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What are some healthy, easy snacks for kids?


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We have gotten into a bad habit of eating junk foods for nearly all snacks. I want to start replacing the junk with better stuff. I need some ideas for some easy snacks. I'm not big on cooking, especially for snacks. I hate to sit and cut an apple, even though my dc like it. BTW, dd is on a GF diet, so things like crackers and breads can get quite expensive.

 

So what great healthy easy snacks do your dc enjoy?:D Thanks!

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Raw carrots, celery, cherry tomatoes, fresh fruits, cheese sticks (although those can get expensive), cereal, raisans. You can have your kids make a trail mix (my kids have always loved doing that) where they can mix dry cereal, raisans, mini marshmellows, grapes, or anything else they want to add :D

 

Tia

 

 

We have gotten into a bad habit of eating junk foods for nearly all snacks. I want to start replacing the junk with better stuff. I need some ideas for some easy snacks. I'm not big on cooking, especially for snacks. I hate to sit and cut an apple, even though my dc like it. BTW, dd is on a GF diet, so things like crackers and breads can get quite expensive.

 

So what great healthy easy snacks do your dc enjoy?:D Thanks!

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Guest Alte Veste Academy
We have gotten into a bad habit of eating junk foods for nearly all snacks. I want to start replacing the junk with better stuff. I need some ideas for some easy snacks. I'm not big on cooking, especially for snacks. I hate to sit and cut an apple, even though my dc like it. BTW, dd is on a GF diet, so things like crackers and breads can get quite expensive.

 

So what great healthy easy snacks do your dc enjoy?:D Thanks!

 

popcorn

pretzels & cheese

homemade granola bars

yogurt drinks

smoothies

raw veggies (and we don't do dip)

fruit

fruit

fruit

fruit salad if I'm in a particularly festive mood :lol:

 

Mostly my kids eat fruit and I don't cut it unless it's something that needs to be peeled anyway (like a mango or kiwi). However, I am cutting virtually everything for ds6 now, as he's about to lose his first two teeth and it's painful for him to bite down on anything.

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Guest Alte Veste Academy
cherry tomatoes

 

 

Yes, this is a favorite. I sometimes alternate cherry tomatoes and mozzarella balls on a skewer. Very fun for the kids to eat. Of course, kids will eat almost anything on a skewer, I think.

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peanuts (its fun to crack them from the shell- if you're outside)

 

Mix some dry cereal into a snack container for rides in the car (we like Kashi Honey Sunshine, Cracklin Oat Bran, and Crispix) We've also done the GF cereals for snacks- they are somewhat pricey but they are quite handy.

Granola is easy to make at home and it is also a fun, tasty snack.

 

Carrots are easy & most kids like them

 

Yogurt

 

Ihth.

 

Sue

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My ds likes...

 

carrot sticks, sometimes with ranch dressing

popcorn

raisins

cashews

trail mix, he'll make his own

pretzals

 

I also keep gluten-free clif bars for kids and Envirokidz organic crispy rice bars (our walmart started carrying these)

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sometimes I'll have a veggie tray with hummus or ranch dip (my boys prefer the unhealthy dip), home baked goods with freshly ground wheat, yogurt/grapenut parfait - sometimes topped with fruit cocktail.

 

I also have a large jar of trail mix. I get tons of raw nuts from Trader Joes and add seeds and raisins to it. Sometimes I'll add tart dried cranberries as an added treat.

 

My boys LOVE my marinated salad and devour it alone but it goes well with tortilla chips after school. I take cans of red and black beans (why do my beans always crack open when I cook my own?) and diced bell pepper - red and green, celery, purple onion, cilantro, corn, sometimes peas (corn and peas are frozen and rinsed in COLD water) lots of chopped garlic. I'll marinade it in my own salad which I make to taste using olive oil, unprocessed apple cider vinegar, water, basil, stevia or sugar. This is a family favorite and I make a HUGE bowl of it, knowing it will all go in a matter of a day or two.

 

fruit alone or with a dip. Even dipped in yogurt is yummy but I've sweetened and creamed cream cheese for a dip, too.

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popcorn

pretzels & cheese

homemade granola bars

yogurt drinks

smoothies

raw veggies (and we don't do dip)

fruit

fruit

fruit

fruit salad if I'm in a particularly festive mood :lol:

 

Mostly my kids eat fruit and I don't cut it unless it's something that needs to be peeled anyway (like a mango or kiwi). However, I am cutting virtually everything for ds6 now, as he's about to lose his first two teeth and it's painful for him to bite down on anything.

 

 

can you share your recipe for home made granola bars? I roll my own oats and make my own granola but it never sticks together. I miss the clumps! Bars would be a treat!

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Guest Alte Veste Academy
can you share your recipe for home made granola bars? I roll my own oats and make my own granola but it never sticks together. I miss the clumps! Bars would be a treat!

 

Here's my favorite recipe... (I originally posted it in this thread.)

 

2 c. rolled oats

3/4 c. brown sugar (can decrease to 1/2 or 1/3 according to personal taste)

1/2 c. wheat germ

1 tsp cinnamon

1 c. flour (I use whole wheat.)

3/4 tsp. salt

1/2 c. honey

1 egg, beaten

1/2 c. canola oil

2 tsp vanilla

3/4 c. raisins

 

Preheat to 350. Grease 9x13 pan.

 

In a medium bown, mix wet ingredients. In a large bowl, mix dry ingredients. Make well in center. Pour in wet ingredients. Mix well with hands. Pat evenly ito pan.

 

Bake 30-35 minutes until bars begin to turn golden at edges. Cool 5 minutes. Cut into bars while still warm.

 

I like to make variations on this...

 

cherry/almond/chocolate chip

cranberry/pecan (if you use orange extract instead of vanilla, it gives a great flavor)

etc.

 

Since that post, I've tried a new variation, the Hawaiian Bar (same as above but with dry pineapple, toasted coconut and macadamia nuts). Oh my gracious and heavens to Betsy! Delicious! You would think I had put out a box of Oreos, they were consumed so fast.

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These have probably already been said, but since I just started watching what I eat, the kids are eating better too now:

 

grape tomatoes

grapes

strawberries

muskmelon (aka cantalope)

watermelon

apples

bananas

cheese

carrot sticks

celery sticks w/peanut butter

broccoli w/dip (ranch dressing or veggi dip)

pepperoni

ham

peanuts

 

ETA: we also like sliced red, orange, yellow or green bell peppers

Edited by gardening momma
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I hate to sit and cut an apple, even though my dc like it.

Get an apple slicer, like this:

41idkZZjNOL._SL500_AA280_.jpg

You can get this kind, that doesn't have raised handles, so it fits in your kitchen drawers more easily. You can get them pretty inexpensively at places like Walmart. This one, pictured, is on Amazon for $5.99.

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I'm looking for more healthy snacks that my kids will eat as well...so far for snacks they will eat....

 

apple slices

cantaloupe cut up

banana slices

organic cheddar bunnies

organic granola bars

organic fruit/yogurt bars

cheese

yogurt

crackers with peanut butter on them

dinner roll

cheerios

grapes

slices of deli meat

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We eat many of the things listed here, especially fruit. I also offer:

 

brushetta

 

toasted bagels with goat cheese and salami

 

snack tray with several of the following: cherry tomatoes, olives, pickles, carrots, broccoli, cucumbers, mandarin orange slices, apple slices, grapes, pear slices, melon, and different cheeses, usually feta or cheddar

 

melon and fruit pieces on a skewer with greek yogurt to dip them in

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This is what I have on hand all the time:

 

plain yogert

cheese sticks

cheddar, mozzerlla, jack, or colby cheese

cottage cheese

 

whole wheat crackers

graham crackers

peanut butter

 

carrots, celery, grape tomatoes

apples, bananas (other fruit in season)

applesauce

 

snacks consist of things like: graham crackers w/ peanut butter or applesauce for dipping, apples with yogert or peanut butter for dipping, cheese and crackers, fruit and cheese, cottage cheese w/crackers, cheese stick and fruit etc.

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These granola bars are sooooo tasty, and they hold together really well. They are a chewy granola bar, not a crunchy one. I've substituted other cereals for the 7-grain cereal, and added an extra half cup of almonds when I was out of oat bran. We like to add mini chocolate chips for a special treat.

 

Coconut Almond Granola Bars

 

I have to admit I'm new to the idea of using coconut oil but I'm open to the idea.

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We go through homemade popcorn like crazy. I bought a cheap microwave popcorn popper on eBay for about $10 plus a bit of shipping: the "Back to Basics" brand as it doesn't require any special consumable filters. I put in a tablespoon or less (it's not required even!) of olive oil and about 1/4 cup of popcorn, pop it into the microwave and 3 minutes later, we're munching. Mmmmmmm.....

 

Here's a link on Amazon.

 

As a side note, commercial microwave popcorn used to give me tummy troubles, but since we've started making homemade, I can it eat it with abandon...makes me wonder what was in the packaged microwave popcorn....

Edited by BikeBookBread
couldn't get the picture to work.
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Get an apple slicer, like this:

41idkZZjNOL._SL500_AA280_.jpg

You can get this kind, that doesn't have raised handles, so it fits in your kitchen drawers more easily. You can get them pretty inexpensively at places like Walmart. This one, pictured, is on Amazon for $5.99.

 

Exactly what I was going to say. Mine is from Pampered Chef and is going on 6 years of slicing apples (and pears) for kids. :)

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My DD8 makes herself a "Mixed Plate." I have bought her a pretty striped plastic plate with 4 divided sections. She puts a protein, a fruit, a vegetable and a carbohydrate in each section.

 

Proteins: Sliced turkey or chicken, peanuts or almonds, cheese stick

Fruit: raisins, cut up apple, orange sections, strawberries, canned pineapple, grapes, or a juice box

Vegetable: raw carrots, letuce and "dip" ( fat free dressing), sliced cukes, cooked broccoli

Carbohydrate: low fat granola bar, crackers, sometimes a hand full of croutons, if all else fails, a piece of bread.

 

My DD LOVES her mixed plates. She makes this mostly by herself for lunch quite often.

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My daughter's favorites

 

fresh cherries and walnuts

 

Fruit, fruit, fruit!

 

a chunk of (soy) cheese wrapped in a piece of (soy) lunch meat served with marinara from the jar for dipping..

 

Canned mandarin orange slices (canned in pear juice not syrup). I keep them in the fridge and we eat them cold on a hot day!

 

Smoothies!!!

 

homemade popcicles

 

hm popcorn

 

cottage cheese w/ tomatoes or marinara.

 

dry ceral with a glass of milk.

 

I'm not sure how nutritious it is but my daughter loves a ww hotdog bun with nutella spread on and a banana instead of a hotdog.

 

Did I mention fruit?

 

hummus and anything

 

almond butter on a tortilla with banana all rolled up.

 

frozen fruit heated in microwave, topped with cold plain yogurt and drizzled with honey or maple syrup.

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