My kids started school last week. The first day was Monday the 8th, so I’m a good two weeks into the school year. I’ll confess: I was downright giddy over it.

I’d say it’s going well for everyone.

Sure, there’s been some drama in the mornings about mom waking up late (dang Olympics!), lost IDs, and forgotten flutes/soccer cleats/lunches. No matter how prepared we are the night before, it never quite cuts it. Ah well- no one is showing up hours late or missing their pants, so I consider this week a success.

The first day of school for them, the first day of AAAHHHHHH for me!

And once we hit 8 am, it’s been gloriously quiet around here.

Do you hear it? No?

Yeah… ME EITHER.

While the kids are gone, I’m doing my thing, and my thing is killing the mom game. Laundry is done, dinner is prepared, groceries are stocked, and the house is clean. I’m also working my bootay off with the blog and travel bookings, now that my time is not pulled in 4 different little people’s ways.

Life is good, you know? And then 3:30 rolls around and chaos ensues and that’s all good, too!

#OhLucy and #OhSeth running off the bus after the first day!

But I got a small smackdown from these little peeps on the second day of school. When everyone was home my oldest, who is always hungry and always eating (13-year-old male, so, yeah…) asked what I made for snack.

I laughed. Full on laughed.

Dude… NO ONE has SNACK set out after school. NO ONE DOES THAT. It’s not a thing.

And, hand to God, in unison they all said, “Aunt Karen does!”

My older sister and beloved Aunt Karen.

Punked out by my own Pinterest worthy sister, y’all. I called her immediately to clear this shiz up.

Me: Hey, so my kids are claiming that you have a full on snack created and laid out for the kids when they get home from school… they are totally lying, right?

Aunt Karen: Um…. well…. yeah, I mean, of course, I have a snack made for the kids every day.

Me: (Crickets)

Kids: (Insert calls of BURN! WE TOLD YOU! HIIIII AUNT KAREN!) Maniacal laughter… you get the point.

Smacked DOWN, yo!

Dang. I guess I need to step up my mom game.

So I’m making an afterschool snack that I know they will sing my praises over.

It’s got everything they love: fruit and cheese and carbs. A side glass of cold unsweetened Tradewinds Tea for the older kids (and a glass of milk for the littles) and I think I’ll be in business!

Apple Cheddar Quesadillas

Ingredients:

• Apples (your favorite kind will work, but a Granny Smith is an excellent pairing with cheddar cheese)
• Cheddar cheese (sharp or mild, depending on your preference)
• Flour tortillas
• Panini maker or skillet

Clean and core your apples, removing all seeds.

Slice your apples into thin wedges.

Slice the cheese as thinly as possible as well. You can always add layers if you need to make it more cheesy!

Simply layer the ingredients on a panini maker or skillet.

Tortilla first, then the cheese, then the apples. I went ahead and added another layer of cheese on top.

Once you’ve filled the tortilla with cheesy appley goodness, top it with another tortilla.

Close the panini maker and let everything heat up.

If you are working with a skillet, let the tortilla cook for about 2 minutes before you carefully flip it over. The cheese should be melty enough to hold the ingredients inside.

When your quesadilla is all grilled up, remove and plate.

We use a pizza cutter to make clean cuts on our quesadillas.

The kids prefer triangles for easy picking up in their little hands.

Serve with your favorite Tradewinds Iced tea.

I’ll admit it: I was proud of this one. I’m going to surprise the kiddos with this super easy but delicious snack when they come in the door today.

And, well, I had my own Tradewinds Tea #MomentsToSavor after making this post.

Hey, moms need snacks too!

Thanks, once again, to Tradewinds for sponsoring this yummy post.

Tradewinds Iced Tea is available nationwide, and I’m happy to report it’s easy to pick up at my local Fry’s. Learn more about how you can buy Tradewinds here.

Tradewinds Slow-Brewed Iced Tea is available in 18.5 oz bottles or gallon sizes, and it comes in a variety of flavors like Raspberry, Hint of Lemon, Green Tea with Honey, Sweet Tea, and Unsweet Tea.