10 Easy Afternoon Snacks Your Kids Will Inhale

I’ll admit, for the first month my son was in kindergarten, I didn’t think much about after-school snacks. I let him grab whatever he wanted when he walked through the door. I was much more worried about what I was serving for dinner. But a few weeks into the school year, I noticed that depending on what type of snack he ate when he came home, he was sometimes completely sluggish or not hungry for dinner.

That wouldn’t do, and so I began preparing his snacks myself to include a mix of protein, healthy fats and carbohydrates each afternoon. By keeping them relatively low-calorie (200 or less), I still get my son to eat whatever I’m cooking in my Xtrema ceramic cookware for dinner that night too. Now that school’s out for the summer, he still asks for them all the time!

Here are my top 10 easy after-school snacks:

Popcorn and Pears

An air popper will pay for itself. Popcorn kernels are much cheaper to buy than microwave bags of popcorn. I add some olive oil, pepper and Parmesan cheese to the corn and serve with a side of sliced pears.

Ants on a Log

An oldie but still a goodie. Coat a celery stick with peanut butter and top with raisins (“ants”).

Baked Potato with Cheese

I rub a small potato with salt and pop it in the toaster oven at 375 degrees F an hour before my son gets off the bus. Add some cheddar cheese when it comes out, and you have a great snack for a cold day.

Chips and Guacamole

I realize not every kid will eat guacamole, but try a few times before you give up. Avocadoes have healthy fats, and if you choose a high-fiber tortilla chip, it’s a very filling snack. Making your own guacamole is really easy, especially right now with avocados in season! Mash up two avocados with a tablespoon of lime juice (bottled is fine), fold in half an onion and two cloves of garlic (minced), and add salt, pepper, and cumin to taste.

Yogurt Parfaits

Get a very nutritious yogurt, like Greek, and spoon half a container on the bottom of a tall glass. Add a layer of berries, one of low-fat yogurt, and repeat all the layers one more time.

Sweet Potato Chips and Almond Butter

You can easily make your own by thin-slicing the sweet potato, rubbing with oil, sprinkling with salt and baking for 30 minutes at 350 degrees F. Serve with a small side of almond butter for dipping.

Fruit Skewers and Soft Pretzels

Thread a bunch of fruit skewers at the beginning of the week with whatever fruit you have laying around. Serve along with a microwavable soft pretzel (not every snack can be un-processed!).

Smoothies

This is perhaps the easiest and best way to get your kid to eat their greens. Pour a cup of milk or non-dairy milk into a blender. Add a cup of frozen fruit, 3 ounces of yogurt and a handful of spinach or kale (the kids won’t even taste it) and blend together. Delish!

Ricotta, Apricots and Walnut “Sundae”

Add a scoop of ricotta to a bowl. Chop up dried apricots and walnuts and drop on top. Drizzle with warm honey.

Healthy Ham and Cheese

Layer a piece of low-fat cheese, low-sodium ham and your child’s condiment of choice atop a corn or multigrain tortilla, and then roll it up.