Healthy, budget snacks?

[BABY_EINSTEIN'S_MOM]

I am trying to come up with a few healthy snacks. I want to slowly change the habits of my family, and it will be HARD! At least the kids(mainly youngest) do like quite a few fruits and a some vegetables. I would also like to start buying some more organic, if the budget allows!

I have attempted this before and have never followed through because of all the whining from the kids about the junk food that they get at their grandmas and all the junk the kids bring to school! It is tough, but I must be stronger! Having alot of junk in the house is a problem especially when the kids want a "small" snack and end up not being hungry for supper!!

Oh, also I would really like some ideas on what to replace the double stuff oreos with!! LOL They reside in the cookie jar just waiting to be grabbed at all the wrong times! Don't get me wrong I don't mind the kids having yummy snacks (and junk) on the weekends when we go out and such, but not constantly every day. Anyway, I have tried to replace them with animal crackers, grahams, and I don't know what all. Basically they never get eaten and I would like to find something they really like as a quick, healthy snack. Thanks!

 

[meandtheguys2]

We base everything on an 80/20 percentage. 80% of what we eat is actually good for us. (Not just "not bad" for us.) The other 20% doesn't have to be. That way, I can divide up a bag of Pirate Booty (or whatever) and they can nibble on it for the day. Or have a cookie that is 3/4 WW (100% is too crumbly) without feeling bad. The kids know this, and are old enough to make their own decisions. Many days, the snacks are just the regular stuff like veggies, fruit, and crackers and peanut butter.

As far as your lovely oreos, if they can't be ignored (put them away during the week) you might need to just go "cold turkey." They will either quit snacking, or decide a graham cracker isn't so bad.

eta: I guess I should have added that we make our own cookies that are so yummy! Those are our least expensive snack, and they are relatively healthy when made in our kitchen.

 

[Chicago526]

I'm not a parent nor do I play one on TV, but for my own dieting I find the only way I can stay on track is just not to have junk food in the house, or have a very small amount. So perhaps just buy half the amount of "goodies" next week and see how it goes. If the kids blow thru it in three days, they'll learn real quick to cut back so they can have "yummies" all throughout the week.

For the oreos, can you lock them up and just hand them out when/if the kids ask for them? That way you can better moniter who has how many (maybe one kid just has one a day, but your other kid is a cookie monster!), and say "no" or "just one not three" as needed.

Start with the fruits/veggies they do like at first, you'll get less resistance. Try to buy things in season and on sale, I just bought red grapes for 99 cents a pound, they don't get cheaper than that around here, I think baby carrots were on sale last week too though I didn't get any.

As for organic, some fruits you get more "bang" for your organic buck. Bananas, for instance, have very low trace levels of pesticides so I buy regular bananas rather than pay 3x as much for organic. Apples, on the other hand, often have high trace amounts of pesticides, so I buy organic as much as I can with apples.

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!)

 

[christyhud]

Two quick "healthier" type snacks my kids love are:

apple slices with dry strawberry jello mix sprinkled on them. You can put in a baggie and shake. My kids like apples by themselves, too, but they will ASK for apples like this. And you use very little of the mix - I can probably serve 20 or so apples with one box of mix.

chocolate graham crackers. My kids love these, gives them a chocolate taste and it's better than a "cookie" for them. You can also spread peanut butter on them for a Reese's type treat.

 

[MDTerrapin]

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

 

[ILoveDisney&Cruising]

Oh, also I would really like some ideas on what to replace the double stuff oreos with!! LOL

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!

 

[jjteach]

My girls love "pinwheels" We take a piece of flat-out bread (or tortilla), spread it with peanut butter, and then sprinkle with raisins or sliced bananas, drizzle lightly with honey and then roll like a burrito tightly. Last I take a knife and cut it into slices. The kids take these for lunch or share one for a snack.

Another favorite is the old stand by ants on a log. Celery, peanut butter/ cream cheese, and raisins.

 

[tzolkin]

i find that the easiest way to get the kids to eat the healthy food is to make it more accessible. like you said, everytime someone walks by the cookie jar they'll take one. my pre-schoolers are constantly wanting to snack and it's a hassle to get the healthier food out sometimes. i now have a basket on the bottom shelf of my fridge. in it are various healthy snacks (yogurt, fruit, veggies, etc.) i wash/peel/cut the veggies and put them into little containers that way they can just grab something out instead of asking me to "make" a carrot.

some other ideas are nuts, seeds, dried fruits. these could be kept in the same "snack station" in the fridge or in a designated cabinet. for a chocolatey snack (although not the same as an oreo) my kids like the chocolate rice cakes with a little peanut butter on them.

as another poster said, a great way to have healthier snack foods is to make them yourself. it takes a bit of time, but the kids will enjoy cooking as well. and many things freeze well, so you could bake several items at once. my kids like zucchini bread, banana bread (with chocolate chips and warm it's really like a dessert), hula muffins (with carrot and pineapple). i cook up a huge amount of pancakes as well and freeze them in ziploc bags. the kids eat these for breakfast (easier than cereal) and sometimes for a snack. i change the recipe to include part whole wheat flour and also add pumpkin, cinnamon, nutmeg, and vanilla. we eat them with applesauce, syrup, or plain.

it may be hard to stop eating the junk, but you really just have to stop buying it. i thought it would be more difficult than it acutally was. my kids (9,4,2) honestly never ask for it. of course, when i do buy something for an occasional treat they are more than happy to eat it. but unless they see it, they don't think about it. good luck!

 

[BABY_EINSTEIN'S_MOM]

Thanks for all the ideas so far! I am jotting them all down..keep'em comin!!

 

[spalady]

I tried this and it has been working: I have all kinds of veggies cut up in containers in the fridge, dip is already made so when they get home I make up a veggie tray for them to snack on. (Works for me too!!!)

 

[PrincessButtercup]

Frozen grapes! DH & I love them. One of the only healthy snacks we really like. Just pick, wash, dry & throw in a ziploc bag & freeze.

 

[meandtheguys2]

Frozen grapes! DH & I love them. One of the only healthy snacks we really like. Just pick, wash, dry & throw in a ziploc bag & freeze.

LOL. cut in half! I choked on one of these once! I know, I ought to know better!

Peanut butter, dehydrated milk and honey mixed, balled, and rolled in something if you like, even cocoa powder.

 

[merekc]

I skimmed the other responses, so hopefully these aren't repeat. There are some dried fruit leather type things out there. They are similar to fruit snacks but better for you.

Also, my kids love it when we mix things together like a trail mix. It is easy to use dried fruit, cheerios and other healthier cereals, and the kids love it. There was a thread within the last few weeks with people's recipes.

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

 

[Perditamarie]

We have been eating healthier and also trying to eliminate the HFCS. Here are some staples at our house:

* cheese sticks
* yogurt
* cheddar bunnies
* Nature Valley or Kashi granola bars
* Paul Newman organic chocolate cookies
* Nature Valley fruit twists
* cashews
* pretzels
* occasionally baked chips or smartfood popcorn
* applesauce

 

[pezheadmeg]

Not a kid here, but definitley have the kid eating habits. My daily breakfast is either an Eggo waffle or a peanut butter sandwich!

Dried fruit, the pineapple and mango tastes just like gummie bears, but it's a tad healthier. For the potato chip crunch, I can munch on sliced cucumbers.

Now for the work desk, when there is a chance of stress eating I fill a smaller container from my big container of trail mix--to keep me away from the vending machine. It works about 75% of the time. What I do is mix up the dried fruit and assorted nuts, but to get the sweet I put in a normal size bag of M & Ms every time I mix up the giant 6 cup container. That way I'm in control of the chocolate, but I still get a fix mixed in with the healthier stuff.

 

[flowerpower]

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.

We usually do small yogurts, fresh fruit, fresh veggies, pretzels, cheese/crackers.

 

[luv2nascar]

100 calorie snack packs. Celery w/peanut butter or cream cheese. Pretzels.
pepper strips, apples, grapes. I make homemade fruit salad - all kinds of fruit with splenda on top. Cool whip between two graham crackers frozen.
fat free small puddings, low fat cheese sticks, low fat yogurt. Piece of low fat turkey and low fat cheese rolled up.

 

[hopesmommy]

Be careful with the 100 calorie packs; you lose alot of nutrition for those calories. As for trail mix, my DD (6) has been making her own for years. (no joking) She gets all kinds of nuts, raisins (sometimes chocolate coated), crackers, and popcorn. I will also let her use semi-sweet chocolate chips. The darker the chocolate the better for you it is.

Other option for reduced calories and fat, but good fiber is Skinny Cow ice cream. I was not a believer until earlier this year. I get the sandwiches and we all love them. We are big ice cream eaters! I think it is better than graham crackers and cool whip.

Good luck.

 

[merekc]

One more thing that my DS5 and I have recently began eating a lot of is edamame. Sam's Club has a package with 8 individual servings and packets of sea salt. Pop in the microwave for 3 minutes. They are good and fun to pop out of the pods and eat. My son loves them. For myself, I also quickly saute them up with soy sauce, garlic and hot oil and make them spicy.

 

[grlpwrd]

Besides the usual, my kids eat:

Edamame or boiled peanuts - unless you have an allergy, of course.

Smoothies and homemade juices - We have a blender, Magic Bullet, and Vitamix because we make these a lot.

Nut butter (almond, peanut, soy, etc.) with fruit or veggie slices

Homemade fruit roll ups or packaged from Trader Joe's

Homemade mini muffins or bread

Popcorn with homemade seasonings - yet be careful... it's a choking hazard for littler one's

Fruit slices and a healthy homemade dip

Homemade hummus, bean dip, or salsa with baked tortilla chips, whole wheat crackers, or pita triangles

Homemade granola or energy bars

Also, my kids are adventurous eaters and they healthy ethnic foods such as miso soup, Chinese noodles, sushi, etc. for snacks, too.

GL!