Just Kate Posted March 2, 2013 Share Posted March 2, 2013 I know I've seen this question before, but it was on the old board and I can't find it. My kids are picky. They prefer cheese crackers, which I've completely stopped buying. I would like to come up with some fun, yet healthy snacks for them. I eat low-carb and I would love to move them in that direction, but I will take any suggestions. Right now they eat apples, applesauce, bananas, cheese, yogurt (dd only), air-popped popcorn, and that's about it for snacks! I would love to make up a big batch of something and keep it in the refrigerator (i mean the freezer), but i just don't know what that something is. I would love to hear what you give your kids! Even if its simple, my overworked brain just probably hasn't thought of it yet. :D Thx! ETA: my kids attend school and I have to send a snack each day. That's where part of my problem is coming from. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Miss Peregrine Posted March 2, 2013 Share Posted March 2, 2013 Hummus with vegetables or pita chips Peanut butter spoon with or w/o chocolate chips Yogurt Quesadillas Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NotSoObvious Posted March 2, 2013 Share Posted March 2, 2013 Do you follow 100 days of Real Food on FB? I LOVE what she packs her kids for lunch. That would give you lots of ideas. I think what they eat now is great. What about homemade granola? Adding peanut butter with the apples? Carrots and hummus? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Karen in CO Posted March 2, 2013 Share Posted March 2, 2013 My kids like tapioca pudding - I make dairy free pudding at least once a week for them. They also like meat and cheese with crackers - sliced turkey is their favorite right now. Muffins - blueberry - carrots peanuts sandwiches dry cereal Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jhschool Posted March 2, 2013 Share Posted March 2, 2013 Home-made popcorn in a pot with sea salt. Mmm... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crimson Wife Posted March 2, 2013 Share Posted March 2, 2013 There are tons of recipes out there for homemade protein bars. This one is good (healthier without the chocolate, but super-tasty with it!) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Catwoman Posted March 2, 2013 Share Posted March 2, 2013 Wow. You guys are good mothers. I buy stuff from the snack food aisle. :svengo: And yes, there are often Cheez Doodles and Doritos involved... :leaving: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
4kidlets4me Posted March 2, 2013 Share Posted March 2, 2013 fruit- right now that is apples, oranges, pears, bananas veggies-carrots, snap peas, peppers, cucumbers-usually with a dip or some sort hummus or ranch popcorn string cheese or cheddar cheese sticks yogurt nuts peanut butter toast leftovers occasionally a homemade muffin or cookie hard boiled eggs graham crackers Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RoundAbout Posted March 2, 2013 Share Posted March 2, 2013 We eat low carb. DS gets starchy food with meals but I try to keep it out of snacks because its so easy to keep shoving crackers at a hungry kid. Right now he eats: Cheese Olives Hard boiled eggs Nuts Veggies with hummus Yeah, pretty boring but he doesn't complain and I think eating the same stuff keeps him from over snacking. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Just Kate Posted March 2, 2013 Author Share Posted March 2, 2013 My kids like tapioca pudding - I make dairy free pudding at least once a week for them. They also like meat and cheese with crackers - sliced turkey is their favorite right now. Muffins - blueberry - carrots peanuts sandwiches dry cereal My kids eat cheese, crackers, and turkey quite often for lunch. Do you buy regular turkey lunch meat? I do, but I kind of think its gross and would love another option. Thanks for all of the suggestions. Keep 'em coming!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AndyJoy Posted March 2, 2013 Share Posted March 2, 2013 dry cereal cashews (softer/easier to chew than peanuts) Cutie oranges dried cherries golden raisins fresh cherries (pits removed) baby carrots sugar snap peas the occasional bag of Scooby Snacks (addictive!!!!) or some Goldfish Crackers Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carrie12345 Posted March 2, 2013 Share Posted March 2, 2013 hard boiled eggs ants on a log yogurt fruits vegetables (especially mini peppers) cheese and pepperoni on crackers leftovers anything they can shove in a wrap, lol Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eagle Posted March 2, 2013 Share Posted March 2, 2013 Plain almonds Dried fruit (bought - fig, date, plum; homemade - apples, bananas, pears, cherries) Rice cakes (Lundberg makes nice ones) Sunbutter on banana slices Quinoa Mini muffins Chia pudding Homemade coconut granola Smoothie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KrissiK Posted March 2, 2013 Share Posted March 2, 2013 Fruit, yogurt, cheese sticks, homemade bread with butter and homemade jam, popcorn. They do get chez-it's, but I'm tired of buying it, so when we runout, we're done. If we are in the car, I'll give them granola bars, but that doesn't happen often. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ZeeMommy Posted March 2, 2013 Share Posted March 2, 2013 I usually offer peanut butter (on spoon), cheese, yogurt, or fruit. Sometimes they'll have crackers; their favorite is saltines with butter spread on top. Sometimes we'll have buttered popcorn too. They occasionally will eat cashews; if it has to be a snack on the run then we rely on Clif bars. Costco has some fruit/nut bars, their own brand, that are pretty delicious. Whatever I give them, I try to give them some protein, otherwise they're hungry every hour! :glare: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ZeeMommy Posted March 2, 2013 Share Posted March 2, 2013 Oh, and they like cheese and beef summer sausage with crackers for lunch sometimes too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NancyNellen Posted March 2, 2013 Share Posted March 2, 2013 Lots of nuts: pistachios, raw almonds, cashews, peanuts. Sometimes we mix in dried fruit. Mini muffins Z Bars String cheese Fruit Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
my2boysteacher Posted March 2, 2013 Share Posted March 2, 2013 Peanut butter balls Homemade fruit leather Popcorn Apples w/ almond butter dip Yogurt Carrot sticks Meat sticks or pepperoni Oatmeal ( my boys eat TONS of oatmeal) w/ raisins or dried fruit Smoothies Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Karen in CO Posted March 2, 2013 Share Posted March 2, 2013 My kids eat cheese, crackers, and turkey quite often for lunch. Do you buy regular turkey lunch meat? I do, but I kind of think its gross and would love another option. Thanks for all of the suggestions. Keep 'em coming!!! I get Boars Head brand from the deli counter (at just a few places). It is gluten free with very few additives and tastes like turkey. Costco has a really good gf sliced turkey too. Mini burger patties (aka sliders) are great too. I grill or cook a dozen or so once a week and they make good, protein rich snacks. Tangerines or blueberries are frequently eaten for snacks too when I'm pushing fruit, but I feed them a whole, peeled carrot almost daily as a snack. I buy these in a 5lb bag and try to get rid of them before the end of the week. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Just Kate Posted March 2, 2013 Author Share Posted March 2, 2013 Peanut butter balls Homemade fruit leather Popcorn Apples w/ almond butter dip Yogurt Carrot sticks Meat sticks or pepperoni Oatmeal ( my boys eat TONS of oatmeal) w/ raisins or dried fruit Smoothies Peanut Butter Ball recipe, please??? Loving the suggestions! Thank you!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ellie Posted March 2, 2013 Share Posted March 2, 2013 We're not big snackie people. I never scheduled them. Dds might have had a piece of fruit, or some pretzels, as they went about their business. :-) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Miss Mousie Posted March 2, 2013 Share Posted March 2, 2013 A timely thread for me: just two days ago I told DS11 that we knew he had been sneaking snacks (of the candy/chips variety) and it had to stop. I also told him that, while his body is growing and changing so quickly, he will find himself hungry more often than he used to be, and a piece of candy isn't going to carry him very far. So today we stocked up on a variety of healthy snacks, and he will be allowed to have them any time he wants unless it interferes with mealtime, in which case we'll have to put some more rules in place. The only item we are adding that I haven't seen mentioned already in this thread is pumpkin seeds (also called pepitas). I bought the roasted & salted kind, because they are most delicious (:D) but there are other preparations available for you healthier folks. Oh, I just thought of another one that might be fun, although I'm not telling DS just yet - ham spread with cream cheese and rolled around a pickle, then cut in slices. Yum! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dory Posted March 2, 2013 Share Posted March 2, 2013 Cheese Trail mix (with dried fruit pieces) Yogurt Apples Bananas Frozen saskatoons (really any frozen fruit) Frozen peas Milk Carrot sticks More cheese And more cheese Sometimes we'll have cookies or muffins around, but I'm getting pretty irregular with those lately. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jayne J Posted March 2, 2013 Share Posted March 2, 2013 Peanut butter on graham crackers is one favorite at our house that I haven't seen mentioned yet. We also do fruit, yogurt, hard boiled eggs, cheese in many forms, pretzels, and sliced veggies (carrots, bell peppers, celery etc) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NicAnn Posted March 2, 2013 Share Posted March 2, 2013 hummus with vegetables dates stuffed with nut butter grain free muffins (we are gluten free and grain light) roasted chickpeas homemade Lara bars (google for tons of recipes) avocado with salt hard boiled eggs (one of the only animal products we eat) green smoothies-Kale, banana, canned pineapple is a favorite. Popcorn with nutritional yeast or peanut butter drizzle mixed nuts, Costco has great prices for nuts homemade fruit pops...basically just slightly mashed fruit and fruit juice/cococnut milk frozen in molds homemade salt and vinegar potato chips (baked) with tomato paste dip frozen peas homemade coconut milk yogurt, or store bought if it is deeply on sale gluten free fried pickles We eat a lot in our family. The kids are tiny, so food is constantly being prepared! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lovemykids Posted March 2, 2013 Share Posted March 2, 2013 Fruit, yogurt, green smoothies, baby carrots, celery, granola bars, chips, rice cakes, popcorn (homemade- kettle corn style), banana chips, crackers, cheese, nuts, PB, almond butter, etc. We really should do more hard boiled eggs...we only have them occasionally. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bensonduck Posted March 2, 2013 Share Posted March 2, 2013 The only ones i can think of that haven't yet been listed is a slice of ham wrapped around a piece of cantaloupe melon and walnuts/dried cranberries mixed together. Oh, kale chips. My little guy likes pretzel rods and salami but that is probably not the healthiest option. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lisa in SC Posted March 2, 2013 Share Posted March 2, 2013 Grapes (frozen grapes especially, frozen banana chunks that have been partially dipped in melted chocolate, string cheese, apple slices with peanut butter to dip in, muffins, sometimes homemade cookies, homemade spinach artichoke dip with pita wedges, popcorn, cinnamon toast, hummus with various things to dip in, baby carrots with homemade ranch, clementines, lots more that's not coming to mind. I only have a few of these available per week, but this is a good representation of our rotation. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Miss Peregrine Posted March 2, 2013 Share Posted March 2, 2013 Cream cheese on graham crackers is sooooo good. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tearose Posted March 2, 2013 Share Posted March 2, 2013 Homemade applesauce granola Nuts & dried fruit Fruit or raw veggies My kids don't snack much. Sometimes around 9 am they ask for a little snack, but it's usually not much. We often do multi-course meals, so some snck-like things might be an appetizer (salamis and cheese for example) or "salad " course (like veggies and hummus). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zoobie Posted March 2, 2013 Share Posted March 2, 2013 I encourage them to eat a protein (cheese, nuts, nut butter, hummus) with fruit or vegetables. We go through lots of the tiny cucumbers from Costco. Blanched green beans, carrot sticks, sugar snap peas, and grape tomatoes are popular veggies. Roasted chick peas are good and can be seasoned a bunch of different ways. Popcorn too! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Catwoman Posted March 2, 2013 Share Posted March 2, 2013 Am I really the only one who has junk food in the house? :confused: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lynn Posted March 2, 2013 Share Posted March 2, 2013 Keeping it simple works here. Lots of fruit, cheese, ww crackers, hummus, vegetables with or without dip, my kids like roll up everything so I keep some good tortillas on hand etc. I do keep a box of cheeze its or goldfish for dd and her friends. (they always seem to want a snack while they are here) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gentlemommy Posted March 2, 2013 Share Posted March 2, 2013 Greek yogurt Hummus with pita bread or chips Avocado with a bit of lemon and salt Edamame with lime, garlic, and salt Cheese slices (not the Kraft stuff, but real cheese in slices) Veggie platter (red and yellow bell peppers, English cucumbers, carrots, celery, grape tomatoes, cauliflower, brocoli, snap peas) with poppy seed dressing to dip Grape tomatoes and mozzarella with balsamic glaze Fruit (apples, grapes, plums, pluots, nectarines, peaches, melon, all berries, and the occasional banana) Hard Boiled or deviled eggs Raw nut mix Grilled chicken strips (I make some up on Sunday for the week) and honey mustard Cheese quesadillas with sour cream to dip Bean and cheese burritos with sour cream Turkey and cheese sandwiches 'pinwheel' sandwiches with tortillas and turkey/cheese Bagel with cream cheese Pita pizzas Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Orthodox6 Posted March 2, 2013 Share Posted March 2, 2013 Feeling bowled over by these lists! I serve bountiful meals for B/L/D, but a lot of these individual suggestions for snacks are very substantial -- like a mini-meal. I've never had time to do anything like many of these. (and they are super-sounding choices, too!) Snacks around here always have been cookies, crackers (neither choice made with HFCS or "stuff" I don't like), bananas, apples, popcorn, toast, or self-control. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
helena Posted March 2, 2013 Share Posted March 2, 2013 My kids like cheese platters (vegan cheese). They put out all types of cheese, tapenade, quince paste, fig spread, olive (black and green) paste, sliced fruit, different crackers and Spanish tortas. It's quick and easy to put together. Now I'm going back to see what others wrote because my kids have been incredibly hungry lately. :) I need new ideas! ETA: Scratch that idea for taking to school! Missed that part. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NotSoObvious Posted March 2, 2013 Share Posted March 2, 2013 Feeling bowled over by these lists! I serve bountiful meals for B/L/D, but a lot of these individual suggestions for snacks are very substantial -- like a mini-meal. I've never had time to do anything like many of these. (and they are super-sounding choices, too!) Snacks around here always have been cookies, crackers (neither choice made with HFCS or "stuff" I don't like), bananas, apples, popcorn, toast, or self-control. I have a child with ADHD and she needs a lot of protein throughout the day. If she was hungry and I gave her a cookie, I'd pay for it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AimeeM Posted March 2, 2013 Share Posted March 2, 2013 Am I really the only one who has junk food in the house? :confused: Nope! OP - we have an open kitchen policy so the kiddos grab and go as they please. Currently we have on the counter plums, apples, freshly cut fruit salad; in the snack cabinet we have potato chips, fritos, ritz crackers, cheetos, girl scout cookies, cereals, and a few other yummy junk food choices; in the fridge we have yogurts, hummus, and fresh veggies. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NotSoObvious Posted March 2, 2013 Share Posted March 2, 2013 Wait! OP is asking about snacks to send to school. Duh, cupcakes! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Orthodox6 Posted March 3, 2013 Share Posted March 3, 2013 I have a child with ADHD and she needs a lot of protein throughout the day. If she was hungry and I gave her a cookie, I'd pay for it. All that I said was that, although I think many of the snack choices listed are very good ones, I never have served them because I do not have the time. I did not delve into the "whys" and "why nots" of other families. Other people posted lists as simple as mine. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sparkle Posted March 3, 2013 Share Posted March 3, 2013 My kids mostly eat bread. And until I got on a sourdough kick the last few weeks, that bread has a LOT of eggs and milk in it, in an effort to get more protein in the ds... Ds can eat most of a loaf by himself in one day. My kids eat a lot of bread too...we have free bread coupons for a year (365) for Boudin Bakery - so my kids eat a ton of sourdough and ciabatta. I will say it helps cut down the food bill, not having to buy several loaves of bread each week. I keep healthy snacks around here for me, fresh fruit, dried fruit, nuts, trail mix...but the kids don't seem to eat those much, although they will eat apples, carrots, Cuties. Usually they will eat crackers or tortilla chips, gummy fruit snacks, cheese, rice, granola bars, and cookies. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
2squared Posted March 3, 2013 Share Posted March 3, 2013 Am I really the only one who has junk food in the house? :confused: We had junk food around before our grocery budget was hit hard by five kids. When I only had two dc, I bought goldfish crackers, juice boxes, teddy grahams....all kinds of fun things. Now my big splurge is the $1.50 bags of plain tortilla chips. The only other snack I'll mention is homemade bread. My kids love having straight from the oven bread for an afternoon snack. Other than that our snacks are usually fruit, veggies, nuts, cheese, yogurt, sandwiches, pickles, leftovers, and homemade breakfast foods (baked oatmeal, muffins, granola). My kids LOVE fruit and veggie platters. I prepare a variety of fruit and veggies along with dipping choices, and they clear the platter. They actually get excited about it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AndyJoy Posted March 3, 2013 Share Posted March 3, 2013 Am I really the only one who has junk food in the house? :confused: Well, I have 4 different kinds of Oreos* in my kitchen, but DS (3) gets them infrequently enough that he doesn't know to ask for cookies. I'm trying to feed him better than DH and I eat, while we're working on cutting back on junk. It's working to some extent--he hates artificial cheese like American slices or Lunchables and will not touch them. He also likes a large variety of fresh veggies for a 3-year-old and eats them plain as he hates ranch dressing (though he did like the sesame ginger dressing I gave him to induce him to try cucumbers). *regular, Double Stuff, birthday cake, and mint fudge in case anyone is wondering Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dory Posted March 3, 2013 Share Posted March 3, 2013 Am I really the only one who has junk food in the house? :confused: No we do, but I have to limit it or it's all my youngest will eat. They get it on the weekends and then they are allowed to munch to their hearts content. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Miss Peregrine Posted March 3, 2013 Share Posted March 3, 2013 If I buy junk it is a planned thing. Like Lay's potato chips dipped in cottage cheese and pepper. We will all eat that for a treat. We don't keep junk in the house, though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Elfknitter.# Posted March 3, 2013 Share Posted March 3, 2013 I didn't read everything. My picky eaters like jerky, yogurt, pita chips, cereal, granola bars, and sliced cheese. (notice the carb and protein trend? :p) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carrie12345 Posted March 3, 2013 Share Posted March 3, 2013 Am I really the only one who has junk food in the house? :confused: I buy some stuff now and then. We've made deep fried Oreos a couple of times since the stupid Frydaddy showed up on Christmas, lol. And we bake something sweet about once a week or so. But we don't do daily junk food. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NotSoObvious Posted March 3, 2013 Share Posted March 3, 2013 All that I said was that, although I think many of the snack choices listed are very good ones, I never have served them because I do not have the time. I did not delve into the "whys" and "why nots" of other families. Other people posted lists as simple as mine. Huh. I guess we misunderstood each other then. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Orthodox6 Posted March 3, 2013 Share Posted March 3, 2013 Well I misunderstood with you. Self control? Whatever... I didn't think that inclusion would cause any trouble! That meant only that there are times when my kids do not need a snack, and easily can wait the fifteen or twenty minutes until dinner is served. That constitutes "self control." Now I realize what triggered the response from the other poster. I never (!) would have figured that out without your post, WendyK. I thought she had come up with some strange idea that I was legislating for other families. . . . so, Thank you! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RoundAbout Posted March 3, 2013 Share Posted March 3, 2013 The self-control sounded a little judgy to me too but then I'm coming from the perspective of having a super skinny boy who is 98th percentile for height and only a 14.5 BMI. A boy who also never asks for food unless he is past the point of needing it :). I don't know anyone who gives snacks when it's 15 minutes to dinner so I, and probably others, figured you must be referring to something else. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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