Healthy, budget snacks?

[Dannielle_1]

http://www.recipegoldmine.com/jelloapp/original-knox-blox.html

My mom made these for us when we were kids and I make them for my daughter. She loves them! It's fun to eat and gives her something different.

You can also make the Knox Blox with all juice - skip the "jello". I make Orange Juice ones for my son. You can boil juice just fine, though I would keep an eye on it and only just let it boil.

Fruit Juice Knox Blox
4 envelopes KNOX unflavored Gelatine
1 cup cold juice
3 cups fruit juice, heated to boiling
2 tablespoons sugar or honey, optional

1. Sprinkle gelatin over cold juice in large bowl; let stand 1 minute. Add hot juice and stir until gelatin completely dissoves, about 5 minutes. Stir in sugar or honey if desired. Pour into 13 x 9 x 2-inch pan.
2. Refridgerage until firm, about 3 hours. To serve, cut into 1-inch squares.

I cut the recipe in half and put in 9x9 pan. I also skip the sugar/honey. It is basically juice then. (My son doesn't normally get juice, so it's a treat.)

Another thing I do is freeze yogurt in popsicle molds. You can even layer different flavors of yogurt for something exciting. This summer I'm going to try freezing the yogurt tubes and see how that works. Also a great thing to do with yogurt if the expiration date is coming up.

We also have lots of dried fruit around. Unfortunately, a lot of them have added sugar, but I keep looking to improve on that.

My one trick for a "special treat" that I can still get away with for now (DS is 2) is I give him Cookie Crisp cereal as cookies . I figure they have to be better then actual cookies and we don't eat "sweet" cereals for breakfast, so he doesn't know any different (again, at least for now. )

OT: After 8 years I have finally hit post #75!!!
I'm finally a Mouseketeer

 

[belle09]

Homemade granola or energy bars

GL!

grlpwrd, could you share your granola bar recipe with me? I've been looking for a good homemade one and haven't found one that's not too sweet yet.

As far as easy healthy snack ideas:

Apples and peanut or almond butter (or nutella for something a little sweeter, although nutella's really not good for you at all)

For the "chocolate fix" you can mix macadamia nut butter with a little honey and some cocoa powder and then spread this on fruits (bananas are my favorite). Not low fat, but the fats are the good ones.

Wash your fruit when you buy it so it's ready to eat whenever someone wants some. It's much easier to grab an apple and bite into it than have to wash it first.

Smoothies, especially if you don't use ice cream, juice, etc as "filler" are a great way to get your fruits (and sometimes you can sneak some vegetables in there too). Freeze fruit that's about to go bad -- berries, bananas, peaches, etc are best and then combine the frozen fruit with fresh apples, oranges, etc so it's not too thick and frozen. It's not quite ice cream, but sometimes it can be pretty close to sorbet.

My mom used to make fruit juice popsicles for us in the summer instead of buying them from the ice cream truck. All you need is a popsicle mold and a juice that's actually 100% juice. Smoothie leftovers can be made into popsicles too.

Homemade oatmeal cookies are a healthier sweet -- you can add raisins, chocolate chips, peanut butter, etc.

And, when you do buy junk food, try to buy it from the health food/organic section.

Other general rules... in general, the darker it is, the better it is for you. So, whole wheat is better than white flour, brown sugar is (marginally) better than white sugar, blue corn chips are better than white. Once you start eating the darker varieties, you get so used to the added flavor that it's really hard to go back! Whole foods are better than processed foods. And drink lots of water! Herbal tea can be a nice alternative too -- you can ice it in the summer and sweeten with honey, or not at all.

It's easier than you think... just remember not to worry too much about what your kids eat when they're not at home. If they're eating well at home and having the occasional piece of junk food at school or grandma's, it's not the end of the world.

 

[DawnM]

I got a bunch of those small snack size containers in both Tupperware and gladware (so if the kids lose it I won't freak out!)

I fill them with nuts and raisins, raw almonds, baby carrots, dried fruits, cereal bits (like cheerios), and some homemade stuff that is healthy.

I carry it in my small backpack/purse for eating at any time.

Dawn

 

[hsmamato2]

best thing to do is get the junk out of your house,and when it's time for a treat,go to store and buy the ONE THING like cookies for the kids- BTW, it's easy for people to confuse 'lo-cal' with actual healthy foods,I think- they're definitely not the same in many cases,especially for kids- like natural p.butter on apple slices is higher in cals than baked potato chips,but WAY better for you.....KWIM?

 

[hsmamato2]

oooh,my kids LOVE smoothies,and I sneak all sorts of good stuff into them
usually whatever fruit I have on hand,but a banana makes it REALLY good- say some strawberries, some some milk,some vanilla or plain organic yogurt,some ice cubes,a bit of vanilla extract and some honey to taste- just add what looks good- sometimes we even add trader joes chocolate syrup to vanilla/banana mixture-
blend and drink! I've been know to put in 6 servings of fruits in one glass....

 

[tzolkin]

There are some dried fruit leather type things out there. They are similar to fruit snacks but better for you.



http://disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1772541

i forgot about fruit leather.

the ones in the health food store are too expensive for me, so we make our own. i cut and roll them and keep them in baggies in the fridge. they last forever like that. i have one DD who refuses to eat fruit, but she takes one of these every day in her lunch. they are so yummy and can be made with a variety of fruits (i.e. whatever's on sale will make them budget friendly)

 

[GoofyGolferGirl]

We are trying to eat healthier too, one of the thing my DD likes is Quaker mini Delights they are 90 calories per pack and they are drizzled with chocolate they are multi grain cakes. (like rice cakes) we don't have them every day but as a treat they are great! 3.5g of fat and 6g of sugar 1g fiber 1g protein and 14g carbs, DD also likes yogurt drinks they are not low calories but are good for her. Now they are saying girls in their tween years need a lot of calcium. Our school will not allow sweets or birthday cakes etc., so when we send snacks to school they have to be healthy. I love these ideas, keep them coming!

 

[BABY_EINSTEIN'S_MOM]

i forgot about fruit leather.

the ones in the health food store are too expensive for me, so we make our own. i cut and roll them and keep them in baggies in the fridge. they last forever like that. i have one DD who refuses to eat fruit, but she takes one of these every day in her lunch. they are so yummy and can be made with a variety of fruits (i.e. whatever's on sale will make them budget friendly)

Could you tell me how you go about making these yourself please! Thanks!

 

[Shelly D.]

These are great ideas!

My daughter and I love to bake, so I'm trying to find some healthier options. I searched online and found a blog at www.sugoodsweets.com and the woman who started it tries to makeover some recipes with healthier ingredients. I have now made three batches of the m&m oatmeal cookies. Although they aren't low cal, I feel better giving these to my kids as a treat. They use whole wheat flour instead of white flour, brown sugar, 1/2 the butter of regular cookies, and lots of oats and raisins. I also made a version using craisins instead of raisins and white chocolate chips instead of M&Ms. They are great! I also want to try some of the breakfast cookies and granola recipes off of www.allrecipes.com. We are a frozen waffle family and they just don't have a whole lot of nutritional value, so something I could make in a large batch and store would be ideal.

I also second the fruit leather (you can sometimes find this cheaper at Big Lots, just watch the expiration date), pirates booty, and fresh fruit. We buy stuff that's in season and I try to eat it a lot in front of the kids since they always want to nibble on what I'm eating. Taking them to a farmer's market to buy fruits and veggies helps too. If they help choose it, they are more likely to eat it. I also wash and cut up veggies on my shopping day so it's ready to go for the kids. Some low-fat Ranch dressing and my DD5 is good to go.

There was also a yummy recipe for a bagel spread in Family Fun magazine (I'm sure it's online). It had peanut butter, honey, mashed bananas & cinnamon. Something the kids could make themselves and really a tasty snack.

 

[npmommie]

I was reading the thread here on the budget board about eliminating HFCS (High Fructose Corn Syrup) that Paul Newman has some good "oreo" type cookies that are better for you.

There were also some other substitutions there that seemed easy enough to implement. We're going to try it here at our house!

whole foods has a really good oreo type cookie without the HFCS its the 365 brand, and Trader Joes has the joe joe cookies that are good as well.
we get lots of "healthy" "junk" food type snacks at trader joes.
there is still sugar, but no artificial stuff, no hfcs

 

[Momerath]

Not the most healthy, but a step up from how we have been eating: I buy from Aldi's a box of Aldi's brand "cheerios" $1.70 and a bag of plain M&Ms $2 and mix 2 cups of cheerios to every 1 cup M&Ms. This way we can get our sweet fix & yet everyone is still getting some whole grain cereal, too. A lot of great suggestions here, I like the idea of kool aid mix on the apples, will have to try that one!

 

[ILoveDisney&Cruising]

I was reading the thread here on the budget board about eliminating HFCS (High Fructose Corn Syrup) that Paul Newman has some good "oreo" type cookies that are better for you.

I just went shopping for these last night ...... Harris Teeter price: $5.49/package Wegmans: $3.49 for the same thing! I took them back to HT for a refund and told them they were $2 more than the store down the road. Still can't believe I paid $5.49 in the first place - must need my head examined!

 

[budbeerlady]

 

[liveforthemagic]

I have been slowly reducing processed foods in our house for several weeks now. Noticed that DS12 was hungry all the time, and he always went for the processed foods.

No more frozen waffles, Toaster Strudels, breakfast sandwiches, cold cereals with sugar, etc.

I make pancakes, eggs, muffins, etc. I have noticed that he seems to be retaining more of what is taught at school, his grades are more consistent.

Instead of potato chips at school, I send SunChips. I know, they're still chips, but they're 30% less fat than all the others, made of whole grains, and the people that make them somehow pay an environmental group to offset the effects that their plant has on the land around them.

After school, its apples, bananas, strawberries, rice cakes, yogurt, cut up cucumbers, DS is also into bagels with little smudge of peanut butter--so I figure that has to fill him up til dinner.

I think next I am going to cut out microwave popcorn--I have concerns with the kids eating all that fat and salt. I'm going to buy a hot air popper--any suggestions for seasonings for two kids who LOVE buttered popcorn? And I'd love to switch out ground beef for ground turkey--we have to have so many casseroles b/c of sports activities that have us eating on the run. But I'm afraid my family would turn on me b/c of lack of flavor. Any healthy suggestions on spicing up ground turkey?

 

[meandtheguys2]

We just put 1/4 cup of popcorn in a paper bag, and microwave for about 3 1/2 minutes.

 

[hopesmommy]

I think next I am going to cut out microwave popcorn--I have concerns with the kids eating all that fat and salt. I'm going to buy a hot air popper--any suggestions for seasonings for two kids who LOVE buttered popcorn? And I'd love to switch out ground beef for ground turkey--we have to have so many casseroles b/c of sports activities that have us eating on the run. But I'm afraid my family would turn on me b/c of lack of flavor. Any healthy suggestions on spicing up ground turkey?

Try Butter Buds for the popcorn. It does not stick as well, but is still tasty. You might try drizzling olive oil on it before the butter buds. I just have not had a chance to try this.

As for the turkey, when it is mixed into a casserole type dish, you really cannot tell the difference from 90% fat free ground beef.

I decorate cakes and someone asked if I knew how to make icing without the artificial coloring or if you can buy it. I don't know of any. Does anyone here have any ideas?

 

[er3465]

I decorate cakes and someone asked if I knew how to make icing without the artificial coloring or if you can buy it. I don't know of any. Does anyone here have any ideas?

I just did a quick google search and found this: http://www.kidsallergystop.com/141001.html
Its a food dye with no artificial dyes or additives.

 

[belle09]

I think next I am going to cut out microwave popcorn--I have concerns with the kids eating all that fat and salt. I'm going to buy a hot air popper--any suggestions for seasonings for two kids who LOVE buttered popcorn? And I'd love to switch out ground beef for ground turkey--we have to have so many casseroles b/c of sports activities that have us eating on the run. But I'm afraid my family would turn on me b/c of lack of flavor. Any healthy suggestions on spicing up ground turkey?

You can buy microwave popcorn that's just popcorn -- none of the seasonings, butter, etc. I'm not sure of the brand, but a heath food store or whole foods type grocery should have it. I put a little salt, and maybe pepper and parmesan cheese on it -- sounds a little weird, but I like it a lot. Another option is to pop it yourself on the stove: heat 1 T oil in a medium saucepan with lid. Drop a few kernels in to test the heat of the oil and when they pop, add 1/4 c popcorn. Cover, and let pop, shaking occasionally to shift the popcorn around. When you stop hearing pops, remove from the heat, add salt and enjoy. Not exactly healthy, but you can also make your own caramel corn. My mom would do it with brown rice syrup, but I'd imagine anything sweet would work. Heat the syrup after the popcorn is popped and then stir the popcorn into the syrup to distribute it. I think about 1/4 c for 1/4 c unpopped popcorn. You can add nuts into this too, which adds some protein.

For ground beef, a delicious (but definitely NOT budget) substitute is buffalo. It's got more flavor than beef, is leaner, and has more iron per serving. And, if you think your kids would have a problem with buffalo, you could always just... ah... omit... telling them that it's not beef until after they've eaten it.

 

[pigletof4]

If weight loss is a concern as well as just healthy foods, don't forget to look at some of those healthy foods to see where cuts can be made. For example, if you drink whole milk, switch to 2%, half the fat and I personally can't tell the difference (however you couldn't pay me to drink 1% or fat free, yetch!)[/QUOTE]

Actually, we just switched to 1% and I can't tell the difference between 1% or 2%. They both taste the same to me. I probably will skip the skim though.

 

[threecrazykids]

It is so funny that you should post this today. I was going to post pretty much the same thing. I have decided that we will no longer buy fruit snacks, chips, soda or anything of the sort. We are also making a vow to stop the fast-food, even the Chik-FIl-A.
I took a good look at the calories and fat grams in the food I was buying and decided we all need to eat healthier. For an afterschool snack today my boys both have 10 mini Nutter Butter cookies (very small circles) and apple slices. This will be eaten in the car on the way to soccer practice but at least it's healthy. I am trying to stay true to the serving sizes. I also love the 100 calorie packs for lunches and days when I am working.

HTH

Karen

I totally agree with you on the fruit snacks. When I took my kids to the dentist last year he told me he would rather have them eat an entire bag of M&M's than to eat one pack of fruit snacks (he was speaking of dental health of course). He said that your saliva will take care of chocolate, but the fruit snacks get down in their teeth and no matter how much you brush you'll never get all the sugar out. He said he has seen a HUGE increase of kids with issues...and 99% of the moms admitted to giving their kids fruit snacks or some sort of the "gummy type" treats.