QUICK & HEALTHY SNACK IDEAS FOR THE MINIS

Growing up we constantly had a streaming source of snacks at all times.  I remember eating handfuls of cute bell pepper stripes, my mom's homemade spinach dip and bread, tons of fruit and then all the not-so-healthy items like the Ritz Crackers and Cheese packs.  I'm not going to lie, I can still remember their exact smell when you first open it up.

When I had my kids I knew I wanted them to be as healthy as possible but I also knew I had to set my expectations to be semi realistic because lets face it, I have three kids and between my husband and I we have 6 businesses to run and manage so time is rarely on our side.  

I jotted down my favorite quick and healthy (easy too!) kids snacks for at home or on the go and asked my customers for their input too to compile a great go to list!  We can keep this list going and add to it as we need!

 

My Top Go To Snack List:

  • Cut veggies and hummus- bell peppers, cucumbers, carrots, celery and cherry tomatoes top the list and are easily portable in small containers.  I haven'tt found good individual ranch packs yet for my kids but Costco has the best individual hummus packets that my kids LOVE!
  • FRUIT!  Apples, bananas and mini oranges are the easiest to transport but we are also loving all the berries, cut pears, cut grapes, sliced kiwi, cute melon, wild frozen blueberries (wild because they tend to be smaller than the others and when they are frozen I don't need to worry about the kids swallowing them since they are tiny).  I also love freezing grapes too but always cut them before popping them into the freezer.
  • Whole Wheat Pitas and Hummus- my kids love this so much as ask for it all the time.  It only takes a minute to make and I even love this too.  I typically like using Ezekiel pitas.  I turn the broiler on, put a pita with a tiny tiny drizzle of olive oil and rub the oil all over the pita.  Then I sprinkle it with salt, pepper, a parmesan cheese.  I place it under the broiler for just a minute to only warm it up.  Then take a pizza slicer and cut it like a pizza. I give my kids hummus to dip it in!
  • Pineapple Freeze (can use any frozen fruit).  Place in a blender- 1 cup fruit and 1 cup of canned coconut milk and a couple drop of liquid stevia.  Blend and serve!  You can make this as a drink or put more frozen fruit in to make it more thick to eat with a spoon.
  • Banana Ice Cream-  Using a food processor (or blender works too) blend 2 frozen bananas until smooth.  Top with chocolate sauce, chopped nuts, fresh cut strawberries, the options are endless and it takes one minute to make!
  • Trader Joe's Peanut Butter Pretzles
  • Greek Yogurt Bowls- This is one of our go to breakfasts as well.  I buy plain organic Greek yogurt and top with local honey (my kids need to eat it for their allergies), chia seeds (sprinkles!), peanut or almond butter, and sometimes granola.
  • Celery with peanut butter and top with raisins or dried cranberries
  • Pumpkin Muffins <--I use my old bread recipe but make mini muffins. We pop them in the freezer and my kids love taking them to school for snacks.

COSTCO Quick Snacks

  • The Good Bean- Crispy Crunchy Organic Chicpeas
  • Individual Hummus Packs
  • Individual Guacamole Packs
  • Aussie Bites
  • Annies Snacks and Fruit Snacks
  • Kirkland Brand Organic Fruit Snacks
  • Hippeas Chickpeas Puffs
  • Kirkland Brand Organic Applesauce pouches
  • Organic String Cheese
  • Pirates Booty <-- so far the only place I can find the GMO free Pirates Booty is Whole Foods.
  • Organic Cliff Kids Z bars
  • Stony Field Organic Greek Yogurt Pouches <-- when they have these I stock up on them.  I love that my kids are getting healthy probiotics along with the protein that Greek yogurt has

 

AMAZON Quick Snacks

  • Snack Factory Pretzel Crisps- my kids love these plain, dipped in hummus or chicken salad
  • Simply Doritos, Cheetos, Cheese Puffs, Chips and BBQ Chips- these are a treat for my kids and they go crazy when they get to pick one!  They are a better health option then some of the other chips since they are all either organic or GMO free.  
  • Organic 365 Everyday Value - Cheddar Ducks - when Whole Foods got shut down where we live I was SO bummed!  I love their 365 Everyday Value so much as the cost is low and most is organic or GMO free.  When Amazon bought Whole Foods a lot of their items I would buy for my kids became available to purchse via Amazon.  Every couple months I place a huge order and stock pile everything away until we need it.  These Cheddar Ducks are my kids favorite as they are super crunchy!
  • Organic Lollipops- I also get suckers at Trader Joe's too.  I try to keep them in my purse and in the car at all times.  They are great to use as bribery and to get crying kids to settle down quickly.  Or when you are in the middle of something and need to finish, a lollipop sometimes does the trick!

Customer Quick Snacks: 

  • Crackers
  • Cheese
  • Fruit/Veggie Pouches
  • Animal Crackers <-- We sometimes buy the HUGE tub of Kirkland brand organic animal crackers and they are amazing!  My kids also love when I add chocolate chips and mini marshmallows for a treat!
  • Gold Fish 
  • Fruit Leathers <-- Costco has a great brand my kids like
  • Dry Cereal
  • Graham Crackers
  • Popcorn <-- they are a great 365 Everday Value Popcorn that my kids love, it comes in sea salt or white cheddar.  They love both!
  • Rice Cakes ( you can add a nut butter to add in some protein too!)
  • Veggie Straws

Please leave comments below we can add to the list of what snack ideas you like making for your littles!  

September 17, 2019 — Kjirsten Conrad

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