Kids & Company Blog

Healthy Snacks for Back to School

Each September brings change to our routines. This is the time to break free of our old habits and start fresh with the new (school) year! A simple way to add a little more nutrients into your family’s life is through healthy snacks.

Something we can always be sure our kiddies will eat is their snacks! They eat them at recess, lunch and after school so it’s important we make them healthy. Grocery aisles are loaded with sugar-filled and low nutrition snacks that are easy to pick up, but if you put a little thought into it you can be sure your kids are eating fun and healthy snacks throughout the day! 

When my children were young, I always had a large platter of sliced fruit and veggies for them to devour when they came home from school. I found that they were so hungry at the end of the school day before we started driving in every direction taking them to their after-school activities. Don’t have time to spend in the kitchen as soon as you get home? Try this: when you are preparing dinner the night before, slice up some extra veggies for the next day’s snack and then add some fruit. This is nutritious fuel for their bodies while at the same time instilling lifelong healthy snacking habits.

While we all want to eat healthier snacks, in reality, it can become more difficult when hunger strikes and all that is close by is processed, junk-food. One major way to avoid this is preparation. If you have a variety of delicious, healthy snacks around you and your family — that will become your go-to. 

A great idea for snacking is homemade veggie and fruit chips. There are tons of varieties to try and they contain more nutrients and less fat than traditional potato chips because they aren’t deep-fried. You can also try flavouring your chips with other spices such as pepper or cinnamon. Some great baked chip options include apple, zucchini, kale and sweet potato chips. Try making a big batch of baked chips at the beginning of the week to add to lunches and have around the house! 

Another amazing snack idea is homemade fruit rolls. Unlike the store-bought fruit rolls these are inspired by, homemade varieties have no artificial sugar and preservatives. This snack can be made by blending any combination of your favourite fruits and baking the mixture at a low temperature on a baking sheet. Portion them in little rolls on parchment paper for a super fun presentation and easy eating! 

Finally, the ultimate go-to kid’s snack is a granola bar. These are one of the snacks that we often think of as healthy but realistically, many store-bought varieties are packed with sugar, preservatives and artificial flavours. Granola bars are super fun and easy to make at home and you can customize them to your family’s likes and dislikes. Choose some of your favourite seeds and dried fruits and some sort of sweeteners such as dates or maple syrup to mix with an oat base. If you are looking for an easy recipe, try our Granola! I promise, your kids will gobble it up.

If you don’t have time to bake your own snacks for your children, there are some no-fuss options that are healthy too! Yogurt and cheese are both great snacks that are filled with protein and calcium. Another great option is raisins. They contain iron, a nutrient that many children are deficient in and are perfect for on-the-go!

With healthy snacks around the house, you can be confident your little ones will be getting tons of great nutrients throughout their busy days. Check out our Kidco Kitchen website for more sensational snack ideas!

Don’t forget to follow us on Twitter @kidcochildcare and on Instagram @cheflisaruscica!

Cheers,

Chef Lisa Ruscica

Chief Food Ambassador

Posted on: Wednesday September 4th, 2019

Posted by: Lisa Ruscica