Brown Bag Popcorn

Boy, we sure have had our share of illnesses sweep through our family this winter already.  And, with the weather being milder than normal, I am fearful of what's to come!  Today is another one of those days - one of my little ones isn't feeling the greatest and I must come up with low-key activities to keep the fever down.  My old standby..?  Movie day!  And, what goes better with movies than popcorn?!

With all the recent hype about microwave popcorn bags containing potentially harmful chemicals, I was compelled to find a healthier alternative.  Yes, we could use an air popper but...we don't have one.  And, we could do it over the stove but...that seems too messy (plus, we have an electric stove and I'm not sure how that would work).  So, I adapted an idea that I remembered from my childhood. I remember watching my step-dad put a brown bag into the microwave and, when he brought it out, it was full of popcorn!

A bag of un-popped popcorn (kernels) is relatively inexpensive, considering the number of servings you can get out of one bag.  Plain popcorn is also high in fiber and low in calories and fat.  I'm sure you've heard it before - popcorn is a great snack when you're watching your diet.  But, it's a great snack even if you aren't! So, I picked up a bag of yellow popcorn kernels and we've been popping in brown paper lunch bags ever since!

My kiddos love helping in the process.  Adding kernels to a bag and having it come out full of fluffy, white popcorn is nothing short of a miracle (in their eyes, at least)!  We find that one lunch bag produces more than enough popcorn for two people to snack on (and I love popcorn).  We do add a little melted butter and salt to our cooked popcorn, but we are able control the amount - another great thing about popping this way.  And, then, guess what?  You can recycle the bag afterward! Follow our 'secret recipe' and enjoy healthier popcorn for your next movie day!

What you'll need:

1 lunch-size brown paper bag

1/3 cup popcorn kernels

Butter and salt to taste (optional)

Directions:

Fully open the brown paper lunch bag and place approximately 1/3 cup of kernels inside.  We have found this is the maximum to both fill the bag and not leave too many un-popped kernels.  Fold the top of the bag over twice - use little folds so there's plenty of air left inside for popping.  Place in microwave and heat on high for 2-3 minutes (depending on your microwave).  We usually set ours for 5 minutes (eek!) and then listen for when the popping starts to slow, which takes about 2 1/2 minutes in our microwave.

That's it!  Open, pour into a bowl (or eat out of the bag) and add small amount of butter and salt, if desired.  You can start enjoying it right away because it's not even steaming when you first unfold the bag (no "Caution: Hot" warnings needed on here!).  Just one more reason to enjoy your guilt-free brown bag popcorn!

Many thanks to my step-dad, Scott, for creating a yummy memory all those years ago.