Sometimes L. is not open to a healthy snack option after school. It takes him about 1/2 hour to get home so this gives me some leeway to come up with something that will take care of whatever craving needs assuaging - sweet, salty, fried...
The recipe above ticks a couple of boxes. I keep ziplock bags of these in the freezer (leftovers from when I make my famous mac and cheese for dinner) and, if I remove them as soon as I get L.'s cranky text that he is on his way home, they are defrosted enough when he walks in the door to be workable and on the table within minutes - crisis averted.
Recipe
Bite sized pieces of mac and cheese, rolled in panko and throughly chilled
1 Tbsp butter
1 tsp vegetable oil
In a large frying pan, heat the oil and butter together over medium heat until the butter has melted and the mixture is hot. The butter adds flavor and the oil keeps the butter from burning.
Add the mac and cheese pieces (without crowding the pan) and cook for 1 to 1/2 minutes per side. Drain on a paper towel lined plate and serve after a few minutes so no mouth burning occurs.
These are also really good with cocktails or a pre-dinner glass of wine.