Healthy After School Snacks for the Kids

If your kids are anything like mine, they live and love to snack. I could make 3 to 4 grocery runs a week and will still feel like I’m running short because of all the snack demands. Which is why I put an end to it. Instead of spending hundreds each week on highly processed foods that never fully satisfy my kids (or benefit them nutritionally), I’ve pivoted to now focusing on simple, time friendly snacks- sometimes made from scratch.

Snack Plates – A GameChanger

I’ve found that the “snack plate” system works best for my kids. When they get home from school, they’re ravenous and want one thing after another. Then, come dinnertime they hardly touch their plate! The hunger doesn’t resurface until it’s time to get ready for bed – which is the last thing us parents need or want when we’re trying to wrangle the kids for bedtime. This is how I came to snack plates, which is basically a charcuterie board of various kid friendly snacks. It’s super simple, and helps your kids feel that they have a variety of options that aren’t limited to just one thing. Added perk – it’s easier to sneak healthy options in too! Here’s an example of a typical after school snack plate:

• Fruit – I usually opt for fresh, organic blueberries, strawberries, or raspberries
• Something salty- My kids LOVE crackers and chips. So, I’ll throw in our homemade sourdough starter cheese crackers, or one of our favorite, cleaner, grain free ingredient chip brands
• Healthy fat – string cheese, cut up & cubed raw cheddar cheese, spoonfuls of peanut butter, chocolate sun butter, or cubed avocado bites
• Something sweet – dark chocolate chips or squares are always a win
• Homemade Power Balls – My husband and I are always grabbing a couple whenever these are made. You can find the ingredients for this on below in the “From Scratch Snack Ideas.” Until then, think protein packed snack bites with a sweet and salty crunch!
• Drink – Either water, a glass of milk, juice, or a homemade smoothie

And that’s it! Putting all of the options in front of them to pick and choose from has been so helpful in giving them a balanced snack that will not only fill them up until dinner but also isn’t filled with empty nutritional value.

Snack Ideas

I like to rotate the snack food options so the kids don’t get tired of any foods. Here are a few ideas that you can use to build onto your kids’ snack plates!

• Hard boiled eggs (my kids love these with the everything but bagel seasoning)
• Jerky
• Veggies with hummus, homemade ranch dip or tuna salad
• Greek yogurt with berries, granola, or dark chocolate chips
• Homemade guacamole or salsa with grain free tortilla chips
• Tuna fish on bread or slices of cucumber
• Protein smoothies
• Ants on a log (celery with nut butter and chocolate chips or raisins)
• Sliced banana with nut butter dipped in melted chocolate
• Apples with nut butter
• Deli wrap roll ups – pick your go to deli meat, wrap it up in a tortilla, add cheese, avocado or whatever the kids eat, and enjoy!
• Avocado toast
• Popcorn – I’ve found that most pre popped popcorn is cooked with inflammatory seed oils. Opt for the kernels you can pop yourself! Butter or olive oil are great options to make this with.

From Scratch Snack Ideas

• Homemade banana bread
• Homemade greek yogurt “bark”
• Homemade ice cream or popsicles for the sunnier days
• Omelette egg bites – wonderful for adding extra protein and veggies into your kids diet
• Homemade pizza bagels
• Build your own charcuterie – grab your go to crackers, throw on some fresh deli meat and sliced cheese
• Homemade muffins
• Homemade sourdough with butter or jam
• Homemade Power Balls – made with organic oats, nut butter, dark chocolate chips, chia & hemp seeds, your choice of nuts (I usually use chopped walnuts), protein powder, maple syrup, and finely chopped medjool dates
• Homemade chocolate chip cookies – something for you and the kids to enjoy together (and without all of the highly processed ingredients!)
• Homemade granola with yogurt
• Homemade chicken nugget bites
• Homemade slurpees for the spring and summer days – grab some watermelon or berries, throw in a little extra ice, blend and slurp!

And there you have it! A handful of cleaner and healthier options for the kiddos. I hope this was helpful! If there are any of the homemade snack ideas stand out and you’d like a recipe for, leave a comment below!

Talk soon.

Kath