Kid Approved Snack Ideas

As a mom to two young boys the struggle to keep up with their appetites has driven me to fantasies of dropping them off at the grocery store with an open credit card and just letting them go nuts!  However, as a diet coach and lifelong Nutritionist, I know how important getting healthy foods into their growing bodies can be.  It is so tempting with the plethora of packaged goods to blow our budget on all the chips, crackers, dried fruits, etc. just to get a break from chef mom duties! Knowing this, I wanted to share some simple after-school snack ideas (back to the basics) to assist with your sanity, budget, and your children’s important nutrient needs.  

Nature's snacks come to us already packaged. Think, apples, bananas, or oranges in a bowl. If you struggle to get your kids to eat fruit, try cutting them up (apples may need a spritz of lemon juice to keep from browning). By stirring in a sprinkle of cinnamon and sugar, you now have a fantastic sweet treat too! You can even purchase sliced apples now at the grocery store. If you're really creative and have time, there's loads of fun ways to present healthy food on Pinterest! Some of you have some artistic flare that blows my mind. http://www.womansday.com/food-recipes/food-drinks/g2146/after-school-snacks/?slide=2/

To get my kids to eat more vegetables, I purchase frozen edamame in the shells from Costco. Pop those in the microwave, salt, and serve in a bowl! This should keep those hungry kids busy for at least 5 minutes before you need to microwave more! There is also the tried and true carrot sticks with dip or the old fashioned “ants on a log” celery with peanut butter (or SunButter) with raisins on top.  

For kids that really want a chip like snack, pop popcorn! It’s easy and you can be in charge of the toppings. We’ve tried using a mixture of butter and olive oil (1:1 ratio) to drizzle then had fun with toppings like garlic powder or garlic salt, rosemary, premade meat rubs can also be surprisingly yummy!  For a sweet alternative: butter, sugar, and cinnamon.

Don’t forget the protein! Simple snacks that you can make ahead like boiled eggs, homemade trail mix of nuts, seeds, and dried fruit or plain yogurt mixed with low sugar jam (you can make these ahead, freeze them in single-serving containers for school snacks) are great whole food snacks to keep your kids satiated and you, for the most part, out of the kitchen every three seconds!