28 kid-friendly, (mostly) healthy snack ideas

February 3, 2009

We are beginning to consume large quantities of food around here.  I hate to think of what the teen years will be like.

When it comes to snacks (and food in general), I generally take this approach:

• I go for natural stuff, but not necessarily organic.  I like our food to come from the ground, not the lab. (And I realize “natural” does not always mean 100% “chemical-free.”)
• I rarely sacrifice flavor for low (or non) fat content.  I do not like fat-free and low-fat stuff (with few exceptions).  My theory is, fat makes things taste good so if they take it out you either (a) end up with a product that tastes like it’s missing something (read: gross) or (b) end up with a product that requires artificial who-knows-what to make it palatable and in that case, the chemicals will kill you before the fat does.  It’s not worth it.  Besides, I’m sure no one else does this, but if I’m eating something that claims to be “healthier” I often eat more of it.
• I do my best to stay away from high fructose corn syrup, but I’m not obsessive about it.
• I rarely buy fruit juice and when I do, it’s 100% juice.  We drink mostly water and milk.  Soda is for special occasions.
• I cook mainly from scratch.  It’s cheaper, tastier and healthier.
• I am anti-deprivation & pro-moderation.  In other words, there are no taboo foods in our house.  We eat sweets, candy and other junk foods occasionally and when we do, we thoroughly enjoy them.  My theory is that if you deny a kid something, it makes it all the more enticing, so when they go to a friend’s house or when they move out on their own, they are much more likely to go overboard on those things which are/were forbidden at home.  Moderation is key.

So, without further ado, here are my 28 snack ideas:

1. Fruit (fresh, frozen, dried, unsweetened canned) – apples, apricots, bananas, cantaloupe, grapes, honeydew melon, watermelon, kiwis, oranges, clementines, mangoes, nectarines, pears, peaches, pineapple, plums, berries (blackberries, raspberries, blueberries, strawberries), cherries, papaya (prepare like honeydew melon with a squirt of lime)
2. Veggies – carrots, cucumber, celery, snap peas, snow peas, string beans, bean sprouts, peppers, tomatoes, broccoli, cauliflower, radishes, zucchini, yellow squash, frozen corn (my kids will eat this right out of the freezer), lettuce (iceberg is nice and crunchy)
3. Dips & Spreads (for use with fruits, veggies, grains) – hummus, natural peanut butter, Ranch dressing, guacamole, salsa, sour cream, cream cheese
4. Fruit leather (go for the 100% fruit kind)
5. Applesauce (unsweetened)
6. Popsicles (100% juice)
7. Ants on a log – celery stick with natural peanut butter (or cream cheese) and raisins “marching” along the top
8. Quesadillas
9. Pizzadillas – tortillas with pizza sauce and mozzarella cheese, heated in the microwave
10. Mini Pizzas – top English muffins with pizza sauce and mozzarella
11. Granola – homemade is best (here’s a great recipe)
12. Protein Bars
13. Popcorn (all natural)
14. GORP – “good ole raisins and peanuts” or your favorite trail mix
15. Yogurt – get plain and add your own stuff like berries (flavored yogurt often has high fructose corn syrup)
16. Pirate’s Booty – this is an all-natural alternative to Cheetos.  We buy ours by the case from Amazon.  Very tasty!  Veggie Booty is also good.
17. Cheese – cheese sticks, cheese cubes or cheese slices cut into fun shapes with cookie cutters
18. Eggs – hard-boiled or an “Egg Creation” (crack an egg in a microwave-safe dish, whisk with a fork, add a little cheese, salt & pepper, salsa, some crumbled bacon, green onions or anything else that sounds good and microwave for about a minute)
19. Crackers – lots of choices here; oyster crackers are well-loved in our house and kid-sized
20. Cereal – many of the all-natural, unsweetened or lightly sweetened cereals make good snacks (with or without milk)
21. Pretzels
22. Rice Cakes
23. Deli Meats
24. Cham Sticks – these are our own creation…sliced ham wrapped around cheese sticks
25. Banana Cream Crunch – sliced bananas topped with chopped almonds (or other nuts) and a bit of whipped cream
26. Smoothies – there are so many options here; our favorite is with plain yogurt, a banana, frozen berries (any variety) and some 100% juice (especially grape) to thin it out; you can even (secretly) throw in some frozen spinach (thawed & drained) for some added green
27. Nuts (not for the littles who might choke of course) – almonds, cashews, pine nuts, pistachios, peanuts (I know peanuts are legumes, not nuts, but still)
28. Muffins – here’s one to try: Health Nut Blueberry Muffins

What are your favorite kid-friendly (mostly) healthy snacks?  I’d love to hear!

This post is part of Works for Me Wednesday over at Rocks in My Dryer.  Check it out!

Photo by Tanja Sund.

Related posts:

1. Smooth Smoothie
2. Copycat Olive Garden Alfredo Sauce recipe

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