“Mom, I’m hungry! I want a snack!” Many of us have heard this all too often! If you struggle to keep your kiddos full and satisfied, you’re not alone.

A child’s typical snack tends to look more like dessert.  Unfortunately, these sugary “snacks” are going to provide a quick burst of energy followed by a crash and hunger.  It’s a vicious cycle.

Snacking and better food choices for our kids is something we discuss heavily in my Mommy Feeding Family 2.0 program.

You’ll notice in the snacks listed below, healthy fruits and vegetables are usually paired with a source of fat and/or protein! This is important for our kids. 

The American Heart Association recommends children under 2 should have NO added sugar.  Note the difference between added sugar and naturally occurring sugar.  Added sugar is added to foods such as soda, candy, cookies, cakes, juice, ice cream etc.  While naturally occurring sugars are found naturally in foods like fruit, vegetables, milk, and plain yogurt.

We can change the way our families think about snacks by incorporating healthier options and using less pre-packaged, overly processed junk foods that leave us hungry and begging for more.  Instead let’s satisfy hunger and meet nutritional needs by offering unprocessed, whole foods.

Here are some healthy and easy snack ideas for the whole family:

• Ants on a log:  Celery sticks + almond butter + dried cranberries or goji berries
• Apple nachos: Apple slices + peanut butter drizzle + shaved coconut + cinnamon
• Cottage cheese + peaches or pears
• String cheese (full fat) + blueberries
• Yogurt (plain, full fat) + strawberries + almonds + cinnamon
• Yogurt dip: yogurt + peanut butter mixed together + fruit of choice for dipping
• Yogurt based ranch dip + cherry tomatoes and baby carrots
• Hummus + carrot sticks and bell pepper slices
• Roasted chickpeas with seasoning of choice (garlic, chili, or curry powder)
• Pecans roasted with coconut oil + cinnamon + pinch of pink Himalayan sea salt
• Boiled egg slices + cherry tomatoes
• Guacamole + carrot and cucumbers sticks or whole grain crackers
• Apple + cheese slice
• Lettuce roll up: Turkey (nitrate-free) + cheese + lettuce
• Chia seed pudding
• Homemade trail mix: cashews + sunflower seeds + walnuts + cacao nibs + shredded coconut
• Tuna salad + cucumber slices
• Deviled Eggs or Avo Stuffed Eggs
• Edamame (find in the freezer section of the grocery store)
• Banana + peanut butter + cinnamon
• Pimento Cheese + raw broccoli and celery sticks for dipping
• Avocado slices + tomato slices + Himalayan salt
• Chicken salad + avocado wrapped in a whole grain tortilla (roll and cut into pinwheels)

It is best to start offering real food as a snack at a young age.  If you have older children, you will likely get some push-back after offering veggies with a yogurt dip as opposed to chocolate covered pretzels…which is understandable.  It’s completely normal if they don’t eat what is offered the first few times. No need to stress, because snacks are not a huge deal.  If they skip the snack, it’s okay.  It may actually work out well, because it’s best to get the bulk of our nutrition at meal times.

So next time you hear “Mom, I want a snack” reach for the real food and keep those kiddos satisfied!