The 4 o’clock crazies are real. You know that time — when they come home from school, cranky, attitude and whiny. Your son or daughter, normally a sweet, well-behaved, funny kid, turned into this little monster. And all you have to do to change them back is to feed them some healthy snacks.
So what can you give them that are cheap, easy, fast and healthy snacks?
Here’s a list of my go-to 14 snacks that will keep the 4 o’clock crazies from ruining your dinner time:
1. Pull out the fruit.
So fruit is my number one go-to. Try apple slices with peanut butter. Or banana and honey rolled up in a tortilla, then sliced. Serve it raw, serve it in a salad, or just throw the bag at them from a distance (like feeding lions, so you don’t get bit!).
If you’ve got the time to prepare, get creative with the presentation. You can turn your fruit pieces into funny faces on a plate. Or offer a dip (cream cheese, caramel, flavored yogurt, melted chocolate?) on a fancy tray. Try offering unique fruits too — starfruit, papaya, dragonfruit and dates are fantastic options. They’re sweet but full of vitamins and fiber.
2. Grab your veggies.
Go traditional with your veggies and dip. It’s easy, and you know they’re getting the nutrients they need with it. But if your kids aren’t huge raw veggie eaters, you may not like this option.
So try it with a twist. Drizzle honey on cucumber slices for a sweet treat. Offer celery sticks with peanut butter and raisins. Or maybe use melted cheese for broccoli and cauliflower florets.
You could get creative with presentation too. Try making racecars out of your vegetables, using toothpicks to hold it together. Or instead of a veggie tray, use hollowed out peppers to make a veggie train! Who says that creative presentation is only for parties?
3. Cheese tray, anyone?
Even the dairy intolerant kids can get in on this one, with a variety of non-cow cheeses. These days, you can get samples of just about any kind for super low cost, and cheese keeps forever, it seems. So introduce your kids to swiss, havarti, brie and gouda.
Even if you don’t want to experiment, you can still get creative. Cheese strings and sticks aren’t the only way to serve cheese. Try cookie cutting out shapes in deli cheese, for a fun cheese-and-crackers snack. Or maybe a nice cheese fondue with bread would be a different after-school snack?
4. See about sea food.
A few choice bits of sushi makes a great dinner, so why can’t it be a cool snack? You don’t have to go upscale on price either. Rice paper and seaweed wraps are fairly inexpensive, and minute rice doesn’t take long to make. All you need are a few small pieces of the right kinds of seafood (check with your local grocery store) and you can make your own at home. Just make sure to wrap tightly!
And if that’s too exotic for your kids, some tuna fish or salmon salad and crackers might just hit the spot instead. Top with cheese, green onion, or salsa for a savory snack.
5. Bake your own.
Forget about the store-bought snacks, with their preservative agents and unpronounceable ingredients’ lists. Did you know you can bake your own granola bars? And you can add your own ingredients and flavors.
Most granola bars start with rolled oats and a sweetener, like honey or syrup, along with a little oil to help hold it all together. The secret to a good granola bar is to really press the mix into the pan! The harder you press, the less likely it will fall apart on you when it’s all done.
You can add in just about anything you like — coconut flakes, nuts, chocolate chips, marshmallows, seeds, wheat germ, dried fruits, and whatever else you want to try. Find your base recipe online (I like this recipe), and then experiment. Just make sure you leave enough room between making them and when your kid will want to eat them. And store in an airtight container! Remember, there’s no preservatives in these.
6. Sweet — and healthy?
So we don’t normally think of cookies as a healthy snack. But you don’t always know until you try it! One of my kids’ favorite cookie recipes are ones we call “breakfast cookies”. They’re so chock full of goodness, you could eat them for breakfast! (And, we have!)
Breakfast cookies are like an old-fashioned oatmeal cookie to start, but instead of using cane sugar, we use honey or maple syrup (both of which have immune-boosting effects). And instead of margarine or butter, we use applesauce, mashed banana, or healthy oils. You can add flavorings too, from chocolate chips to dried fruit, nuts and seeds. And add in a little cinnamon to really stuff in the tasty goodness.
For a variety of recipes, check out this list.
7. Drink up!
Another great, healthy and delicious snack is the smoothie. Start with your base of yogurt and frozen fruit, and add in: protein powder? wheat germ? flaxseed? fiber? Get creative with your flavors and see what cool combinations you can make. We used carrots, blueberries, and applesauce to create a greenish “monster mix” that turned my little monsters into laughing children again.
8. Sneaky Muffins
Muffins and flavored breads are a way to sneak in the nutrition, while still appealing to your kids’ tastebuds. A fresh loaf of banana bread doesn’t last long around here. And I’ve been known to add in some extra pureed veggies to my oatmeal-chocolate-chip muffins, just to give an extra kick of good stuff. Plus it makes the muffins stay nice and moist and yummy.
While you can start with a mix, it’s almost just as easy to put it together yourself. You can make your own mixes ahead of time, too, so that all you have to do is add in your liquids and flavorings, and you can have muffins in 30 minutes.
9. Grumpy-busting crunches
There aren’t many kids who can resist a good crunchy snack. And many crunchy snacks are full of fiber, making them perfect for a healthy snack. Pretzels, corn chips and dry cereal are excellent snack options.
Try getting fun shapes, or offering a dip. Pretzels and yogurt are amazing together, with the salt and sweet playing on your tongue. And salsa, guacamole, or melted cheese are perfect accompaniments to corn chips, plain or flavored.
And cereal makes a really nice snack, with easy prep and clean up. Just stay away from the sugary cereal options. Try plain o’s, puffs, or shredded wheat squares for a nice, fiber-rich, after-school snack. Pour in a bowl and eat with your fingers!
10. Pop up some fun!
Another fiber-rich treat is popcorn. While microwave popcorn isn’t going to be the healthiest version out there, it’s not hard to pop some popcorn in a little hot oil over the stove. Or if its a frequent enough snack, invest in an air popper.
You can eat it plain, or sprinkle on some flavorings. Try drizzling some chocolate or caramel over it, or sprinkle some Parmesan cheese. A little garlic salt or the tiniest sprinkle of chili powder can add some zing too. What kinds of flavor combinations can you come up with?
11. The nuts and bolts of snack time
While not everyone can enjoy nuts these days, with food allergies abounding, nuts make a great snack option, if you can. You can buy nuts in bulk too, and they can keep for a long time, if you store them properly.
Roasted peanuts, flavored or not, are a common option. Or you can try sliced almonds. Cashews, pecans and pistachios are popular choices too. Or you can make it really fun and get yourself a nutcracker and some walnuts. The kids will love opening their nuts and eating the pieces.
12. The seeds of a good snack
Another option for snacktime are seeds. After all, hungry kids can often sound like hungry baby birds — and can be just as demanding!
Popular options here are sunflower seeds and pumpkin seeds. You can roast them, flavor them or eat them plain.
13. “Bean” a good snack
Lentils and beans make a wonderful snack option. You can get roasted, flavored chickpeas that work just like picking potato chips. Or try a bean tip with a dark, rich bread (like rye or pumpernickel). Hummus and pita bread also make a cool bean snack, and it doesn’t take long to whip up either. Leave the pockets intact, and let your kids fill them up!
14. Wrap up snack time
You can turn just about anything into a snack with a wrap. Wrap up cucumbers and cream cheese in tortillas and slice. Wrap up sliced peppers drizzled with a little olive oil. Or wrap up some cheese and leftover chicken, then warm a little in the microwave for a fast, homemade burrito.
You can also use wraps in place of bread. Try your peanut-butter-and-jam sandwich, on a wrap. Or line with sliced ham, turkey, or deli roast beef, with a little lettuce and mayo, for a wrapped up version of a classic sandwich.
Snack time doesn’t have to be crazy-making.
There are healthy snacks your kids will love available. And you don’t have to spend a lot of time and money to make these. The secret is in the novelty and the creativity. Make it look cool, make it look familiar yet somehow different, and entertaining. Then they’ll get in the habit of reaching for the healthy snack, rather than the sugary ones.
Happy snacking!
What’s your go-to after-school snack? Share in the comments!
For more healthy eating tips, read Healthy food your kids will like, quickly!
Sarah is a single mom of 6, from Waterloo, Ontario. Her girls range in age from 14 years to 14 months. She’s a homeschooling, work-at-home mom who loves to talk history, organization, and education. She blogs at Raising Royalty, and is the owner and founder of XeraSupport.
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