Guest post from Koren of She Makes Magic
Feeding children can be tough, huh? Especially between meals when they’re grizzly and starving and demand something to eat right now.
Because you’re busy, right? You don’t have hours to spend slaving away in the kitchen creating kid-friendly snacks that are gobbled down in seconds.
Sometimes it just seems easier to buy pre-packaged snacks, especially for fussy eaters. But actually, if you pick the right recipes, making your own treats can save you both time and money. Plus, you can sneak healthy ingredients into homemade snacks for a secret nutrition boost your little ones won’t even suspect.
Vegan snacks are a great way to up your child’s daily fruit and vegetable intake and can also help youngsters who have troubles digesting dairy products. They’re almost always cheaper to prepare, too.
Here are my 10 favorite fun yet frugal vegan snacks for kids:
1. Breakfast banana pops
This ridiculously simple recipe makes a healthy breakfast fun. Best of all, the popsicles can be frozen and then pulled out on those crazy busy mornings when your family needs to eat on the run.
2. Homemade Muesli Bars
Muesli bars make great lunchbox fillers but often store-bought versions are high in sugar and preservatives. Try this simple recipe for a cheap and healthy homemade slice that can even be frozen in small portions for an instant snack.
3. Healthy rice crispy treats
These gluten-free brown rice crispy treats are a cinch to make and can be thrown together in just five minutes. They’re also incredibly nutritious, full of protein, vitamin E, and fiber thanks to healthy lashings of almond butter, cinnamon, and coconut oil.
4. PeaWee kiwi pops
Up your child’s vegetable intake without them even noticing with these genius bright-green homemade popsicles. Kids love the summer-fresh and nourishing flavors of kiwifruit and orange with little pops of frozen grapes in between. The perfect snack for a warm summer afternoon.
5. Fruity summer skewers
Sometimes getting kids to eat more fruit can be as easy as serving it up in a more interesting way. These super simple fruit skewers are bright and colourful and travel really well, making them an ideal snack for summer picnics or beach days.
6. Ants on a log
Use any kind of nut butter or seed butter and some yummy dried fruit to make this fun and protein-rich snack, which can be thrown together in a matter of minutes.
7. Apple cupcakes
These super cute little cupcakes require zero baking and minimal fuss… yet still taste divine. They’re a great way to enrich your youngster’s daily fruit snack with a little nut butter protein.
8. Choc-peanut brownie balls
If you’re after sweet yet wholesome snacks, try these completely sugar-free brownie balls. They have more fiber, protein, and healthy fats than cookies and cakes but taste so good your little ones will never guess they’re so healthy. You can skip the peanut butter if nut allergies are a concern.
9. Date and coconut balls
Another easy recipe for delicious yet healthy balls, this option requires only pitted dates and a little desiccated coconut. The recipe makes a big batch that keeps for a week or so in an airtight container.
10. Chewy maple cookies
If you can’t live without cookies, these insanely delicious and chewy numbers bake in just nine minutes. The recipe also makes about 4-dozen cookies, so you’ll get a huge yield for minimal effort.
Do you have any favorite recipe ideas for quick and healthy snacks that children will happily gobble up?
Koren is an Australian who likes to eat well without spending the earth. She and her sister, Alana, create simple and cheap vegetarian recipes for everyday people at The Little Green House blog, plus offer inspiration for kind and sustainable living.
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my kids and I will love the banana pops for breakfasts, and the fact they’re healthy makes them even better, I’m really trying to get my children to stop snacking on chips and candies all the time, this post will certainly help, thanks
Love this post! Thanks!
These sound delicious! Thanks so much for the vegan options. We can handle a little dairy around here, but not too much. It’s hard when most kids’ snacks include dairy products. I’m excited to try these!
I’ve listed a few of my favorite snack ideas for kids on my blog – http://mommysgettingstrong.com/snack-ideas-for-kids/
I find that one of the best ways to get my kids to NOT be picky eaters is to cut down on their snacking, but when they do want/need a snack, I try to make it as healthy as possible so that if it ends up replacing a meal (because they are less likely to eat a meal after having had a snack) it isn’t a big deal.
Oooh I like that perspective. I like to be healthy just for the sake of healthy but adding on the layer to help cut down mom’s stress level? Genius!
Genius, Lauren. Love your list of snacks and may now be adding them into my adult snack routine – especially the coconut cranberry squares. Yummm. 🙂
Glad you enjoyed it! I think a lot of people really struggle with healthy snacks, because typical “snack” foods are generally pretty unhealthy – chips, soda, etc. I really make an effort to find healthy snack foods, and that way I don’t feel bad if I (or my kids) want one every now and then!
Those Kiwi pops look so fun! That and the skewers would definitely be a hit. Food’s more fun on a stick.
One of the easiest snacks we do is almonds. They have a decent shelf life so I keep a ziplock in both my purse and diaper bag. If we end up out a little longer than planned I hand a few to my preschooler and it tides us over ’till we’re home.
That’s such a great idea, Rocky. I love almonds, too, and they certainly are light and easy to carry around in your handbag. Good one!