Snack time is really popular around here. For some of my kids snack time the only time they are excited to eat anything. Knowing my kids value snack time, I try to make our snacks healthy and pretty close to small meals as possible.
Sure we like the easy grab and go type snacks, but sometimes they want a snack that takes a little preparation as well. Here are a few snack ideas our family loves for home, in the car that take some preparation and some grab and go.
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Road Snacks
Anytime we get in the car I feel like I hear, “I am hungry” before we make it out of the driveway. The irritated me usually answers “did you bring a snack?” Of course the answer is always no, they think I have snacks on hand at all times, haha! For the record, when we are just in the car for a short period of time I don’t bring snacks. But if we are going on a road trip, on a long drive to great grandmas house or driving to the beach for the day I usually pack some snacks specifically for eating in the car.
Car snacks need to be easy to eat, not messy and easily contained. This past weekend I made the mistake of giving my two year old a chocolate covered granola bar in the car. I turned around to check on him after he was done and he was pretty much covered in chocolate!! And of course the baby wipes were in the trunk. We had to pull over and grab them before the chocolate hands spread to other parts of the car. I usually try to keep car snacks melty free and this was a great reminder why.
- Our favorite car snacks are pretzels or chips. They tend to be large enough that they don’t get dropped too easily. They can be left in the car and melting or cooling is a non-issue. They also usually come in a bag making disbursement easy from person to person.
- Fruit snacks and raisins are also easy to eat in the car. Just be careful not to let any droppings get stepped on or left in the car for a long period of time. Trying to scrape smashed or melted fruit snacks from carpet is a task!
One more car tip: Whenever I have one large bag of something I am trying to disperse to a few kids I grab a napkin. (We usually have extra napkins from fast food places in the glove box.). I open one corner so the napkin makes a triangle and hand the whole napkin to my kids. This makes a quick makeshift bowl and gives them something to wipe their hands with.
Home Snacks
Before we get into what snacks we love most at home I have a few tips I want to share. We have been home a ton through this pandemic so I have learned a few tricks this year that have helped a ton.
When the pandemic/quarantine started I felt like my kids started asking for food constantly. Maybe it was boredom, or the change of having access to food at all time. With three kids all eating at different times it seemed like I lived in the kitchen helping my kids get something they needed.
- My first tip is to keep a kids snack shelf or drawer low enough for them to reach. We have two shelves in our pantry with snacks available and a drawer in the fridge with kids snacks and cut fruit for them to grab when needed. Making snacks accessible saves them from asking us to help reach items at all times. Previously they were eye level for my husband and I, but that was too high for my smallest one. He would climb the shelves or need help getting things. Moving the snacks to the bottom of the pantry has helped a ton.
- Another tip I have is to cut off when snacks are allowed leading up to meals. We learned quickly that if we allowed snacks at all times then the dinners I spend a good amount of time making go untouched. I try to cut off snacks about an hour before a meal to ensure they will eat most of their dinner. If they start grumbling or getting hungry I have them help me pick what to serve for dinner and help prepare it. Keeping them busy helps curb the hunger complaints for a little longer.
- I also like to cut off eating before bed. I recently read that when you eat before going to sleep your body is focusing on digesting and not resting. I have noticed that limiting what is eaten before bed helps my kiddos sleep a little better and be more pleasant the next day. If your child tends to want a snack before bed make sure you have that snack before cut off time and remind them they need to eat enough to tide them over until morning.
For snacks at home I like to have some easy to grab things that kids can get on their own and a few snacks that require assembly and are more nutritious. I have that one child who loves snacks and grazing but not sitting down for meals I want to make sure he gets some nutrition in his snacking. Quick snacks we love are :
- Pop-Tarts- kids can grab these in the morning for a quick snack or meal before you are ready to help them.
- Pretzels and crackers- I typically buy a big bag or box and the kids can get their own bowl to serve themself. Remember to keep bowls and cups on low shelves as well. If your child is smaller you can get small containers and pre-pack smaller servings. We like to use these little containers from Glad.
- Fruit or vegetables – I like to keep a low drawer in the fridge stocked up with small snacks for the kids to grab. Carrots, cucumber, mini peppers, zucchini, grapes and berries are great to add in these little containers or in ziplock bags. Apples tend to brown when sliced so I get them pre-packaged in snack sizes or cut them fresh when requested.
- My kids love cereal, who doesn’t right? I keep cereal on lower shelves and bowls low as well. They get their own bowls of cereal in the mornings. Sometimes they need help with milk if the jug is too large or full or they can eat the cereal dry. Cereal is a great snack for the cost of a box, figure out what flavors they love and buy in bulk!
- String Cheese – or even cubed cheese if your kid is fancy like my daughter. My boys love sting cheese and eat it rather quickly. My daughter prefers the pre-sliced cheese or cubes when available.
- Lunch meat- My boys love to eat lunch meat by itself. Occasionally they will ask for a slice of bread, but most of the time they want sliced turkey solo. As long as you are fine with them grabbing it out of the container or bag on their own keep it on a low shelf and let them snack away. From time to time I will take the time to roll the sliced meat before serving but they don’t mind eating it either way.
Some snacks take a little extra work to make but are just as good. When I am in the kitchen preparing something for myself or getting something for another child I like to make an announcement or ask kids if they need anything before I finish. This way I can maximize my time in the kitchen and hopefully satisfy all the needs while in there.
I recently saw a recommendation I am planning to incorporate into our lifestyle soon. Have set snack times and remind your child they need to eat enough during that snack time to make it to the next meal or snack time. This way they are learning to read their body and plan accordingly. Great skills to teach them!
Here are a few of our favorite snacks we eat at home:
- Energy Balls – One of our favorite snacks that I make pretty frequently are energy balls. As long as you have oats, peanut butter and honey you can make these and add any extras you like. I usually go with mini chocolate chips but we have tried rainbow chips, shredded coconut, sprinkles, dried fruit and nuts. Check out our recipe section to see how we make them. I usually double the recipe so there is enough to go around and they are always gone before the end of the day.
- Granola and yogurt – I like to buy the quart container of yogurt from the store and a bag or two of granola. My kids like to eat yogurt plain or add some granola. We typically prefer strawberry yogurt, but occasionally I will switch up the flavors, see what you guys like best and try it out.
- Fruit Smoothies – anytime we have bananas, apples or berries about to go bad I cut them up and throw them in the freezer. When the kids want a snack I can blend up the frozen fruit with some yogurt, milk or juice and make a fruit smoothie. If your children resist vegetables you can also sneak some into your smoothie and the fruit masks the veggie tase. I like to toss frozen spinach, cucumbers or carrots into a smoothie and they never notice.
- Fruit with chocolate chips – In an effort to eat a little better I have stopped buying cookies, cakes and overly sweet items from the store. I still crave and love chocolate so I buy mini chocolate chips. I started adding a table spoon of chocolate chips to a bowl of strawberries or bananas as a dessert. Of course my kids saw and now love this dessert as well. It satisfies the chocolate craving without going overboard.
- Fruit with Peanut butter – A frequent snack we have is apples and peanut butter. It is quick to make and has good nutrition. Typically I slice an apple, put it in a bowl and hand my kid a spoon full of peanut butter. Easy as that. I have seen people make adorable apple snacks with spread peanut butter and chocolate chips making fun faces and designs. I just never have the patience for that. My husband is great at that kind of presentation, not me.
- Homemade trail mix or snack mix – making your own trail mix is a great way to make sure all your favorite flavors are included. Do you ever hand your kids a cup of tail mix to only find raisins scattered all around after they have finished? Two of my kids are notorious for passing on the raisins! The last one will eat boxes of raisins all by themselves so sometimes it balances out. When I make my own trail mix I make sure to leave out I things I know won’t go over well. I also like making our own snack mixes because I can use up odds and ends in the pantry. Boxes of cereal with less than a bow left, a jar of peanuts that got lost in the back of the pantry, or leftover Halloween candy like M&M’s. Some of our favorite things to add to a snack mix are
- Popcorn, kettle or Carmel
- M&M’s or coated candies
- Pretzels
- Cereal like Cheerios, Chex, Coco Puffs
- Nuts and seeds
- Dried fruit
I hope you got some new ideas for snack time!! If you have any great tips please share them in the comments below.