Popcorn catastrophe

I have been looking for new snack ideas for the boys lately. They get tired of yogurt, fruit, and granola, and honestly, so do I. I was catching up on some reading online one day and ran into this article. I had heard some recent studies on popcorn and this just confirmed it all. Popcorn is 100% whole grain, full of antioxidants and yummy! Of course, microwave popcorn is about as toxic of a snack as you can get, so I began the search for an air popper - you know, the white and yellow ones that they had years ago. I had seen them around, but of course, when I started looking for one, I couldn't find one anywhere. Finally though, I ran across one at Wal-Mart that is shaped like a football. For just under $18, I grabbed it and thought, "Why not?"

I purchased some popcorn kernels (GMO free) from the store and we were ready. I waited until one afternoon when Heath was home so he could enjoy the excitement with the boys. Little did I know, there was a whole lot of excitement that goes along with popping popcorn out of a football!

We decided to set the boys on the island, as we always do, so they could watch the action. We made it very clear NOT to touch the popper. At first they were a bit nervous thinking it might be too loud, but once we turned it on, they were nothing but excited!

Here they are peering into the popper, watching the kernels go around!

Oh, popcorn! It was amazing to them!

Soon it started popping like crazy! A little too crazy, actually. This is the last picture that I got because after a while, the popcorn was going everywhere, and unpopped HOT kernels were coming out, too. They would land in the football and then pop! Some popped into the floor while some popped toward the boys leaving them screaming. It was absolute, crazy hysteria! I laid down the camera and grabbed B off the counter. Cash stood up to hop down, too, and as he did, he laid his leg on a hot kernel and it burned him. CRAZY, I tell ya! 

In the end, we learned a few lessons. First, when popping popcorn out of a football, use two smaller bowls as shields to make sure the kernels and popcorn land in the bowl. Second, no boys on the counter. They actually sit on the barstools behind the bar now, a good ten feet away, to watch the popcorn popper. And third, never pop popcorn after mopping the floors as it makes a mess. Wait until after to clean the floors.

So there you have it, our new healthy snack. We add a bit of salt and sometimes some butter and wah-lah! - "the perfect snack food."