The Girls on the Run Spring Season of 2015 has officially begun!! I have a big team again this season with about seven returning girls from the Fall. To celebrate, I made S'mores Rice Krispie treats.

What brings you back to childhood more than a good ol' rice krispie treat? The recipe is at the bottom of this post, but first I wanted to share some precious moments from the first week of Girls on the Run!  

-Moment #1: Its almost unnoticeable, unless you spend all day with young children who have a strange talent for noticing things that are different from the norm. She hasn't shared exactly what it is yet, but one of my girls has something different about her in relation to her physical features. I don't want to say what or where, because I want to honor her privacy. She raised her hand and explained how she has this thing, and she would tell us what it was, maybe next practice, but she definitely would. With a smile, a little bit of shyness, and some rocking on her knees, she said, 

"I told this to my class too, but I hope that you can all support me and be supportive of my difference."

My heart BURST, I was so proud that she felt safe enough to be so vulnerable. The bravery it must have taken her to say this in front of a team of mostly older girls and peers from her own grade, was striking.  

-Moment #2: This has been the most successful first week of GOTR I've ever had! Every single girl is SO excited to be there and has been anxiously awaiting their chance to be a GOTR! On the second day we had time to run about 1 1/2 miles, which is rather spectacular for 3rd and 4th grade girls. When we circled up at the end of the practice, I told them how I proud of them I was that they all got out there and gave it their best. One of the girls hesitantly raised her hand and said, "Is it normal for your legs to feel achey, like all over, kind of tingly, or just kind of weird?" 

-Moment #3: One of my new girls walked out to the track with me and said she had been looking forward to joining Girls on the Run ALL year! We share the outdoor area with the Aftercare program, so she said she watched us running in the Fall and had been running on the days when GOTR wasn't using the track so she could be prepared for the Spring season. Dedication!!! 

-Moment #4: At the very end of the practice I asked the girls, "Is there anything you are hoping to learn from Girls on the Run? Anything you are excited or nervous about?" 

"I am really nervous about getting Ebola." 

There you have it. A couple of precious moments and now a delicious treat!! 

Make these delicious morsels and tell me what you think!! Leave a comment below! Or post a photo on Instagram, use hashtag #itsallofit, and tag @corrielanderson!!

S'mores Rice Krispie Bars  

Recipe Author: Corrie L. Anderson

Recipe Type: Dessert 

Serves: 5 - 6 people

 INGREDIENTS

• 3 cups rice krispies or brown rice crisps
• 3 - 3 ½ cups mini marshmallows + extra for ‘glue’
• 3 tablespoons butter
• 1-teaspoon vanilla extract
• ½ cup dark chocolate chips (or more if you’d like!)
• 6 graham cracker sheets

 INSTRUCTIONS

1. Prepare 9-inch cake pan with a sheet of parchment paper. Lay down the graham cracker sheets so they are flat on the bottom of the pan. Sprinkle about 15-20 marshmallows on top of the graham crackers. Turn on broiler.
2.   In a large pot over medium/medium high heat, melt the butter, and then add in the marshmallows and vanilla extract.
3. While the mixture is melting, place the cake pan underneath the broiler for about 1-2 minutes, or until they have puffed up quite a bit. Do not take your eyes off of them for very long. Once they have started puffing, take the pan out and smear the marshmallows over the graham crackers so it resembles glue a little bit. This will help the graham crackers stick to the bottom of the rice krispsie treat mixture.
4. At this point, the marshmallows in the pot should be melted. Add in the rice crisps and stir until well incorporated. Add the chocolate chips at the very last second, right before you pour the mixture into the pan. Transfer the mixture to the cake pan and spread evenly. Let the finished product sit for about ten minutes before cutting. ENJOY!!

 Serving Size: 1  Calories: 288   Fat: 12 g  Saturated Fat: 7 g  Carbohydrates: 45 g  Sugar: 21 g  Sodium: 208 mg  Fiber: 3 g   Protein: 3 g   Vitamin A: 14%   Vitamin C: 11%   Calcium: 3%   Iron: 10%