Healthy Snacks for School: 8 Snacktastic Treats
The back-to-school period is around the corner which means it’s time to prep food for the kids again! To help, we’ve collected some of our favorite healthy snacks for school that’ll energize your little ones and, perhaps, make them smile from ear to ear.
If you’ve run out of inspiration or you’re yet to get back into the groove, no need to rack your brain. The snacks below will liven up that boring brown bag lunch and fill it with some yummy, healthy and fun foods.
With the kids back to their regular routine and you back to yours, these ideas won’t just help ease the stress of planning, but they’ll make your kids’ return to school as smooth as can be. You’ll be fueling their active bodies and minds all day long, and you might be surprised with how much you and the rest of your family love the recipes too.
Healthy snacks for school
Eating healthily is crucial to children’s development. It helps them maintain a healthy weight, stabilize their energy, and even boost their mental and emotional wellbeing. But how do you cater to all that with some wholesome basic ingredients?
Whether they’re babies or toddlers, children develop a natural preference for the foods they’re exposed to often and enjoy the most. The best way to encourage healthful habits is to make nutritious choices appealing to them. Snacks are a great place to start, as they’re smaller amounts of food and can easily be turned into something playful.
If you feel like your children are past that stage, don’t despair! Reprogramming your kids’ food cravings is possible. Start off now, and slowly introduce them to yummy, healthy school snacks that will reboot their diet and allow them to develop a healthier relationship with food. You’re doing them a favor that will last them a lifetime.
Easy school snacks from the 8fit app
It’s easy to sneak in some nutrients into your kids’ backpack with the right recipes. As a general guideline, try to spike your easy school snacks with:
Colorful foods like strawberries and bananas
Creamy foods like yogurt or avocado
Crunchy foods like apples or almonds
Protein-rich foods like eggs and peanut butter
To make life easier, we’ve come up with eight healthy snack ideas for school. All you have to do is follow the steps, pack your creation into drip-proof containers and zip it into your bambino’s school bag. They won’t suspect a thing! If you want to be even more efficient, get into meal prepping a couple of times a week and see how it pays off and saves you a ton of time.
1. Egg and tangerine
One of the healthiest snacks for kids to take to school is one that barely requires any prep. All you need to do the night before school is boil some eggs — that’s it! Pack the hard-boiled egg with a tangerine and some peanuts, then get right back to that long list of daily to-dos. On a different day, you can swap out the tangerine with a similar fruit — that goes for the nuts too. With those simple swaps, you’ve provided your child with both variety and balanced macros with minimal effort.
2. Popcorn with peanut butter
It always feels great to be able to give your children what they want, knowing that it’s also good for them. Their faces will light up as soon as they see the popcorn in their snack bag! The other ingredients in this recipe are pretty enticing too: honey, peanut butter, and vanilla. (This recipe is also a great one for family movie night!)
3. Paleo salmon sushi
We’ll admit, sushi isn’t the most conventional food to give kids. That’s why ours is a toned-down version that’s just as fun and healthy. The cucumber skins are stuffed with a rich salmon and avocado filling. For easier prep, don’t worry about using the salmon filling and avocado stuffing separately to create a pattern. Just combine and spoon them into the cucumber.
4. Apple pie smoothie
We promise, this is everything that your little ones want, and everything their bodies need. Blitz oats, applesauce, peanut butter and vanilla (skip the protein powder) in a blender and pour into a suitable jar for one of those easy, healthy snacks for kids at school. Smoothies are great, but if you’re looking for an after-school snack to make them drool, try these healthy popsicles.
5. Strawberries with “cheesecake” filling
Who doesn’t like the sound of cheesecake? But, is it really a healthy snack fit for school? This ricotta, vanilla, and almond-based “cheesecake” is topped with healthy cinnamon and fresh strawberries (but you can also thaw frozen ones for convenience). It’s so simple, you just throw everything together in one bowl for spoonfuls of goodness. Use ready-chopped almonds as a prep shortcut.
6. Banana sushi
This time we have some sweet sushi for your little sweethearts. Cover bananas in almond butter, then top with cocoa powder, ground chia, and flaxseed (hello, healthy omegas!). Slice into medium-size chunks for perfect little bites. Kids will love this healthy snack because they’re tiny treats that they can share with their friends. You can experiment with the way you present this recipe – it can even be prepped as mini banana sandwiches.
7. Almond-crusted zucchini sticks
Getting kids to eat sweet stuff is slightly easier than forcing more veggies into their diet — that’s where this recipe comes to the rescue. Take some zucchini sticks, cover them in egg and ground almonds, then pan-fry until they’re nice and crispy. You can make a big batch of this at once and share them with the family — don’t forget to set aside a serving for yourself!
8. Cinnamon applesauce with nuts
This one is simple, but it’ll still get the kids excited. Simply spice some applesauce with cinnamon and add cashew nuts to it. If you’re in the mood, you can blend some nuts into the applesauce, otherwise, crumbling them over the top should do the job. The great thing about this recipe is that it’s suitable for all ages, just make sure to leave out the protein powder and nuts if they’re not appropriate.
If you want to get the full recipes for these healthy snacks for school, sign up for 8fit Pro and tap into over 700+ tantalizing and nutritious recipes!
