Healthy Snack Ideas

Children love to snack. My kids would live on snacks if I let them! Unfortunately, most snacks that you can buy in the store are unhealthy and it takes some planning to make sure there are healthy snacks in the house. A lot of store-bought snacks are packed with sugar, fat, and sodium. None of this is good for your health or your children’s. With a little advanced planning, you can have healthy snacks kids love on hand at home. Here are eight quick healthy snack ideas your kids will love.

• Apple slices and cheese – It sounds so simple and so basic but children love apples and cheese. Add a few whole grain crackers and even some slices of ham and you have a well-rounded and healthy snack idea. The good news is, it only takes minutes to prepare. Make it fun and use a small cookie cutter to cut the cheese into fun shapes. Photo credit: Flickr
• Baked chips and salsa – There are two approaches to this tasty snack. You can use wonton wrappers or corn tortillas. With the wonton wrappers cut them into triangles. You’ll get two triangles per wrapper. Brush them with a little bit of sesame oil and sprinkle with salt. Place them in the oven at 350 degrees F for ten minutes. Watch them carefully. When they begin to brown at the edges they’re done. Let them rest for a few minutes to get crispy, then serve plain or with a fruit-based salsa or chutney.

  If you’re using corn tortillas, cut them into squares, brush with vegetable oil and place in a 350 degree oven for a few minutes. Again, watch the time because they can get too dark very quickly. Serve with salsa.

• Ants on a log – This is an old favorite and can be prepared two ways. The foundation of both preparations is celery sticks cut into two to three-inch lengths. Place natural peanut butter or low-fat cream cheese down the middle. Now top with raisins or chocolate chips – they’re the ants! Photo credit: Flickr

• GORP – Gorp stands for good old raisins and peanuts. However, you can give it any twist you like. Many children are allergic or don’t like peanuts. Substitute dried fruit chips, whole grain cereal like Cheerios or Chex. Add a few chocolate chips or candies and your children have a high fiber snack they can eat by the handful. Prepare a large batch of it and serve it as an after-school snack. It’s also great for road trips. Photo credit: Flickr

• Edamame – These are soy beans in their shell. You can buy them frozen or fresh. Place them in a microwave-safe bowl. Place water in the bottom of the bowl to steam the beans. Cover with plastic wrap and microwave for three to five minutes. Test. If the beans are still cool, warm for another few minutes. Sprinkle salt on the beans and enjoy. Photo credit: Flickr
• Hummus – Hummus is a mixture of chickpeas and tahini (sesame paste). It’s usually made to taste. Begin with a can of chickpeas and a tablespoon of tahini. Add garlic, salt and pepper to taste. Serve with vegetables to dip. Photo credit: Flickr
• Air-popped popcorn – You can buy an air popper for under twenty dollars or a popper to use on the stove. Keep fresh popcorn on hand. You can buy it in bulk like this Bob’s Red Mill Popcorn (Pack of 4). Melt margarine or spray with low-fat margarine topping. Sprinkle salt lightly and enjoy.This Wabash Valley Farms 25008 Whirley-Pop Stovetop Popcorn Popper lasted me over 10 years and I loved it!

• Peanut Butter Yogurt Dip – This stuff is so good with apples, graham crackers, pretzels or celery! Take 1 (6 oz) container plain Greek yogurt, 3 tablespoons creamy peanut butter and 3 teaspoons honey and combine. Yumminess!

Kids love to snack and eat. With these eight quick and easy healthy snack ideas you can be sure they’re eating healthy too.

For more like this, check out the Healthy Recipes page!