I’ve had the pleasure of meeting with loads of awesome moms lately at local workshops with Mommy Connections, MumNet, and other “mommy groups”. At every single one of those workshops, I can bet my bottom dollar that I will be asked this ONE QUESTION:
What quick and healthy snacks can I give my kids [before bed, on the go, for school]?
I’ll rhyme off a list of my favourite quick and healthy snacks for kids, often forgetting most of them. So I thought it would be wise to get this list of snacks for kids down on ‘paper’ as a reminder for me and a reference for parents.
Before I dive, let me step back and give you a few pointers:
Food for Thought:
- Every snack should have some protein (or fat) to keep kids satiated longer, and those blood sugar levels stabilized. In other words, a banana or a biscuit on its own isn’t sufficient. You’ll feel satiated briefly and then the sugar cravings (and tantrums) will rush in.
- Include a veggie or fruit in all snacks for nutrient-density. Crackers, bread, and cookies have their place but don’t offer the same nutrition bang for every bite.
Quick and Healthy Snacks for Kids
This mix & match list will help you crete quick & dirty clean healthy snacks for your kids (most with no cooking required)!
Pick one of these 10 foods
These foods contain mostly carbohydrates.
- Fresh fruit (berries, banana, melon, plum, pear, etc)
- Fresh cut veggies (peppers, cucumbers, carrots, snap peas, etc)
- Dried fruit (apple chips, banana chips, prunes, unsulfured apricots, mango, etc)
- Roasted nori sheets
- Crackers (TIP: choose a brand like Mary’s Crackers for more nutrition)
- Cookies
- Rice cakes (TIP: white rice contains lower levels of arsenic)
- Oatmeal
- Bread
- Cereal
Then pick one of these 10 foods
These foods contain some protein and/or fat.
- Hummus (TIP: try Beet or Red Pepper Hummus for a colourful twist)
- Roasted Chickpeas (or other legumes like edamame)
- Roasted Green Peas
- Chia pudding (TIP: let sit overnight for a better texture…or blend)
- Avocado (TIP: serve as morning snack to maintain freshness)
- Coconut chips
- Cheese or Yogurt (TIP: stick with whole fat plain yogurt and add your own fruit, honey, etc)
- Nut or seeds/butter (TIP: pumpkin seeds/pumpkin seed butter is a good source of zinc!)
- Hard-boiled egg (TIP: try quail eggs which are perfect for tiny mouths)
- Meat, poultry or fish (TIP: meat isn’t just for dinner! My girls will happily eat meatballs or scallops for snack-time)
Quick and Healthy Snacks for Kids – 15 Examples:
- Cucumber + hummus
- Pear + roasted chickpeas
- Berries + chia pudding
- Peppers + cheese
- Crackers + cheese (ideally + fruit or veg too)
- Crackers + hummus (ideally + fruit or veg too)
- Toast + pumpkin seed butter (ideally + fruit or veg too)
- Clementine + hard-boiled egg
- Dried apple chips + avocado
- Rice cakes + smoked salmon (ideally + fruit or veg too)
- Grapes + coconut chips
- Mango + yogurt
- Roasted nori + edamame
- Apple + chicken chunks
- Rice cake + hummus
What are your go-tos when it comes to packing quick and healthy snacks for kids?