Healthy Snacks Your Kids Won’t Complain About

Healthy Snacks Your Kids Won’t Complain About

It’s afternoon and the battle begins. Your kids want to snack, but their idea of munchies and your idea of munchies are two entirely separate things. They want a candy bar, cheese puffs, or potato chips; you want them to eat fruit, vegetables, or whole grain crackers. You are tired of the daily arguments, which is why you are reading this blog post. Yes, you need to remain concerned about your children’s nutrition, and yes, you can both have your way. Here are some healthy snacks your kids are bound to love.

Fruit Kabobs (Frozen or Fridge Temperature)

Take your kids favorite fruits and turn them into a gigantic fruit kabob they’ll love to work on while watching cartoons. Slice the fruit into thin slices and then cut out the centers into fun shapes with cookie cutters. You can also cut cheese to go along with the fruit – apple and cheddar cheese kabob anyone? Load up kabob skewers with the shaped snacks and then either pop in the freezer for a frozen kabob on a hot summer day or give them to your kids at fridge or room temperature. Your kids will love these healthy snacks.

Almond Butter Apples and Pears

Slice up some apples and pears and smear them with almond butter. Allow your kids to stack the almond-butter apples and pears to make a double- or triple-decker sandwich. Adventurous little ones might even attempt a quadruple-decker sandwich, just be careful of choking. Almond butter is a healthy way to add protein to your kids afternoon snack, and the fruit will give them some natural sugar that will satisfy the sweet craving without going overboard like a candy bar would.

Peanut Butter Milkshake

Author Nina Teicholz is a firm believer that saturated fat isn’t as bad as you might think. This doesn’t mean you should give your kids a double-cheeseburger and French fries for a snack, but it does mean you can allow fat into their diet within reason. One way to introduce a healthy fat into their snack routine is to make peanut butter milkshakes. These make great healthy snacks. Toss frozen bananas, milk, and peanut butter into your blender and mix. You can adjust the ingredients to match your kids’ tastes and desired textures.

Chips and Salsa

Nina Teicholz thinks cheese is a great choice for healthy snacks, as do many nutritional experts. The key here is moderation. You don’t want to load your kids up on cheese, but you can let them enjoy a few slices for an afternoon snack or top a fun chips-and-salsa munchie with shredded cheese. Take your kids favorite chunky salsa and add some healthy, protein-filled black beans to it. Sprinkle the top with cheese and bake it until the cheese is melted and bubbly. Serve with tortilla chips, which are a whole grain.

Chips and Guacamole

WebMD also recommends chips and guacamole if your kids love avocados. This snack is packed with a whole grain, a healthy fat, and protein. Make the snack together by slicing the avocados and placing them in a bowl. Then, give your kids potato mashers or strong, plastic forks and let them mash the avocados into the guacamole. You can also let them stir in a little salsa and sour cream for added flavor, or dress it down with just a few shakes of salt and pepper.

Other healthy snack options include dried fruit and nuts, a trail mix with the latter and some toasted oats and seeds, whole grain crackers, or whole grain pita bread and hummus. You will be surprised at how much your kids enjoy these snack suggestions, and if they absolutely insist on having chocolate, toss some dark chips in with the dried fruit and nuts or trail mix. There are darker options that aren’t as bitter as others are, so you’ll find one that suits your kids’ picky palates!