and set in your fridge to harden.

How long you ask? Good question. I found after two hours it wasn't quite hard enough, 5 hours was better, but overnight would be ideal. If you do leave them to harden overnight, be prepared to get a workout - these suckers were so thick they were difficult to cut out but so worth it!

There are so many different variations you could do - you could replace or add gluten free oats, flax seed, almond butter, salt, etc. Someone in the original post's comments said this makes 24 bars at 240 calories/piece, but really, who's counting? Just cut them up and enjoy. Life's too short to skip dessert.

TOTAL COSTS: About $30 if you don't have any of the ingredients

$2.69 for peanut butter

$4.29 for honey

$5.99 for coconut oil at Whole Foods (though really, you could use $1 butter from the store)

$1.99 for oats

$2.50 for shredded coconut

$5.99 for chopped nuts

$2.50 for chocolate chips

$4.99 for vanilla

TOTAL AMOUNT OF TIME: 20 minutes + at least 2 hours to cool

I still recommend you let these harden overnight but if you can't wait, I completely understand!

EASY-PEASY SCALE (1 super easy - 5 very difficult): 2 out of 5

The "hard" part might be making sure the peanut butter mixture doesn't burn but that's just a matter of keeping your eye on the pan and stirring. Really, it's not hard at all and I encourage everyone to make these!