10 Childhood Favorite Recipes Recreated

Happy Monday!

I had the most gah-lorious weekend, chock full of...absolutely nothing. It. Was. AWESOME.

After weekends jelly-filled with greatness, my introverted self swooned at the opportunity to drink copious amounts of coffee, stay in PJ's all day, and shack up with an entire season of the Pioneer Woman.

After finally grocery shopping, I decided to "When in Maine" my protein choices, and steam up an entire pot of mussels for my seafood obsessed belly.

Let me tell you, I am not cut out to ever be a fisher...woman. While I did enjoy the task of tapping each mussel on the counter to see if they were alive or not, the job itself was messy, tedious, and I still wound up with lots of sand in my crustaceans. Not to mention the fact that I was forever convinced that I would contract the deadly shigella food borne illness that is scarred into my brain from Biology class.

Aside from that, they tasted delicious, and the actual cooking part was easier than boiling water. Thanks to the Kitchn for serving as my reference a good 12 times throughout the process.

I abandoned scheduled long run on Sunday simply for the fact that I wasn't feeling it. I felt tired all day, which no amount of coffee seemed to shake. Instead, I took a rest day, did absolutely nothing, and ate like a bottomless pit. Is it just me, or are the days you exert no amount of actual energy the days you're most hungry?

I did manage to go for a quick walk outside after a much needed self pedi, and to listen to one of my current podcast loves of The Lively Show.

And now that school is officially starting or has started for many, I felt inspired to remember all of school time favorite foods...Now I'm really feeling old.

I decided to make an ensemble of classic childhood favorite foods and recipes revamped for us older, more mature adults to enjoy with our sophisticated palets and all. Coming from the girl who prefers the blue box over any homemade mac & cheese any damn day.

Some of your childhood favorite recipes get a facelift in this roundup of recreations!

Homemade Spaghetti-O's from Homemade Nutrition

Oh Spaghetti-O's. I was never one for the Alpo-filled ravioli from Chef Boyardee, but crack open a can of circle spaghetti in sugary tomato sauce, and I'm there.

And the best part is, I could eat them straight out of the can. And prefer them that way. Any degree higher than room temp, and all I taste is the metal of my spoon. Even if it's plastic.

I can't tell you the last time I even looked at a can of Spaghetti-O's, but my younger self would never turn down a bowl, or in my case a can. Amber's take probably requires the same amount of effort to make as it does to open a can, and I love the idea of adult-ifying it with some wilted spinach and roasted red pepper soup.

Although when I make it, I'll probably have to wait a few hours until it reaches my the room temperature of my liking. Worth it.

Grilled Ham & Cheese with Tangy Honey Mustard Dip from Back To The Book Nutrition

When I wanted a real sit down meal instead of shoveling a can of Spaghetti-O's in my mouth before I knocked out some nasty jumps on my Razor scooter, I'd actually put them in a bowl alongside my sandwich of choice: grilled cheese.

Don't get me wrong, I loved me some PB & J, but especially after a day of jumping in leaves or making snow forts, nothing hit the spot like a warm cup of tomato soup with a grilled cheese made with love from Mom (MJ). And maybe the only time where warm (not hot) Spaghetti-O's were acceptable, especially for dunking.

Dena gives this classic a spin, not to mention a great how-to when it comes to crafting the perfect grilled cheese. I guess a tangy mustard spread is a bit of an upgrade from my Spaghetti-O dunking days too.

Banana Sushi from Fit Foodie Finds

I feel like kids nowadays have more sophisticated tastes than even my 25 year old taste buds can handle. I'm over here dipping forkfuls of kale into peanut butter, while 6 year olds are noshing on dim sum filled bento boxes for lunch.

I forever will love the banana and pb combo, and ate many pb & b sandwiches in my lifetime. Lee's take is a bit more up to par for all the Timmy's and Tina's sipping on cold pressed green juice boxes. Not to mention that you get to eat it with chopsticks!

Homemade Ice Pops from Detoxinista

Obviously with a freezer full of two boxes of freeze pops, I am still living and eating this childhood memory, but maybe not to the full extent of my 12 pop at a time glory days.

However, if Ms. Detoxinista showed up to my doorstep with a box full of her homemade ice pops full of actual fruit, I'd plea the 5th about my red 40-filled love of fruit punch pops and chow down.

Pizza Hummus from Sinful Nutrition
I haven't met a child of any age who does not have pizza listed as one of their favorite foods. I'm waiting for the day when they release that a slice of pizza a day keeps depression away, because I've never been sad when one is in my hand.

I am also so guilty of LOVING the deep dish pizza lunchables in my younger days. Something about cold bread, fake pepperoni, and the option to put M&M's on a pizza just reeled me right in.

As soon as I discovered the novel-sized ingredient list and loads of calories and sodium in one of these cardboard meals, I vowed to never let one pass my lips again. I do however find any and every way to make every food into pizza, hummus included.

Peanut Butter & Jelly Granola from Averie Cooks

Ah, pb & j. You knew that one was coming. I would eat one every single day after school in the 10th grade, mastering the pb to jello ratio, and putting each type of bread to the test.

Now Averie has put this sammich into a form in which I can sprinkle on to every possible food, but most likely with just eat an entire jar of at my kitchen counter.

Caprese Mac & Cheese from Damn Delicious

Come to Mama. I may prefer the blue box blues, but no one ever said anything about melty mozzarella and fresh basil. I am going to make this for some kid somewhere in my life just on the hopes that they turn their noses up, and it's all mine. MINE I tell ya!

Although these are the green juice and banana sushi kids of today we're talking about. I'll still take my chances.

Baked Homemade Pizza Rolls from Back To Her Roots

I think I am missing a good portion of my taste buds from numerous burns from cups of hot chocolate and pizza rolls. Much like the encyclopedia of ingredients lunchable pizzas have, the same goes for the roll form.

Lucky for me, Cassie has created a way for me to surely loose all tasting capabilities by the time I'm 46.

Healthy Rice Krispie Treats from Running With Spoons

No childhood is complete without a marshmallowy, square of air cereal. Amanda is talking more my language by replacing all that mallow with the true stars of peanut butter and chocolate. Can we reverse time, and replace all my childhood memories of Rice Krispie Treats with these ones?

Homemade Grahams from Heather Goesch Nutrition

MJ would always make me a bowl of graham cracker "cereal", crumbling up squares of grahams into milk to get soggy. It was something she enjoyed as a kid, and something I always enjoyed as well. (I am a soggy cereal kinda gal.)

Heather has recreated this classic in a form fitting for my love of these crackers, waiting to be loved by a bowl of vanilla almond milk nowadays. And let's not forget that s'mores exist.

Looking for more food inspiration? Be sure to follow me on Pinterest!

What was one of your favorite foods as a kid?

Do you get more hungry on rest days?