Do your kids constantly come home hungry and exhausted after a long day of school? This is your opportunity to introduce new and healthy snacks that sneak in a variety of nutrients to your child’s diet! Read below to find 5 healthy snacks that are easy to make and your child will love.
Whole Grain No Bake Granola Bars
Whole grains are an important part of any diet. Whole grains provide essential sources of vitamins and minerals as well as an excellent source of fiber. During the school day, it can be challenging to make sure your child is eating enough whole grains. Try this no bake whole grain granola bar recipe here. This is a fantastic recipe that combines old fashioned oats, sunflower seeds, nut butter of choice, dried fruit, and shredded coconut just to name a few! This recipe makes about 24 individual granola bars. The advantages of making your own granola bar means that you can control the amount of added sugars going into this recipe! The author also noted that her homemade granola bars lasted in the refrigerator for about 2 weeks and still tasted amazing.
Frozen Greek Yogurt Bark with Berries
It is a known fact – kids love ice cream. Instead of indulging your kids on this treat, give them something else to munch on after school. Frozen Greek yogurt bark provides a great alternative to ice cream because not only is it sweet and frozen, but it is healthier for your kids! Frozen Greek yogurt bark is a wonderful way to add in some extra protein and fruit to your child’s after school routine. This snack takes only 10 minutes to prepare, but please keep in mind the freezing time of about 4 hours that is needed! This would be a great snack to prepare overnight in anticipation of the next day. All you need to do is line a cookie sheet with some parchment paper and spread 2 cups of Greek yogurt onto it. Through the spread, sprinkle in some berries of choice, chopped nuts, even some mini dark chocolate chips! Try this recipe and ingredients.
Green Julius
Do you remember the classic Orange Julius from Dairy Queen that we all used to indulge in on a hot summer day? Well, here is a new take on this sweet treat! The Green Julius packs in extra protein, vitamins, and minerals in a delicious, frothy smoothie. This smoothie serves 4 people with an average calorie estimation of 131 calories per glass. This smoothie utilizes fresh oranges, bananas, Greek yogurt, and spinach. This might not be the sneakiest of ways to trick your child into eating more greens due to the obvious green color, but they won’t even taste the spinach as the sweetness from the oranges and bananas should mask the taste perfectly! Consider trying this after school snack and find the recipe here.
Baked Veggie Chips
Here is yet another way to sneak some more vegetables into your child’s diet. Another classic after school snack is chips. Instead of a bag of Doritos or Lay’s, consider trying these homemade baked veggie chips from this website. Truly, the possibilities are endless with this after school snack. You can use sweet potatoes, beets, even kale to make chips for your children. The best part is that these are whole ingredients being used and you can flavor them with any type of seasoning you desire from paprika to rosemary and thyme to sea sat and olive oil. These homemade vegetables chips will please even the pickiest of eaters!
Apple & Pear Nachos
This fun recipe is sure to be a hit with your kids especially when presented like nachos - the fruits are irresistible! This recipe is great when you are in a time crunch to give your kids a quick and healthy snack after just rushing in the door. All you need is an apple and a pear chopped up and drizzled with your nut butter of choice! Great toppings for this dish include dried fruits, chopped nuts, shredded coconut, mini dark chocolate chips, or more fruit! Consider trying this recipe and doing your own twist on the fruit nacho platter.
All of these recipes listed above are great ways to introduce new and exciting flavors to your kids! After school is an excellent time to get your kids involved in the kitchen to help in preparing their own snacks. Some of the recipes above require a little bit of prep work either during the day or the night before. If you are in a rush, I would consider the Apple & Pear Nachos or the Green Julius smoothie. If you have an air fryer, the veggie chips could be done in no time!
Happy cooking!
About Author:
Brittany Norem is a dietetic intern at the University of Illinois at Chicago currently pursuing her bachelor’s degree in Nutrition and Dietetics. Brittany is passionate about women’s health and teaching kids at an early age about healthy foods. Food is the center of almost everything we do and is a major part of our everyday lives. Brittany believes by paying more attention and making simple switches to our current diets it will result in a major impact on our health outcomes.