I need some great healthy snacks for kids

[binny]

I dont mind cooking or baking them myself and I am scouring the net right now. I thought Id ask here too though, to see if anyone has any tried and true recipes that your kids love!

We need to up the fiber intake and just general health of their snacks. We do granola bars and yogurt frequently and they do get quite a lot of dairy in their every day diet. I just feel like I should be doing more. I dont want to go totally "crunchy" with their diets, just healthier. You know, little steps.

What are your kids favourite healthier snacks?

 

[disney1990]

Will your children eat hummus and/or guacamoli. These are 2 favorites of my 9 & 11 year old granddaughters. They not only love to eat it; they also know how to make it. Serve them with fresh veggies instead of chips.

 

[kristilew]

DD likes to make her own trail mix...various cereals, nuts, dried fruits. Some of the cereals she includes are the Quaker Oats squares, Rice Cheks, Multi Grain Cheerios. She likes mostly peanuts and cashews for nuts, but will sometimes put in almonds and walnuts. Dried cranberries or raisins, dried apricots, and dried mangoes are the fruits she likes.

You can buy the premade trail mixes, but it's a lot cheaper to buy the ingredients in bulk and fill the little snack ziplocks. Plus, that way it's just what she likes, and no junk like m&m's in there.

Honey wheat pretzels dipped in peanut butter or apple butter is another good snack. Also, you can make a quck "quesadilla" in the toaster oven with a whole-grain tortilla and some shredded cheese. Just toast on low with the cheese on top, then fold over. DD likes these hot or cold as a snack.

Good luck - it can be so daunting!

 

[ncmickeyluvr]

I'm curious to see what others say as well. I try....but there's always room for improvement. I try to have a variety of fruit in the house. It's amazing how excited children will get over a fresh pineapple in the middle of winter Anything that can be dipped in something is popular....as long as the dip isn't so unhealthy that it spoils the effort. DS really likes apples with peanut butter. DD likes carrots/celery with lite ranch. Frozen grapes are fun...if your children are beyond the age where choking is scary. We also make smoothies alot....bags of frozen fruit are great for that. Also, try freezing their yogurt...I even like that.

 

[Robinrs]

http://www.amazon.com/Pamelas-Chocolate-Brownie-16-Ounce-Packages/dp/B000DZKKK2

When my son was taken off sugar when he was 8, my nutritionist suggested Pamela's line of baking goods. The Chocolate Brownies are to DIE for!!! I've made them for the entire family and it's the only birthday cake my son gets every year! White sugar and gluten wheat free, but far from taste free!

 

[binny]

Great ideas thanks!!

The only one I cant do is the guac, Im allergic to avacados but awesome that your grandkids will eat it! DS has asked about it and I told him he could eat it whenever I wasnt around.

he is my toughest one so I hide as much nurtition as I can for him (he is a High Schooler so at least I gave him a good start with all the carrots juice he drank lol)

I often shred carrots and add them to meatloaf and things like that. At least I know theyre getting something.

 

[Thumper_Man's Wife]

Granola bars are the easiest things to make and don't take a lot of ingredients. I know some kids see that as way too healthy but you can easily disguise that with a tiny drizzle of chocolate on the top, which still keeps the granola and fruits or nuts inside healthy and a tasty treat to boot. I think I have a recipe for granola bars, if you want it let me know.

 

[JessicaR]

My kids love celery and peanut butter with raisins on top. They also like apples with peanut butter. Yogurt with some honey and granola. They also makes lots of smoothies.

 

[FireDancer]

Dried fruit (no sugar added of course) and nuts are a good combination. When we were kids we had fruit and cottage cheese every day after school.

The beverage that goes with the snack is often overlooked. I would go with 100% fruit juice or water. If your kids like flavored water that is a good alternative but be careful which you choose. Many have either sugar or, even worse, an artificial sweetener or Splenda. I have Metromint and Hint water in the house. Both are only water and flavor extracts, nothing else.

 

[Teresa Pitman]

Vegetables are one of the healthiest snacks, so you might concentrate on those. We often put out a dish of cut up veggies with some dip (hummus or a bean dip or a light salad dressing) and you'd be amazed how much the kids will eat! When we're traveling in the car, we bring a zip-lock bag of vegetables for each child to snack on.

If your kids aren't used to eating a lot of veggies, there are things you can do to make them more interesting. Have they had "salad rolls" or "crystal rolls?" These are made with Japanese rice paper, which is sold in grocery stores here but I don't know if it's easy to find everywhere. You just get the rice paper wet (using a damp towel) and wrap it around strips of cut-up vegetables. It will stick to itself and now you have a nice little bundle, good for dipping in an Asian sauce. Or you can do "ants on a log" (peanut butter in celery stalks, topped with raisins or almond slices) or "trees in the snow" (broccoli florets topped with a little mayo) or make faces out of veggie pieces.

Most North Americans don't get enough vegetables in their diet, so that's what I'd try to increase in their snacks.

Teresa