Snacks. Quite the dangerous subject in our home. We find that we prefer less snacking in general, as they seem to lead to barely touched dinners. I usually aim to feed the kids the most in the earlier parts of the day but sometimes their appetites object and we find ourselves scavenging for an afternoon snack.
And they are an especially integral part of days that aren’t as routine! Days spent out and about exploring, taking an extra long walk, searching out a new museum or passing time at an appointment.
Easy fruits (apples, mandarins, grapes, etc.)—if I have a mix of snacks, I always shoot to offer fruit first. I like that they get some water content with it. Apples and grapes are always a hit. My oldest children can peel a mandarin with a little starter help, and I’ll peel ahead of time for my littlest.
Trail mix—we love the Trader Joe’s mixes, or simply creating our own. We like to do almonds, sunflower seeds, dried cranberries and chocolate chips (if I’m being fancy, I’ll do cocoa nibs… orrr m&m’s). I may throw in a few pretzel sticks depending on the day!
Coconut date rolls—I cannot express how much I love these. And the kids do too. It’s essentially smooshed dates, rolled into a large sized date tootsie roll and rolled in coconut flakes. They are so delicious, filling and the flavor is perfectly sweet. They are usually in the produce section of the grocery store. I have never tried these from scratch but here’s an easy recipe I found).
Smoothies to-go (like Nancy’s kefir or Stonyfield yogurt smoothie)—I do these less often because we’ll just simply make a smoothie at home. haven’t found good smoothie to go cups for the kids and so a smoothie
Homemade granola bars—we go through granola bar phases but the kids love these 5 ingredient bars from the Minimalist Baker.
Protein energy balls (like these PB&J bites)—I love a delicious protein bite, and I tend to store them in the freezer until the morning of the day I’ll use them. So easy once they’re made and a perfect kid (or moi) snack on the go.
Hummus and veggies—I have to admit, this could simply be called “hummus” since my kiddos use their veggies as a vehicle for hummus consumption. But on occasion, they will end up having devoured an entire plate of veggies, and that’s a win in my book. We go with carrot sticks, sliced cucumbers, broccoli florets, celery or radishes.
Cheese and turkey—we’re fans of Babybel cheeses and sometimes string cheese (it’s a mood thing, apparently). Sliced cheese can be less interesting to them but either way, a few pieces or slices of cheese and some turkey is a quick and satisfying snack.
Popcorn—oh we love popcorn in our house. I like to pop our corn in a big pot on the stove with a little coconut oil. We all love it just like that and I’ll keep it in the pot on the stove for a day or so, or until it disappears. It’s so easy! Popcorn is one of Emma’s favorite words 🙂
Crackers—we usually look for seed-based crackers (like Mary’s Gone Crackers). I’ve also made crunchy cheese crackers in the past that they’ve loved. We pick up graham crackers sparingly but they gobble them whenever we do!
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