Do you struggle to pack your child’s lunchbox each day and find suitable after-school snacks they will love? Me too! I’m constantly seeking new and fun ideas for keeping my kiddos happy without breaking my budget in the process. Two of my secrets for staying on track with my budget and keeping our pantry full with snack bites my children love are a) shopping at Save-A-Lot and b) adding a bit of homemade love to keep snack time interesting and yummy!
I’m sharing one of my favorite snack recipes today, Cherry Pineapple Upside-Down Cake Bites, as part of a sponsored post for Save-A-Lot. As always, though, all thoughts, opinions and experiences are that of Rural Mom.
When I’m prepping our cupboards for back-to-school lunches and snacks, our local Save-A-Lot in Owingsville is always one of my first stops. I know I’ll find a wide variety of healthy and convenient options my children will love. As you can see in our cart (pictured below,) we quickly fill it up!
One of my favorite pairings is to match up Panner Peanut Butter and Bramley’s Jelly with Wheat Tortillas to create a simple PB&J roll-up. They pack easily in lunchboxes or can be sliced in smaller bites for an after-school snack. Add a side of Tipton Grove variety fruit cups and maybe a Coburn Farms String Cheese stick and you have a protein-packed lunch or treat.
Other times, I like to surprise my kids with a sweet treat at snack time, but I don’t want to offer too much to spoil their dinner or of course, add too much sugar to their diets. This is where I’m in love with making and baking mini versions of family favorites. One of our go-to desserts that we all love is pineapple upside-down cake so I’ve scaled it down to a bite size delight that packs all the delightful taste we love into one mini bite. The kids love having a taste at snack time or finding a couple minis packed in their school lunch as a special treat.
It’s a great way for me to enjoy a favorite sweet, too, without feeling guilty about adding too many calories to my diet. One or two bites with a cup of coffee is truly a satisfying pick-me-up! I hope you enjoy this delightful snack as much as we do:
Cherry Pineapple Upside-Down Cake Bites
(scroll down for printable version of the recipe)
1 box Ginger Evans Yellow Cake Mix
3 (4.5 ounce) cups Tipton Grove Pineapples In Light Syrup, drained
15 Crown Creamery Maraschino Cherries
1/4 cup Home Churned Unsalted Sweet Cream Butter, melted
Ginger Evans Light Brown Sugar
Preheat over to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
Prepare cake mix according to box instructions, set aside.
In a food processor, add pineapples and cherries. Pulse until finely chopped.
In a mini-muffin tin, pour a thin layer of melted butter into each cup (about 1/4 teaspoon per cup.) Add 1/4 teaspoon of brown sugar into each cup. Gently mix brown sugar into the butter until evenly distributed.
Add 1/2 teaspoon of pineapple cherry mixture into each cup to form a new layer.
Top pineapple cherry layer with 1/2 teaspoon of cake mix, (Use leftover cake mix to bake a small cake or cupcakes.)
Bake for 10-12 minutes or until crust is golden brown and toothpick comes out clean when inerted into the center of the mini bite.
Remove from oven and place on a cooling rack for five minutes.
Remove each cherry pineapple upside-down cake bite from the muffin tin. Invert and cool on a baking rack for fifteen minutes. Serve and enjoy!
Ingredients
- 1 box Ginger Evans Yellow Cake Mix
- 3 (4.5 ounce) cups Tipton Grove Pineapples In Light Syrup, drained
- 15 Crown Creamery Maraschino Cherries
- 1/4 cup Home Churned Unsalted Sweet Cream Butter, melted
- Ginger Evans Light Brown Sugar
Instructions
- Preheat over to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Prepare cake mix according to box instructions, set aside.
- In a food processor, add pineapples and cherries. Pulse until finely chopped.
- In a mini-muffin tin, pour a thin layer of melted butter into each cup (about 1/4 teaspoon per cup.) Add 1/4 teaspoon of brown sugar into each cup. Gently mix brown sugar into the butter until evenly distributed.
- Add 1/2 teaspoon of pineapple cherry mixture into each cup to form a new layer.
- Top pineapple cherry layer with 1/2 teaspoon of cake mix, (Use leftover cake mix to bake a small cake or cupcakes.)
- Bake for 10-12 minutes or until crust is golden brown and toothpick comes out clean when inerted into the center of the mini bite.
- Remove from oven and place on a cooling rack for five minutes.
- Remove each cherry pineapple upside-down cake bite from the muffin tin. Invert and cool on a baking rack for fifteen minutes. Serve and enjoy!
Notes
The ingredients used in this recipe are all products of Save-A-Lot food stores. If you do not have access to a Save-A-Lot food store, substitutions may be made. For example Ginger Evans Light Brown Sugar may be swapped out for another brand of light brown sugar.
What are your go-to lunchbox and snack ideas?
For more information on Save-A-Lot food stores and additional recipe ideas, visit http://save-a-lot.com/. You can also follow Save-A-Lot on Twitter, Facebook and Pinterest for inspiration and updates on sales and promotions.
WIN IT! (ENDED! Congrats to ROSE M.!
Share your favorite snack idea or recipe in the comments below and you could win a $25 Save-A-Lot Gift Card!
Terms: Winner will be determined by a random number generator. US only, 18+. Void where prohibited. This giveaway is sponsored by Save-A-Lot who has provided us with content, product, access or other forms of payment. Giveaway ends 9/15/2015 12 p.m. EST. Prize will be shipped standard USPS mail with receipt confirmation tracking. Rural Mom is not responsible for any lost or stolen mail parcels.
My favorite snack idea is chopped cucumbers and hummus.
My favorite is chopped fruit with yogurt.
I like puppy chow mix for a nice snack.
I like to make spiced roasted chick peas for a healthy snack.
My fave snack is popcorn
chopped celery and peanut butter
Our favorite snack is hummus with pita chips – oh yum!
thank you
We love to have celery with hummus or celery with peanut butter and cinnamon!
I like frosted brownies but buy them at a restaurant/bakery. Don’t have a recipe for them. Easier to go there and get them. On a particularly bad day I’ll go and order a double but after losing 35 lbs last year I rarely do it anymore.
These little cake bites look so tempting! As we move into fall baking season, I will have to try your recipe.
This is my favorite snack
Chex Mix is a great snack that’s not messy.
These look so yummy!! I like handing out bite size snacks to my kids as it’s easy for then when doing homework.
Congratulations Rose M., you are are our random gift card winner! See your email!
I like making banana bread.
I like to have cheddar cheese with townhouse crackers.
Favorite of mine is chex mix. I use this recipe often
cucumbers and ranch
I love making rice krispie treats.
xxbeccaannxx@gmail.com
I like making my own Moon Pies for snacks.
Laurie Emerson
Granny Smith apples with plain yogurt
I like mixing sunflower seeds and chocolate chips.
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Our favorite snacks are muffins. My kids love muffins of any variety. We make a lot of muffins around here!
I love broccoli with lemon juice and garlic! Either as a side or a snack.