It’s really easy to fall into the junk food trap these days. With busy schedules and just the fact that it’s sometimes cheaper and easier to just buy a bag of cookies than to take the time to prepare fruits or veggies. After all if you give a kid the choice between some chips or a celery stalk most will choose the chips every time. While my family is no exception to being junk food junkies at times we have made an effort to change that. We all know that some kids are just picky but my son knows that there is a big difference between having a “snack” and what he calls a “healthy snack”. Having healthy snacks on our pantry shelves gives us the choice to either splurge once in a while or to eat something that not only is good for us but tastes good as well. Incorporating these healthier foods into after school snacks and meal times have made my crew of picky eaters into somewhat healthier ones. If I am at a loss for an extra side items for dinner then deciding between green beans which my kids don’t like or raw carrots with ranch dip which most of them do like is an easy choice for me.
I put together some snacks in the list below that go over quite well at my house. While not all of them meet the truly healthy standard of a say a carrot stick, they are a good alternative to sugary snack cakes.
Healthy Snack Ideas…..
bananas (give them a whole one to peel and tell them to eat like a little monkey)
apple slices with peanut butter
celery sticks with peanut butter
baby carrots,sliced cucumbers,broccoli, cauliflower, or cherry tomatoes with ranch dip (I use sour cream with a touch of ranch dressing or ranch dressing mix)
applesauce
dried fruits like raisins, apricots, or cranberries
watermelon, strawberries, peaches, pineapple, grapes, blueberries, and more then….
Make a fruit salad mix with your kids favorite fruits!
Let the kids pick out their choice of salad add ons. ( Just giving my kids a choice instead of deciding for them sometimes makes the difference if they eat it or not.)
Popcorn (sprinkle on parmesean cheese for a twist)
Tortilla chips with salsa or refried beans to dip
Cereals like cheerios or raisin bran with milk
Granola bars or cereal bars (kids love them)
Yogurt
String cheese (another big hit)
Sugar free pudding
Trail mix (add in nuts, dried fruits, chex cereal, chocolate chips, whatever you like!)
Cheese crackers
Peanut butter on graham crackers
Lunch meat with cheese and whole wheat crackers
If you have any ideas for healthy snacks then leave us a comment below!