To celebrate National Something on a Stick Day (yes, there really is a holiday for it), we’re sharing our favorite tasty snacks on sticks!

Fig Vanilla & Sour Cream Popsicles
These sweet and tart Sour Cream Popsicles are the perfect treat to kick-start Spring. The trickiest part is waiting patiently while they freeze!

Photo courtesy of BayAreaBites.com

Cheese Dipped Apples
Cheese, fruit, and chocolate are some of our favorite things to eat, and with this recipe you can have them all in one with help from a handy stick!

Sweet & Savory Kabobs
If you’re looking for a fun way to serve sandwiches, these creative, colorful kabobs make a great after school snack.

Photo courtesy of GlitterGuide.com

Cheesy Chocolate Fondue
Treat you taste buds to a cheesy, chocolaty fondue.

Cheese Sticks
All out of sticks? Make your own for a yummy late night snack!

Photo courtesy of SmittenKitchen.com

By Callie

Looks fancy, tastes delicious. Happy New Year!

Let’s face it; New Year’s is one of the ultimate snacking holidays. You’re surrounded by family and friends, but you’ve already prepared plenty of full meals in the last few months, which means it’s time to keep it simple. All you need for New Year’s are some yummy nibbles to keep your guests satisfied. Need some inspiration? Here’s a roundup of Tillamook recipes that will hit the snacking spot and be the hit of any party:

• Jack Biscuit Bites
• Queso Blanco
• Spinach Artichoke Dip
• Dark Chocolate Ice Cream Sandwiches
• Pear & Muenster Flatbread
• Oregon Smoked Salmon Sour Cream Dip

Happy (and yummy) New Year’s!

By Laura

Does anyone else have a hard time getting healthy school lunches ready for their kids each week? It’s hard to find the time to prepare lunches kids will eat, let alone lunches that are good for them! Tillamoms and Tilladads are here to help! Fans from all over the country have sent in their quick meal tips and, along with a few of our own, we have compiled our favorites here to you and your Tillakids. We are always looking for more ideas, so send any quick & healthy lunch ideas our way!!

“The best way to get my picky kids to eat a healthy lunch is to pack them a container of lunch meat, Tillamook cheese slices, and crackers. Tons healthier than a Lunchable and I don’t have to feel guilty about feeding it to them! ” – Me Too

“I make mozzarella and apple sandwiches the night before. They are perfect for kid’s lunches and making them the night before allows the flavors time to mingle and get extra yummy!” – Kelly Sanders

“My kids love making things. So, I give them jars of Banana Vanilla Yogurt and then little bags of things they can stir into the yogurt. Some of my kids favorites are cereal, oatmeal, chocolate chips, and fresh fruit.” – The Tillamook Team

“I freeze Light Marionberry Yogurt cups to put in my children’s lunch boxes. They help keep everything cold and by their lunch time, they are thawed enough to eat! My children love it!” – Pamela Summers

“I love making homemade trail mix! You can control how nutritious it is and your kids can have fun making it.” – Amalya Haver

“By the middle of the week, I put a note in their school [lunch] letting them know what fun thing we have planned for the weekend. It makes them happy and gives them something to look forward to.” – Mary Kay Janssen

“I make homemade popcorn on Sunday night. I put it in little baggies that can be added to lunches all week long. The best part is, I add Shredded Italian Blend cheese or other tasty toppings to make each bag a little different.” – The Tillamook Team

By Kelly

Perfectly manicured grass, hot dogs, flat beer, a credit card with no limit to afford the hot dog and beer – it’s fall baseball, people!

The leaves are turning colors, the rain is falling, and the nation is abuzz with election giddiness. It must be October in America! The biggest America’s Pastime event starts today and it is always a fun trip down memory lane combined with anticipation of close games marked by clutch plays. Bring on the Fall Classic!

Like hundreds of thousands of kids I played baseball growing up and dreamed of one day playing in ‘The Show.’ I would stand in front of my parent’s 19” Zenith TV with my plastic whiffle ball bat timing pitches. It became clear to me early on that, given the opportunity, I would be the next Mickey Mantle, Ted Williams, Rogers Hornsby, or Lou Gehrig. The pitchers I was timing would fear me as I went on to bat .800 with at least 80 homers. In my head, I never missed! However, about that same time in life, I began playing baseball with real pitchers and realized that it is actually far more difficult than it seemed standing in front of our grainy television with my feather weight plastic bat. The pitches dodge, dip, dive, duck, and dodge away from the bat – or they come straight ahead. There was no way to tell! The experiences I had standing there in the batter’s box give me a great deal of respect for successful major league hitters – especially when the pressures of October are upon them.

Since I have retired from all things sports related – after a valiant attempt at a high school career – I have taken up eating as the activity of choice. If a person isn’t going to PLAY the sport, the next best thing is to scrutinize it from the couch eating nachos, a grilled cheese sandwich and tomato soup, or mac n’ cheese – all made with Tillamook Cheese of course (I figure when the best is on your TV, it may as well be on your plate too, right?!).

Here are some tasty game day treats for inspiration.

Who do you root for – October or otherwise – and what is the food you eat when watching them play?

By Matt

Pack a healthy yogurt meal to go for your Tillakid (and maybe one for yourself too!)

With all the after school activities my kids have signed up for, we are constantly on the go! From soccer practice to piano lessons, I’m always in the car taking a kid from one place to another. That can sure make keeping hunger pains at bay a challenge. I strive to always give my kids healthy snacks and Tillamook Light Yogurt is one of my go to resources.

While a cup of Tillamook Yogurt is easy and delicious, I’ve taken to making yogurt mason jars for on the go snacks. I can pack a whole meal in one jar that makes my kids happy while allowing me to give them something good for their growing bodies! You can make them out of anything you or your kids like and quantities always depend on how much I have on hand. Here are some of my ideas.

Morning Breakfast Cup
Tillamook Light Northwest Berry Patch Yogurt
Granola
Flax seed
Raspberries
Blueberries

Lemon Bar in a Jar
Tillamook Light Lemon Squeeze Yogurt
Shortbread cookie

Vanilla Chip Bliss
Tillamook Light Vanilla Bean Yogurt
Chocolate chips

For each of these snacks, I take what ingredients I have on hand, layer in a mason jar, and store in my fridge until they are needed! They keep great and taste even better. What other ingredients would you use?

By Kelly

Another great perk of Tillamook Yogurt based snacks: the cups sit perfectly in standard car cup holders!

As the school year kicks into high gear, so do fall sports.  From football to soccer, volleyball to cross country, kids have traded in their summer camp t-shirts and lazy afternoons at the pool for practice, practice, practice. As carpool duty takes on the added task of afternoon canteen for the kids between classes and cleats, it’s time to delve into the nutrition facts behind pre-practice snacks.

Healthy, well-balanced meals and snacks are the key to getting the nutrients needed to fuel the body to perform best during sports. Before practice, it’s important for your young athlete to get a dose of calcium and protein. Calcium is crucial for building strong bones. Strong bones resist breaking and stress fractures, keeping your kids out of casts and out of pain. Protein helps build and repair muscles, and also gives a natural energy boost. Dairy products are rich in both calcium and protein, and make for a good pre-practice or pre-game snack.

Fruit and whole grains are a great addition to dairy. Most fruit is chock full of nutrients and water, while whole grains are rich in fiber and will keep tummies fuller for longer. Here are some portable after-school snack ideas to help your Tillakid stay on the ball during practice.

- Whole grain crackers with slices of cheese

- Yogurt with apple slices to dip

- Yogurt with a granola bar to dip

- Apple slices and cheese cubes

- Yogurt fruit smoothie

By Amalya

For most of us now, school is well underway and the Tillamook Back to School contest is in full swing. Tilla-moms and Tilla-dads have been submitting their healthy eating tips in droves, helping us all find quick ways to feed our Tillakids a healthy meal! Here are some of our favorite breakfast, lunch, dinner, and snack ideas submitted by you, our Tillamook fans!

Don’t forget to get your tip in by September 14th to be entered to win a Tillamook backpack full of Tillamook goodies! AND for each tip Tillamook receives, Tillamook will donate $10 to Feeding America! That’s a win-win-win!

By Loafy

With busy school days and weekends full of chores and activities, I often find myself looking for a quick, easy, delicious meal full of protein to keep me and my family going. When we are running out the door to practice, we need something easily transportable, too! With all this in mind, I came up with a grilled cheese sandwich mixed together with my family’s favorite, eggs in a basket. The outcome is a very quick meal that everyone in my family adores! The best part is, you can wrap it in a paper towel and take it on the go.

Grilled Cheese in a Basket

Ingredients
2 slices of whole wheat toast
1 egg
Tillamook Salted Butter
2 slices of Tillamook Medium Cheddar

Preparation
Butter both slices of bread. Use a cookie cutter to cut a hole out of the center of one slice of bread

Place a table spoon of butter in a fry pan, and turn burner on to medium-low. Place the slice of bread with a hole in the pan.

Crack egg into hole of bread slice.

When the egg has cooked half way through and the bread has turned golden brown, flip egg and bread over. Add the Tillamook Medium Cheddar and the other slice of bread, butter side up.

Flip entire sandwich when bread is golden brown.

When both sides of the sandwich are golden brown and the cheese is melted, remove from heat, slice in half, and wrap in napkin if taking it on the go!

Another highlight of this easy sandwich is, it passes for breakfast, lunch, and dinner! Whatever quick meal you need, Grilled Cheese in a Basket can come to your rescue. What easy meal tips do you have? Submit them here to be entered into Tillamook’s Back to School Contest on Facebook.

By Kelly

Layer Tillamook Yogurt and juice together in popsicle molds for a tasty snack!

Houston, we have a delicious problem…Our rocket’s made of Tillamook Yogurt and we can’t get enough! If you’re looking for a fun family activity and a delicious snack, try making layered Tillamook Yogurt pops. All you need are some popsicle molds, Tillamook Yogurt, and a freezer. Layer your favorite flavors of Tillamook Yogurt in the mold and freeze. In a few hours you’ll have a tasty snack! If you’re feeling really adventurous, you can even try putting a layer of juice in the yogurt pops. Just make sure that you let the juice layer completely freeze before adding more yogurt on top of it. I like berry yogurt, so my favorite combination was Mountain Huckleberry, juice, and Light Oregon Strawberry.

What flavors of Tillamook Yogurt would you put in a layered pop?

By Laura

Cheesy, flaky, and salty – what’s not to like about cheese crackers? I decided to cook some of my own so I could include my favorite cheese, and they were beyond amazing! Cheese crackers have always been my weakness, but these take my old favorite to a delicious new level.

Cheesy Crackers
1 cup all-purpose flour
4 tablespoons Tillamook Unsalted Butter, cold and cut into small pieces
8 ounces Special Reserve Extra Sharp Cheddar Cheese, shredded
¾ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
5 tablespoons cold water

Directions
Combine flour, butter, cheese, salt, and cayenne pepper in the bowl of a food processor. Pulse until crumbly, then add in water one tablespoon at a time until dough comes together (you might not need all the water). Wrap dough in plastic wrap, press into a disc, and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.

Preheat oven to 350°. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper or nonstick silicone mats. Set aside.

Separate dough into two sections. Place one section between two pieces of parchment paper. Roll to 1/8-inch thickness, then carefully peel off the top layer. Using a pizza cutter, trim dough into a rectangle, then cut into 2-inch squares. Transfer squares onto baking sheets with a spatula if needed. Repeat with second section of dough.

Bake for 22 to 25 minutes, until crackers are just slightly turning light brown and crispy. Quickly cool and taste one for crispness. If they are not crisp enough, bake for a few more minutes. Store in an airtight container (or eat immediately, like me!).

Tip: try shaking things up by adding different flavors of cheese! I added Tillamook Pepper Jack Cheese with a little extra cayenne pepper for a kick. What about crackers made with Smoked Black Pepper White Cheddar Cheese? Yum!

By Katie