6 Healthy Snacks for Kids They Won’t Turn Down

Children’s snacks can be an Achilles heel for many parents. We all more or less know what to include in a healthy lunch or dinner: natural ingredients such as cereals, legumes and vegetables. But after preparing the big dishes of the day, many already lack of ideas and also energy to prepare healthy mid-morning or mid-afternoon snacks, especially for younger children, and opt for usual snacks or snacks bought.

But with a little information and organization, that children eat well even at snack time is possible. In today’s post I will tell you everything you need to know to prepare healthy snacks for mid-afternoon along with six healthy snack recipes for children that are sure to be successful.

snacks are important because children have a small stomach and it is convenient for them to have a snack between meals, more or less every 2 or 3 hours. With stable blood sugar, we can ensure that they concentrate better, have a better mood and play with enthusiasm. With these snacks we can even prevent tantrums in the little ones.

healthy snacks for kids

The best snacks are based on Real, Unprocessed Ingredients:

In the mid-morning snack or snack there should be no lack of fruit or vegetables.Neither protein-rich foods such as seeds, nuts, nut butters, vegetable spreads, hummus, tofu and other vegetable proteins, so that they are satisfied and feel happier. In addition, depending on the time of day and the state of each child, we can include at snacks carbohydrates; Ideally, they should be complete, such as whole wheat bread, sticks, cereal pancakes…

to make things interestingwe can experiment with different breads like wraps Mexicans; pita bread; salty muffins; cut the sliced ​​bread in different shapes; make skewers with pieces of bread, cheese and vegetables or fruit skewers…

The gluten-free quinoa and almond crackers recipe in this video is another ideal option.

The only thing is that we have to find the balance so that they do not stay hungry, but without giving them snacks that are too large for them to eat or dine well.

What to offer them

among the fruit we can offer any type you like, we just have to keep in mind that it is easy for them to eat, especially if they are going to eat the fruit only at school or in the park. Fruit that is very juicy, like peaches, and that is also very fragile, like fruit that is overripe, may be difficult for them to eat at recess.

We can offer you banana, apple, pear, tangerine, grapes, strawberries, blueberries, carrot strips, cucumber, tomatoes cherry…

To children who do not eat the whole fruit we can give you a box with cut fruit (to the fruit that oxidizes, like the apple, we can add a little lemon juice). And, for example, tangerines, to make it easier for them to peel, we can leave them half peeled or with the first strip peeled, because for many children it is difficult to start.

To very young children We can offer them at snack time any food, it does not have to be a special food for snack. They can be, for example:

Pieces of soft fruit such as apple, pear, avocado, tangerine or blueberry; pieces of raw vegetables such as carrots, cucumbers, tomatoes cherryLeftover cooked vegetables such as sweet potatoes, pumpkin or baked zucchini. Cooked vegetables Leftover cooked pasta Bites of tofu Vegetable meatballs Porridge or oatmeal pancakes that we have left over from breakfast Defrosted peas Applesauce

For older children, more or less from three years, and especially if we are going to offer them a snack in the park, we have to count on the fact that they may want a snack similar to that of the others. We can offer you fruit, nuts, good quality yoghurts…, but we can also prepare healthy variants of the usual snacks:

Sandwiches with whole wheat bread and vegetable protein such as sliced ​​tofu, grilled seitan, vegetable burgers, hummus, peanut butter, homemade chocolate spread and hazelnuts… Pastries with whole ingredients such as energy bars, oatmeal cookies, whole wheat cake or muffins, etc

Some tips to prepare the snack

It is also convenient to talk to them and prepare them, tell them that the other children will ask them what they are eating, because they can even tell them that their snacks disgust them. This for many children can be painful.

But the best is ask them how they feel and explain our intention for them to be as healthy as possible, look for characters such as soccer players, athletes, actors… who eat differently, explain that each family is different…

To have the least impact on the environment, offer them snacks in reusable wrappers. For the sandwiches we can use parchment paper, special reusable wrappers with cool designs, parchment paper or pretty lunch boxes.

We can put the water in different reusable bottlesand for the little ones we can buy reusable containers for the crushed fruit that they can eat themselves.

Besides, if the children do not eat the whole snack, we do not have to throw it away and we can take advantage of it: the yogurts that have been out of the fridge for hours can be used to make homemade pastries; a half mashed banana we can peel, freeze and use to make green smoothies or ice cream, and with other fruits we can make jams or compotes to use in porridge.

When it comes to organizing we don’t have to go crazy

It is not necessary to prepare a new snack every day. What we can do is at the beginning of the week make a couple of preparations, ideal both sweet and savory, such as a vegetable pate and some energy bars or slices of baked tofu and oatmeal cookies and accompany these snacks with things from the pantry and fridge such as whole wheat sticks, pancakes, nuts, nut butters, yogurts… We can also take advantage of the remains of dinner or meals and offer it at snack time.

In addition, as the best are homemade snacks, from time to time we can offer you a package snack, although healthy.Many children in the park tend to eat these types of snacks such as chips or sweets every day and children with more natural snacks can feel very different. For this reason, from time to time, we can give them a bag with whole grain sticks, a package of small cereal pancakes, a whole grain bar, good quality biscuits, nuts…

And here six easy recipes for snacks…