3 Healthy Snacks Ideas For Kids
Babysitter and I have planned and found out the 3 healthy snacks for kids. In an effort to save more money and to get my kids to eat a quality dinner, we have cut back on snacking.
Yes, this did cause some crying in our home, (mine and theirs), but getting them involved in the process helped alleviate that. Babysitter and I try to include both protein and carbs with all meals, and snacks are no exception.
Proteins keep them full longer, which means we can get from homework to dinner hour without the need for extra food. Unless of course one of the kids is going through a growth spurt, which then changes things up a bit.
Here are three healthy snack ideas the babysitter and I have come up with over the course of the last few months that satisfy their hunger and their need for something tasty:
Smoothies or Homemade Popsicles
I try to sneak in raw veggies as much as possible when it comes to the kids, and I’ve found making homemade popsicles lets me do just that! Spinach in raw things like smoothies and popsicles doesn’t have a strong taste.
Mix spinach with a banana and you are adding a natural sweetener. Our favorite smoothie/popsicle combo includes:
- a banana
- a handful of spinach
- a few strawberries
- plain yogurt
- ice and water (to make it more into a liquid)
Blend together. Drink as a smoothie if you don’t have a lot of time OR turn it into homemade popsicles! The kids feel as though they are getting a great treat and I love the fact that they are nutritious with the spinach providing nutrients and the yogurt the much desired protein element.
Banana Boats
I’m a HUGE peanut butter fan. I’ll eat it with anything. The kids love these banana boats, and I love that they are incorporating fruit with protein. Slice a banana in half. Put peanut butter on the top. Call it a banana boat and you are ready to go! We also eat peanut butter with apple slices.
Homemade ‘frozen yogurt’
The kids LOVE making this snack.
- Take a cup of plain yogurt
- Add in a tablespoon of all natural peanut butter
- In another bowl mash up half of a banana (the kids enjoy this part, as they do all the work!) and add to the mixture
- Stir
- Place in a small ice cream cup and put in the freezer for about twenty minutes, which gives it time to set without actually freezing. (Don’t leave in the freezer too long, or it will ice up.)
- Enjoy!
Some of our other inexpensive tasty snack ideas include pretzels with cheese, cream cheese on crackers, cream cheese roll-ups (cream cheese on whole wheat tortillas, a little chopped up tomato, roll it up and slice), and carrots with hummus.
How about you? What do your kids love to snack on that is both inexpensive and healthy? What do you usually cook with the babysitter?
