M is for Monkeys (and Monkey Munch)

Okay, so these are a week old. Sue me! ;)
Natalie and Owen came over and instead of just letting the kids demolish the basement (which they all did anyway) I decided we'd make our favorite treat, Monkey Munch! Some call it Puppy Chow, some call it Monkey Mix, Monkey Munch, whatever you call it, it's YUMMY!
So here are the kiddos gathered up to *help*:


This was the before- I took a note from Shannon and laid everything out all neatly and premeasured before I even told the kids what we were doing.


And THIS was the after. LOL! I didn't tip that box for effect, and I wish you could see the powdered sugar strewn on the counter better, because holy cow. Jack was like a tornado.


Chocolate chips, Natty checking carefully....




Mmmm! If you've never had it, you should try it! Delicious! We use whole grain cereal, natural peanut butter and dark chocolate chips from my boyfriend Trader Joe- so while it may not be exactly healthy, the kids certainly think it is WAY worse for you than it actually is! Okay, so until I typed this out I forgot it had butter in it. But I use my boyfriend's churned canola oil instead of butter, so I can eat as much as I want. ;)
Here's the recipe:
9 cups Chex® cereal (any variety)
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
1/2 cup peanut butter
1/4 cup butter or margarine
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar


Preparation Directions:
1. Into large bowl, measure cereal; set aside. (I actually use a big Corningware bakepan because I don't know how anyone lets a 4 year old stir 9 cups of cereal in a bowl without flipping it everywhere)
2. In 1-quart microwavable bowl, stir together chocolate chips, peanut butter and butter. Microwave uncovered on High 1 minute; stir. Microwave about 30 seconds longer or until mixture can be stirred smooth. Stir in vanilla. Pour mixture over cereal, stirring until evenly coated. Pour into 2-gallon resealable food-storage plastic bag.
3. Add powdered sugar. Seal bag; shake until well coated. Spread on waxed paper to cool. Store in airtight container in refrigerator.