Last week I wrote about the importance of providing children with regular meals and snacks. Now it’s time to discuss the making of a healthy snack. Remember, eating between meals not only helps children meet their nutrition needs; it provides a bridge to the next meal.
The goal is to make a snack more like a mini meal. That means including a balance of carbohydrate, protein and fat (who has a meal with just starch or protein?) to help manage hunger and satisfy. So check out the food combinations below – it just might inspire you to come up with your own ideas.
1. Yogurt AND nuts, fruit or cereal. Yogurt is a great food for kids and even better when you add sliced almonds, fresh fruit or whole grain cereal. Look for yogurts with the Live and Active culture seal.
2. Whole wheat crackers AND cheese or peanut butter. One of my favorite cracker brands is Kashi’s TLC Original 7 Grain. It is great with cubed cheddar, a mozzarella cheese stick or even some peanut butter. Remember that peanut butter is a chocking hazard so use with caution and spread thin.
3. Fresh Fruit AND cubed cheese, milk or peanut butter. Fruit is a nutrient-rich snack but it doesn’t contain much fat or protein. Add some cheese, milk or peanut butter to help round it out.
4. Cereal AND milk or soy milk. Cereal doesn’t have to be just for breakfast. It makes an easy-to-prepare snack when combined with milk or a milk alternative (like soy). Look for cereals that are low in sugar with at least a good source of fiber (3 grams per serving)
5. Whole wheat bread or Pita AND deli meat/cheese, tuna or peanut better/jelly. Mini sandwiches make a great in between meal.
6. Raw veggies AND hummus, ranch, guacamole or any yogurt-based dip. Kids love to dip. Try cut up carrots, sugar snap peas, bell pepper or cucumber with your choice of dips. Remember that raw veggies can be choking hazards so if your child is not ready to eat them used steamed veggies or cut them very thin.
7. Muffins or sweet bread made with nuts. If you make your own muffins or sweet bread at home you can modify the recipe to contain extra fruit, less sugar, less fat (with added applesauce) and more nuts. See this banana nut recipe from allrecipes.com – check out the substitutions users made (read the rating comments!)
8. Smoothies. Blend fresh fruit, yogurt, 100% juice and ice to make a refreshing smoothie. See our mom-submitted smoothie recipe.
9. Cookies and milk. Snack time doesn’t always have to be about fruits and vegetables. On occasion, make cookies with added raisins, nuts and oats.
10. Mini Pizzas. Take whole wheat English muffins and top with marinara sauce, grated cheese and any topping (veggies/meat etc). Put in the toaster oven and you have a tasty in-between-meal treat!
Got a snack idea? Let us know about it!
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What a great list, thanks! I wanted to share something too for people with food allergies who perhaps cannot eat peanut butter. Or, also for kids who go to schools which are peanut free and tree nut free. There is a delicious product called Sunbutter which is a peanut butter alternative. Its a spread like peanut butter and has the same consistency. Read this blog posting for more details about the product. Its something you may want to consider when thinking about food allergies.
http://www.allergysense.com/blog/2009/11/11/peanut-butter-alternative-sunbutter-product-review/
For kids who are not allergic to nuts: Gudernoobs made by WooHoo Foods is a great option. Wrapped to look like candy, but only made of dried fruit/nuts/flax (that’s it – no preservatives or anything!) and high in omega-3s!