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Fun Kid Snack Ideas

It's no secret that kids love to snack.  In fact left to their own devices a lot of kids would rather snack all day than sit down to full meals.  (That would be my two year old!)  With so many snack times how do you keep snacks exciting and fun?  Here are a few healthy and fun ideas:

Fruit on a Stick – Cut up a bunch of different fruits such as apples, bananas, kiwi, mango and add a few grapes.  Thread them onto a skewer for a delicious treat.  To make it a little extra special, you could add a few small marshmallows between the fruit.  If your child is young, try toothpicks, make sure the fruit is cut into small pieces and be sure to supervise while they are eating so they do not poke themselves or choke. 

Quick Banana Ice - Take a few bananas and mash them in a bowl. Cover and place in the freezer for about 30 minutes. Remove from freezer, fluff up with fork for a healthy, ice cream like treat.

Pita Pizza – Spread a little tomato sauce on a pita bread and cut into small triangular pieces.  Top with a little grated cheese and place in a moderately heated oven for about 5 to 10 minutes or until the cheese melts and starts to bubble.

Sweet Tortilla Shapes – Using small fun shaped cookie cutters cut fun shapes out of a tortilla (wrap). Place on non stick cookie sheet and lightly brush with a little butter.  Lightly sprinkle (you only need a little) with a mixture of 1 part cinnamon and 3 parts brown sugar and bake in a moderately hot oven for 10 minutes for a sweet and crispy treat.

Frozen Mandarin Wedges – Peel a few mandarin slices and cover in plastic wrap.  Place in the freezer for about an hour for a thirst quenching treat. 

Banana Wheels – Place a cup or so of cheerios in a plastic bag and using the back of your hand or a rolling pin flatten until mixture resembles fine crumbs.  Slice a banana into rounds and place a few at a time in the plastic bag.  Shake lightly to cover the banana pieces (banana wheels) with the cheerios mixture.

Mini Wraps – Lightly spread a tortilla with a little cream cheese and place one or two slices of thin ham or turkey over the cream cheese.  Roll tightly and cut into small rounds.

Jiggly Fruit – Make a portion of strawberry flavored Jello per package instructions and place in the fridge for about 30 minutes.  Open and drain a can of fruit cocktail and add it to the Jello and mix.  Place back in the fridge until the mixture is fully set.

Ants on boats – Cut a few apple wedges and spread thinly with peanut butter.  Add a few raisins over the peanut butter and enjoy.  You can also use cream cheese instead of peanut butter.

Pick and Mix – Kids seem to really enjoy finger foods rather than eating too much of one thing.  A great snack is to place a selection of finger foods on a serving plate and let the kids choose.  You can serve a combination of foods like carrot sticks, cucumber rounds, cherry tomatoes, pretzels or pretzel sticks, small savory crackers, bread sticks, little cubes or slices of cheese, small slices of ham or turkey, grapes and other pieces of cut up fruit, mini muffins, and dried fruit such as raisins or apricots.  My grandma used to make this for me and it was one of my favorites! 

I’m sure your little ones will enjoy these snacks, and if they are like my little guy who doesn’t care for meals, at least they will get a bit of nutrition as well.