Snack Solutions for Kids
I can see it like it was just yesterday, the backpacks being drug across the floor as my children walked into the kitchen looking like they were rolled in a dust pile from playing on the playground.
“MOOOM, I’M STARVING!”
Fortunately, I quickly learned that having healthy snacks on hand in the fridge or pantry made my life much more pleasant and it kept me from worrying about them eating so much junk food. (Small Mom win!)
Disclaimer: I’m not a nutritionist; just a mom and former kindergarten teacher that wanted to have some healthy choices for her kids to have on hand. My daughter, Riley, has learned even more smart tips now that she’s babysitting school aged children. These ideas are a conglomerate of things I did and things we’ve learned from other Mama’s through the years.
Here are a few of our favorites.
Sweet
There is nothing better than cold (or frozen) grapes after a long, hot day in a Louisiana classroom. Fruit is a big winner at our house. I also love dehydrated fruits.
As long as the apples were cut, my kids would devour them. If I left them whole, they would rot! Why is that???
To keep apples from turning brown, add a little lemon juice to the container. Using a peanut, sunflower or almond butter “dip” is a great way to add some protein too.
Also, if you are making a lunch with fruit as a side, mixed fruit is not too popular with kids for some reason. They much prefer tiny compartments with a variety of separated food.
And if your children have a sweet tooth, Trader Joes has chocolate covered bananas and strawberries that you can keep in the freezer. Let’s be honest, this Mama LOVES these too. It’s just enough to curb my sweet tooth.
Sour
Tart fruits such as grapefruits, oranges, green apples or tart cherries are a great alternative to sour patch kids!
***Cut grapes in ½. Sprinkle with some lime juice. I haven’t personally tried this but Riley says you will love it if you like sour candy!
Greek yogurt is delicious!
Lemon and Lime sparkling water is a refreshing treat too!
Salty
Baked carrot chips or kale chips are a great go to snack if your kiddos need a salty fix.
Here is a great recipe to try.
Trail mix and Veggie Straws are another great choice. You can always add dark chocolate chips to mix the sweet and salty flavors.
Hummus with cut up veggies such as carrots, celery, or bell peppers is also a healthy snack! You can put small baggies of different veggies in your fridge snack bin and the individual packs of hummus in your pantry snack bin! These are great for snacks or lunches!
Sweet Potato Fries have been a family favorite of ours.
Wash and dice your sweet potatoes. Put in a bowl; mix with olive oil and Lipton Onion Soup Mix, salt and pepper. Spread on a cookie sheet. Bake at 400 until brown and crisp on the bottom, about 15 minutes, then flip and cook until the other side is crisp, about 10 minutes. Serve hot.
Riley uses her air fryer instead of the oven to make these. Whatever your choice, it’s a healthy snack!
High Protein
My son needed protein ASAP to improve his mood. I would cut up ham or turkey along with cheddar cheese and he would devour it! You can also roll the meat slices. My kids called these “meat roll-ups” and ate them right up.
Celery or apple slices with peanut butter is also a winner. Peanut butter also comes in individual serving sizes. Be sure to check the sugar amount in the peanut butter if this is important to you.
Thin slices of salami make a great “chip” to dip in warm Brie.
I also search the Internet for great snack, lunch, and dinner ideas. Here is a blog I love with one of my kids favorites!!
Snack Bins
I had a large, plastic basket in the bottom of my pantry for the non-perishable snacks. Had I had more pantry space, I would’ve had the individual hummus cups in a bin, the individual, peanut butter cups in a bin, etc…you get the point. I didn’t have the space back then for it to be beautiful, so I did the next best thing and made it practical!
Here are my tips when choosing a bin:
Clear if possible. That way you can see when you are running low and add the items to your grocery list.
Needs to be large enough to hold a weeks worth of snacks. I really didn’t want to go to the store more than that! Who has that kind of time?
These are just a few quick go-to ideas that I hope can help you!
As for storage bins for the refrigerator or pantry, check these out!
Here is another choice from The Dollar Tree. These are not as large but work great if space is limited.
Don’t over think this! Start with something you have around your house and change it if it isn’t working.
We Mama’s have enough on our plate!
The last point I’ll make is make sure your children know that this is where to go for snacks after school. Labeling is a simple way to alleviate having to show them over and over!
Here are a few of our favorites:
We have more pantry organizing ideas in this blog. Take a look!
Meal plans can be simple as well. Here’s a great example of how to maximize your meals and minimize your groceries. I’d love to tell you that this is my meal plan, but I’m just not that good at the cooking thing! A dear friend of mine created this genius meal plan and thankfully shared it with me.
Being organized with food will take a little more planning on the front end but you will gain so much time during the week not having to run to the grocery store more than once or staring at the fridge waiting for a dinner idea to come to you. Trust me, I do not like to cook so planning was awful but needed!
Keep it simple!
Good luck y’all! I’m cheering for you!
Want to have a little fun with us while gaining some organizing tips? Join Martha-Carol and her daughter, Riley for Cocktails with Chaos on Thursday nights at 8:30pm on Facebook!
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