Snacks are important for kids because they are growing and constantly on the move. Snacks keep energy levels stable between meals and can ward off cranky tired kids. Make sure to choose nutritious and balanced snacks for great nutrition—focus on fruits, vegetables whole grains and lean protein. Snacks should also be low in fat, sugar and salt.
Many kids don’t like veggies or even fruit. All they want may be a cupcake or cookie. Try some of the fun options below to get your kids excited about the healthy food on their plate. Another way to get them to try different snacks is to have them help you make it! Creating something fun together gives your child a chance to be creative and will get them excited about trying what they made.
Try making fun faces or shapes with fruits and veggies. To add taste or a fun factor try adding a low-fat dip like flavored yogurt, or plain greek yogurt mixed with nut butter, or hummus. The possibilities are endless!
Try making mini sandwiches with fruit slices. Peanut butter on banana or apple slices is always a great combo! Or think out of the box and stack apples or pears with cheese. Fun to make and fun to eat!
Need a treat for a hot day? Try frozen fruit pops. Just blend some of your favorite fruit together and freeze, or see the recipe below for a variation. Frozen bananas make a creamy treat. Try dipping them in yogurt and granola before freezing.
Pina Colada Pops:
Blend and freeze the following ingredients (don’t forget the sticks!): (Makes 6 servings)
1 can pineapple chunks, in juice
1 banana
1 can coconut milk
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
Speaking of popsicles, things on sticks are so fun to eat! Try putting different fruits, veggies and cheese on sticks to make them more fun to eat. You can cut them into fun shapes to make it more appealing as well!
Looking for a snack on the go? Try packing snacks in fun packages, like the butterfly bags below!
Home dried fruit and veggie chips give a nice crunch without the added sugar, salt and preservatives of store bought ones. These can be made in the oven or dehydrator if you have one. Just look up temperatures and times online.
Cinnamon Sweet Potato Chips
You need:
2 sweet potatoes, washed and dried,
1-2 tbsp olive oil,
1/4 tsp salt per baking sheet
1/4 tsp cinnamon per baking sheet
What you do:
- Preheat oven to 300 F.
- Slice potatoes thinly with a mandolin slicer or a knife.
- Grease 2-3 baking sheets. Lay potato slices in a single layer on baking sheets. Drizzle with just a bit of oilve oil. Flip over slices so that both sides are thinly coated in oil.
- Sprinkle with cinnamon and salt (1/4 tsp of each for every baking sheet).
- Bake in preheated oven for 45 minutes to 1 hour, flipping chips over every 20 minutes or so. Take chips out while they're still a bit chewy, they will harden up with time.
- Store in an airtight container.