Healthy snacks I make on repeat
As a busy mom and nutritionist, I know that having healthy and affordable snack options for your kids can be a real struggle. There needs to be balance. Busy parents do all they can to provide healthy options, but sometimes packaged snacks are quicker and easier. I get it! There is no judgement here!
My kids are 3 and 5 so I try to do all I can now to model healthy eating and teach them about making balanced food choices. I know that in the near future they will probably see more packaged snack options, and will want to try them, but for now I have found that in our household packaged kids snacks drive up my grocery bill, don’t keep the kids full for very long, and make a lot of packaging waste. And many moms I talk to say the same. I still buy some convenience options, but when I can, there are a few easy options I make over and over again to keep the snack monsters happy.
Here are some of our go-to options:
PB stuffed dates. This is such an easy “dessert”- we probably eat it 2x per week after dinner.
Apple nachos. Kids love to play and have fun so I let them decorate their own and they have a blast! I’ll pull out fun add-ons like mini marshmallows and chocolate chips for a treat! The recipe is in my free energy boosting meal plan!
Greek yogurt with honey. Sometimes we make a “banana split” with banana, greek yogurt, and fun toppings like chocolate sauce and freeze-dried fruit sprinkles.
Smoothies/smoothie popsicles. Any yummy smoothie can be made into a popsicle- but there’s a delicious pumpkin spice smoothie in the meal plan! You can also find one of my kid’s favourite’s- sunshine smoothie popsicles- on the blog right here.
Homemade cookies. Chocolate chip is a fav- I make a big batch maybe 1x per month and keep them in the freezer.
Banana chocolate chip oatmeal cups. Basically these are easy peasy muffins without added sugar or white flour. So great for on-the-go. The recipe is in my free energy boosting meal plan!
Pickles. Fermented is even better!
Homemade freezer waffles or pancakes- I like to make little waffle sandwiches for them with peanut butter and jelly. So filling! My go-to recipe my free energy boosting meal plan!
Any fruit. I’ll often buy frozen and defrost it when it’s not in season!
Crackers and guacamole. Crackers are one of the things I do NOT make from scratch! Simple Mills are yummy, or sweet potato crackers, or honestly Goldfish sometimes! Whatever!
Cucumbers. Sprinkle them with rice vinegar and a pinch of salt!
Good Quality Deli Meat or pepperoni sticks. I try to buy organic options from local farms when I can.
Dried Fruit. Apples or mangoes or apricots are the favourites!
I hope that gives you some ideas! Some of these options take no time at all, some are a bit more involved. I have found that getting the kids involved in the process = quality time with them and that’s time well spent!
Remember to grab the recipes for the Banana Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cups, Apple Nachos, Freezer Waffles and Stuffed Dates (in a printable PDF format) in my FREE 7 day meal plan by clicking the button below!
Happy snacking!