By Lisa Edwards, M.Ed., Parent Coach
Are you looking for some healthy after school snacks? Do you want something easy that kids of all ages will love? Then look no further! Here are 5 extremely easy healthy snacks for kids to enjoy after school or anytime!
Easy Snacks for the Lazy Mom
I love looking at all those fun snacks on Pinterest… strawberries made to look like ladybugs, apple slices decorated like a bear’s face, string cheese butterflies, etc. Yes, kids love it, but do they really appreciate all that work? Let me be real with you for a minute. I am a lazy mom. Sure, every once in awhile I like to try a new art project or snack. But most days, and I mean almost all days, I am looking for the easiest thing, and too often that is a bowl full of goldfish crackers.
But I have noticed lately, that easy is not always the healthiest. So how do I get my kids excited about healthy snacks? Well, here are 5 snacks that I, the laziest mom, can make and still have my kids get excited to enjoy!
5 Easy Healthy Snacks for Kids
1. Kabobs for Kids
First one off the bat, and you might be thinking. How is this easy? It looks like work. Simple. I make the kids do the work. This is an activity with a snack! And they love how colorful it looks. If you don’t have kabob sticks laying around, feel free to use toothpicks for mini kabobs. Or just have a tray of fun snacks they can eat with a toothpick. And it makes for a great sword fight afterwards!
In my family, we have made Pineapple, Cherry and Cheese kabobs with toothpicks. Simply put the cheese on the bottom so it will stand up with pineapple in the middle and a maraschino cherry on top. Delicious. Here are some other great ideas for kabobs.
- Grapes
- Marshmallows
- Mini sandwiches
- Cheese
- Meat Chunks
- Bananas
- Apples
2. Trail Mix
What can be easier that mixing a bunch of different snacks into a bowl? We do trail mix as our road trip snack. It is easy to pack and take with us anywhere, and keeps in the car for hours on end. Here is a list of easy foods to throw together, but generally, I just go through the cupboards and throw stuff together.
- Goldfish Crackers
- Mini Saltines
- CheezeIts
- Pretzels
- Dried Fruit
- Oyster Crackers
- Chocolate Chips
- M & Ms
- Marshmallows
- White Chocolate Chips
- Peanut Butter Chips
- Mini Candies
- Nuts
- Raisins
3. Snack Boards
As adults we may partake in a charcuterie board, but have you ever thought of having a kid friendly one? This is a great way to have a healthy balance of different snacks. Have your child build their own board and you can give them parameters to follow such as you need 1 fruit, 1 vegetable, 1 protein, and 2 optional items..
I LOVE LOVE LOVE this idea and you need to check out this post on U Create for LOTS of different ideas for your snack boards.
4. Apple Slice Cookies
Other than slicing these apples like you probably haven’t ever seen before, this snack is a fun alternative to other snacks. Frost your cookies with PB and then add fun toppings such as mini chocolate chips or nuts. The slicing of apples into cookies makes this the fun snack, but even regular slices with some fun dip can be a great idea too. And if you want a different but similar take on it, Google “Apple Nachos”.
5. Frozen Yogurt Pops
Seriously, what is easier than taking a snack in one form (yogurt) and throwing in the freezer for a new form, (frozen yogurt). Natalie at Super Healthy Kids gives it just a few extra ingredients to make it even more refreshing. But seriously…so easy!
Snack and Chat
You know what else we like to do? Talk while we eat! Do you ever have trouble getting your kids to talk to you? I mean really talk, like an actual conversation. Normally I ask, how was your day? Most common answers are just one word, “Fine.” “Good.” I am too nosy of a mom to not want to know more about their day. My husband just asked this morning, “Why do you kids always tell you stuff, and not me?” Well, my dear hubby, you have to ask the right questions. If you want help with this, make sure to get our free printable with the questions to start engaging your kids today. You can find it by using this link.
Enjoy these snacks and enjoy those chats. Let us know if you try any of these great snacks or have other ideas to share in our Facebook Group. Join HERE!