I need healthy afterschool snack for my kids

[Ceres443]

I know most of you mom's have this problem, Your kids come home hungrey and want something fast. I tried of the grabbing hot cherrios, that chocolate bars.

No! Most of you have kids that are in sport and activiy of some kinds but I want something that going to help they inside as well is outside. some good sweet and with nutrition. We have to fight for our kids in school. As us woman worry about lossing weight and etc. Let show our kids by example. If we eat the wrong thinks so will they. Smoothie are good and other what are your suggestions.


Speak to him

 

[Alix]

Hi Ceres, there is a whole thread that pertains to this issue somewhere, but darned if I can find it! My basic plan is to have stuff that is easy to grab. I used to keep a bowl of cut up fruit handy, now my kids are big enough to just grab an apple or an orange themselves. (They still like to be pampered once in a while though) They like those bags of peapods too, they grab a handful and go. Individual cartons of yogurt are a hit, popcorn, cut up a bag of cheese and leave it in the fridge and they will do crackers and cheese when they come home. I try to get them to have a hit of protein with some fruit or veggie.

 

[Aera]

There are good cold cereals that are sweet but also are made with whole grains. Like the Kashi brand line has many different options like bars, hot and cold cereals that are very healthy.

 

[pdswife]

How about apples or celery with a little peanut butter?

 

[ChefRuby]

How about chiffon cake or yogurt cheese cake? They are of high protein and relatively low fat. And they can be chilled in the fridge, so when kids come back, they can grab by themselves. Fruits such as blueberry could be added to yogurt cheese cake to enhance its nutrition.

 

[GotGarlic]

Here's a thread on that topic: http://www.discusscooking.com/forums/f24/iso-snacks-35274.html Hope it gives you some ideas.

 

[xmascarol1]

snacks

In the 70's when my kids were growing up and coming home from school before I got done teaching, we never had junk food in the house, but plenty of nutrition stuff they loved. I would have yogurt available at all times, plain,which I made by the 1/2 gallon almost every other day. There were packs of frozen fruit like pineapple, blueberries and strawberries in the freezer as well as freezer jam. Peanut butter and honey mixed together seemed to be a favorite snack (yuck is my feeling about that). I taught them all to make japaties (Indian pita type bread) and they would make them and put cheese and tomato sauce on that. I taught the older two how to make smoothies with yogurt, frozen fruit and orange j. concentrate. They really went through the yogurt that way. Another fun thing they liked to make was mini pizza's on either pita bread or tortillas in the toaster oven or cast iron skillet. Homemade granola was devoured too. Nut mixes with sunnies and other nuts and homemade soynuts were popular. The only time they got junk food was when they went to gramm's house every few months, or at a friend's. Canned pears and peaches usually went quickly for snacks. One boy loved making hummus and also invented a great dip for veggies with tofu he put in the blender with various spices. He never told us his recipe but it was good! I think helping them learn how to make creative snacks themselves makes it fun for them, they learn their way around the kitchen and maybe they might continue on with the kitchen fun and fix dinner for you. Mine did.

 

[ChefRuby]

I would have yogurt available at all times, plain,which I made by the 1/2 gallon almost every other day.

So do I, always have homemade plain yogurt in the fridge.

 

[SierraCook]

I think we all have this problem when we get home from work. Especially, in the summertime when I get home from work I am hungry. It is good to have a snack as long as it does not spoil my appetite for dinner.

1. Mixed nuts are also a great after school treat. Although I would keep individual portions divided up into reclosable plastic bags. This will keep the kids from just eating them by the handful.
2. Tortilla chips and homemade salsa would also make a good snack for them. In fact, they could help you make the salsa to get them involved in the kitchen.
3. Cheese quesadillas are fast and they could make them by themselves or with supervision depending their ages.

 

[Maverick2272]

I stick mostly to fresh fruits and yogurt. Most of the time I will buy the plain yogurt and let them cut up the fruit and mix it with the yogurt. The last few years I have been following a simple set of rules we came up with to help us all eat healthier:
No junk food allowed in the house. Instead we allow a small bag of chips or a can of pop when we are out doing errands, maybe a candy bar or some gum as well.
No heavily processed foods or quick microwave snacks. We learned alot of the times the less effort there is in making something the more you tend to make it. We include popcorn in this and make our own instead of using the microwaveable stuff.
Stock lots of quick healthy snacks (fruits, vegetables, yogurt, peanut butter for peanut butter sandwiches, etc). If they are going to 'grab and go' it might as at least be something healthy.

Seems to be helping us so far

 

[CherryRed]

How about apples or celery with a little peanut butter?

When I was little, my mother used to cut celery into 3- or 4-inch pieces. She'd spread peanut butter on the insides and put a row of raisins on each one. Called them "ants on a log." I loved it!

 

[expatgirl]

fresh cut up fruit and cheesestix and wheat crackers are a fav with my 5 year old granddaughter--does not like yogurt, however

 

[dragonflystars]

Healthy Afterschool Snacks

When my kids were growing up I used to make them a fruitplate for afterschool. I would take a dinner plate and would slice up apples, bananas, grapes, oranges (sometimes the canned ones with no sugar added), watermelon, kiwi and pineapple (canned with no sugar). I would give them each a plastic fork and let them go at it. It was so popular they would ask for it. I would also make peanut butter crackers and cheese crackers. We would pop popcorn in our airpopper. Peanut butter and jelly sandwiches were also very popular as were grilled cheese.

 

[xmascarol1]

presentation is everything sometimes

I was reminded of how presentation is half the battle to get kids to eat nutritous food, reading the fruit plate post. i too found that if I arranged the fruit, cut up , on a plate, or even veggies, it was devoured. the little ones delighted in food turned into faces. The ant on a log was always a hit, like you said. (thanks Girl Scouts). Oh the things we do for our kids and their nutrition.
A new thing I think would be good to have around is those waffle sticks, only make them ahead yourself, with those new waffle stick irons. Just make them nutritious with ww flour, sunflower seeds, etc. Then they can just eat them cold or nuke them and spread with pb.