10 Quick and Easy Healthy Snack Ideas for kids…

10 Quick and Easy Healthy Snack Ideas for kids…

If you have little time and you need some quick and easy healthy snack ideas for your kiddos, look no further….. I’ve compiled a list of snacks any parent would be proud to call their own. If you’re like me instead of finding new and creative ideas for snacks, I resort back to what I know my kid likes to eat.

With my son, it’s homemade popcorn, he can’t get enough of it and it’s easy and quick to make, which makes it my favorite too.  And more importantly, I don’t have to struggle to get him to eat it.

However, one of the things I’ve learned as a parent is that if I took the time to plan his snacks better, I might actually get him to try and eat something new. Which brings me back to the most important thing you can do to get your kids to eat healthier and that is, plan ahead! However, if you don’t have a lot of time to plan, in the following paragraphs, I’ll give you some ideas on healthy snacks that are quick, easy and more important, healthy.

10. Cheese:

Cheese is easy and it’s a great source of protein that children love and it keeps their energy level high until it’s time for dinner. My son loves cheese with crackers, I give him crackers without salt to keep it as healthy as possible. Also, to make it fun, interesting, and exciting I use a cutter to cut it up into various shapes of characters, figures, animals, planes, cars, etc. so he can engage with his food during snack time.

9. Homemade Popcorn:

As I mentioned, it’s my son’s favorite. If you’re not preparing your own popcorn at home, then you’re truly missing out on one of the easiest, most affordable and healthiest snacks for kids out there. In my opinion, homemade popcorn is a lot tastier than using store brands that you put in the microwave. Besides, most store brand popcorns are full of salt, saturated fat, artificial flavors, preservatives and colors which are extremely unhealthy.

8. Fruit smoothies:

Fruit smoothies are a great a way to add not only fruit into your child’s diet but in subtle ways certain types of vegetables. By incorporating the natural sweetness of certain fruit such as mangos, oranges, blueberries, strawberries, pineapples, grapes as the main ingredient you can mix in vegetables like carrots, broccoli, spinach etc. to get that perfect mix for a great taste. The fruit can diminish the sometimes bitter taste of certain vegetables to make it more palatable for your kids. Also, the visual appeal of the fruit also makes the drink pop with colors kids love.

 7.   Baby Carrots 
Baby carrots are immature carrots, grown in small sizes and first appeared in US supermarkets in the late 80’s. And they’ve been a hit with kids ever since. I love them because their convenient and healthy and my son loves them because they’re sweet and fun to eat. You can serve them plain or with a dip. You can store them in water to keep them crisp and juicy

6. Cheesy Chex Mix

This tasty snack is not only healthy and delicious but extremely easy to prepare:

Take 3 cups of Chex cereal, 2 cups of mini pretzels and 1 cup cheese crackers with 3/4 cup of grated parmesan cheese, 1/2 stick melted butter and a pinch of garlic powder. Spread on a baking sheet and bake for 10 to 15 minutes at 325 degrees F. Stir and then serve.

5. Fruit Quesadillas

To make fruit quesadillas, melt some butter in a skillet, then lay a flour tortilla in the pan and top with grated cheddar and thinly sliced (with a fruit of your choice (mangos, apples, pears, etc.) on one side. Fold the tortilla in half and cook until golden on both sides. Cut into slices and serve.

4. Homemade Granola Bars

Homemade granola bars are a great healthy treat for your kiddos and it’s quick and easy to prepare:

Melt 2 tablespoons of butter in a pan with 1/3 cup honey and 1/3 cup of brown sugar, and a pinch of salt. Mix in 2 cups rolled oats, 1 cup of various chopped nuts (i.e. almonds, cashews, chestnuts, Hazelnuts, Peanuts, Pecans, etc.)

3. Chips and Dip

Chips and dip are a favorite for kids as well as adults alike. Mostly served at parties but can be a go to quick healthy snack for your kids.

Mix 1/2 cup of salsa, 2 to 3 avocados, 2 tablespoons each of lime juice and sliced cilantro, and salt to taste and serve with tortilla chips.

2. Fruit Salad

A fruit salad is one of my all-time favorites when all else fails and you want to mix it up. Fruit salad is a great snack that you can make in a few minutes — and one that you can enjoy without worrying about unhealthy ingredients. Fruit salad is the perfect snack for any time of the day. If you want to know how to make fruit salad in various ways, just follow these quick easy steps.

Pick up fresh fruit from the farmer’s market or your local grocery store and make sure that they are ripe, fresh, nice and ready to be made into a salad. It’s more important that the fruit is overripe than unripe so that the flavors blend well together. For a great fruit salad, you’ll need various fruit i.e. bananas, mangos, green apples, strawberries, cherries, blueberries, red apples, peaches, kiwis to name a few for great taste with variety.

1. Trail Mix

Last but not least, If you’re in a real time crunch just give your child a bag of trail mix. “Trail mix” is the term for a mix of bite-sized ingredients that travels well. Trail mix typically includes nuts, seeds, and dried fruit tossed together. It’s a perfect travel snack because no refrigeration is necessary. I like trail mix because it’s lightweight, filling, portable, fast, tasty and easy to make — and more importantly, it’s healthy. You can just grab-and-go and it offers satisfaction to hunger and a usable energy for your child’s growing body.

These are just a few of my favorite go-to healthy snacks when you don’t have a lot of time. If you have some great ideas that I didn’t mention in this article, please feel free to add in the comments.