I’m not sure about your kids, but my 6-year old comes home from school and immediately begins to raid the fridge, pantry and wherever else he thinks food may be found. I can’t say that I really blame him, considering the school feeds them (his class) lunch at 10:30 a.m. (I personally think this is WAY too early), but it is sometimes a challenge finding snacks that he loves and that are healthy. However, after many experiments, I have found several that have been winners. Here they are:
- Fruit Smoothies – I’m a huge fan of fruit smoothies, regardless of what the weather is like outside! There are just so many benefits to them. For instance, they’re filling, contain almost all the fruit you need in a day and taste amazing. I started making smoothies for my little guy last summer when it was incredibly hot and he would complain about being hungry but not want to eat anything (due to the heat) – the smoothies were a great solution. Now, he will come home from school and ask for one. The normal smoothie that I make contains strawberries, blueberries, mango, banana, plain yogurt and is sweetened with honey.
- Apples, Bananas and Peanut Butter – Another snack that my son never seems to get tired of is peanut butter served with sliced apples and bananas. Some people are hesitant to give their kids ample amounts of peanut butter because they feel like some of the ingredients aren’t good for the kids, which is your right as a parent. I, personally, use the natural peanut butter so my family and I are only getting a few natural ingredients when we indulge in peanut butter. Peanut butter is full of protein and while there is fat in it, it is the healthy fat that is good for us. This is why I serve my little guy 1-2 Tablespoons of peanut butter with his apples and bananas…plus the combination of these items is heavenly!
- Greek Yogurt – Yogurt is another snack that my son has always enjoyed, but I have recently switched to the greek yogurt as, I feel, there are more benefits associated with it compared to the regular yogurt. One of the things I’ve recently started doing that my son likes is cutting up fresh fruit and mixing it in with the yogurt. Sometimes, I will even add a half a scoop of my protein powder to it for a little extra boost for him.
Finding after school snacks that are healthy and that kids love can be a really difficult task. Therefore, once you find a few that are big hits, keep them! While the snacks I listed above do require a little extra time in preparation on your part, it is totally worth it when you consider how much more you’re kids are getting versus what they would be receiving if you just handed them a few cookies and a bag of chips for a snack.