Kids Hungry After School? Try These Healthy Snacks!

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When my stepdaughter gets home from school the first thing she does is head straight for the refrigerator and kitchen pantry to see what she can snack on.  I’m sure she would prefer to eat the unhealthy snacks (chips) over the healthy snacks, but I often try to get the healthy ones on her plate.  It’s not always easy so we try to make it fun.

Have you been running out of ideas for healthy snacks?  Tired of eating the same snacks over and over?  Here are some ideas from Parents Magazine that will put a spin on snack time.

Healthy Snacks

Cheese

The protein in this kid-friendly snack keeps energy levels high until dinnertime.  Stick salt-free pretzel sticks into cubes of low-fat cheese.

You can also make cheese more interesting to kids by cutting it into fun shapes with a cookie cutter and making kabobs with your favorite fruit.

 

 

Hummus

Made from pureed chickpeas, hummus is an excellent dip for kids. It has an appealing nutty flavor, is thick enough not to be messy, and contains folate, vitamin B6, and iron.

Serve hummus with cut-up vegetables or salt-free crackers for dipping, or use it to make a pita bread sandwich.

 

 

Pears

Rich in fiber and available year-round, pears come in many delicious varieties.

Serve up canned pears with a small bowl of low-fat cottage cheese or pack a juicy whole pear in your child’s lunch box.

 

 

 

Snack Mix

Toss together a healthy combo of nuts, pretzels, whole grain cereal, banana chips, and popcorn for a handy, portable snack.

Nuts contain must-have minerals such as magnesium, iron, and zinc.  Make your own combination!

 

 

Raisins

Raisins have a lot of good things going for them such as fiber, potassium, and vitamins.

Try them in peanut butter with celery sticks.

 

 

 

Whole Grain Waffles

For a fun alternative to peanut butter and jelly, try whole grain waffles for a boost of iron and vitamins B6, B12, and A.

These cool, kid-approved waffle sticks topped with reduced-fat cream cheese and a fruit jelly are a refreshing change for snacktime.

 

 

 

Do you have any healthy and fun snack ideas?  We’d love for you to share!  

If you try any of these snack ideas at home, let us know what your kids think.  

HAPPY SNACKING!

1 COMMENT

  1. We eat “banana swirl” all the time. You just take frozen bananas (I buy cheap ripe ones) and then add a couple splashes of milk. Blend until they look like ice cream. My 3 kids love it and it is really similar to ice cream.

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