Before You Give Into Temptation, Learn How to Snack Outside the Box!

Most kids love to snack.  In fact, most grown-ups love to snack. And snacking can be healthy when we stop and evaluate the quality of what we eat. 

I have said it before and I will say it again, a snack is very different from a treat. A snack nourishes and energizes you.  A treat is usually a sugar high that depletes you and eventually makes you crash. Sometimes you may think it is easier and it can definitely be very tempting to pick that bag of chips or that candy bar, but selecting a healthy option is really more satisfying in the end.

Choosing what you are going to eat should not be a chore.  Below are some selections that should keep you satisfied until dinner but are still delicious and simple:

• Air-popped popcorn with nutritional yeast to make it cheesy
• Ants on a log: Just take some celery and spread almond butter/ ricotta cheese,/cream cheese onto it.  Then add some raisins/ dried cranberries, or goji berries.
• Keep a big bowl of fruit on the counter for kids to grab, pair it with nut or cheese
• Raw veggies dipped in hummus or a yogurt dip
• Almonds and a cheese stick
• Banana / Dates with nut butter
• Crackers with cream cheese/goat cheese and cut up fruit
• Hard boiled egg and carrots     
• Mini pizzas—whole grain/sprouted English muffin with tomato sauce and mozzarella cheese
• Organic string cheese with grapes
• Plain Greek yogurt with berries and a sprinkle of flax seeds
• Pinwheels.  Take a whole grain tortilla and lay your child's favorite sandwich items on it-- cheese,/turkey / nut butter butter/jelly..ect . Roll up the tortilla and slice it into one-inch pieces.
• Trail mix: Mix raisins, goji berries, granola, and popcorn and toss it all together. Think about what your children like to eat and mix it all up. Then pre-portion the trail mix into smaller bags.