According to Iowa State University, children's small stomachs mean they need frequent snacks for optimal health. In fact, they state that nearly one-third of a child's calories comes from the snacks they eat. If your child is often on the go, you'll need to have an arsenal of portable and tasty snacks to keep them fueled. Add this to my Recipe Box.
Sandwich Cutouts
Make a sandwich that stays put together pretty well, like peanut butter and thin banana slices or turkey breast and low-fat cream cheese on whole grain bread. Make these sandwiches both bite-sized and portable by using cookie cutters to cut out small, fun shapes. They can be popped in the mouth like chips or sandwich crackers, but offer more nutrition.
Cinnamon Fries
Take slices of whole wheat or whole grain cinnamon raisin bread and toast it until slightly crisp. Cut the bread into strips that resemble french fries. Pack these in snack-sized sandwich bags. For a variation, make a cinnamon raisin bread sandwich with cream cheese and cut it into strips.
Squishy Cat Eyeballs
Push whole almonds into the center of red seedless grapes so that they vaguely resemble cat's eyes. For a summer variation on these treats, place the stuffed grapes on a flat baking sheet and freeze until firm.
Ants on a Log
This snack involves spreading peanut butter, low-fat cream cheese or yogurt on celery sticks and then pressing raisins into the filling. It creates the illusion of ants crawling on a log. The trick to making this snack portable for kids on the go is to use a thick filling that will stay inside the celery.
Make-Your-Own Trail Mix
Have your child create her own snack mix. Provide different cereals, pretzels, dried fruits, nuts, chunks of broken up granola bars and other healthy snacks. Allow her to add what she likes to her own snack bag, then seal and shake it to mix.
Pre-Prepared and Store-Bought Snacks
There are many convenience food items designed for kids on the go. These kinds of items include cheese sticks or cubes, yogurt in tubes, granola bar and muffin bites, and prepackaged fruit in bite-sized portions. The trick to choosing healthy snacks from processed foods is to look for items low in saturated fat and sodium that are also low in sugar and contain whole grains when applicable.
Tags: cream cheese, cinnamon raisin, cinnamon raisin bread, healthy snacks, into strips, low-fat cream, low-fat cream cheese