Delicious healthy snacks make everyBODY happy!
Snack foods are one of the most favored food categories of kids, usually second only to dessert! But too often snacks consist of processed foods that not only lack real nutrition, but also contain harmful ingredients that can sabotage health and wellness.
Providing a variety of nutritious snacks for your children is so important! Their growing bodies require solid nutrition to help set the stage for optimal growth, development and good health and wellness both now and in the years to come!
In a quest to make snack time not only easy and delicious, but also nutritious, I’ve listed ten healthy snack categories and have included some my kids’ favorite recipes for each category. (I have to admit that most of these are my favorites too – after all, who doesn’t like a yummy snack!)
Many of these gluten-free, grain-free snacks also make great lunch/lunchbox options! Most are pretty easy to whip up on the fly, but better yet, use your meal plan to plan out what snacks you’d like to have on hand for the week ahead and schedule time to make them in advance.
Super Green Guacamole
1) Fresh Veggies
Getting more veggies into the average kid can be quite a challenge, but organic vegetables and fruit (especially raw) are the building blocks of good nutrition, which is why they top the chart for nutritious healthy snacks!
Aside from classic favorites like “Carrots with Ranch Dressing” and “Ants on a Log” (celery sticks with nut butter spread in center and topped with dried fruit), here are a few yummy GF snack options for getting more raw veggies into your kiddos:
• Raw Veggie Confetti Spread
• Secret Ingredient Guacamole
• Lacto Fermented Veggies are full of healthy enzymes and probiotics. Before you think, “there’s no way my kids will eat fermented veggies,” just think about something as simple as fermenting/culturing your own pickles, salsa and carrots. I highly recommend the book “The Idiot’s Guide to Fermenting Foods.” Author Wardeh Harmon not only covers the many benefits of lacto-fermentation, but also provides a ton of great recipes.
2) Fresh Fruit
Organic raw fruit (and veggies) are loaded with important vitamins, minerals and antioxidants. You can easily grab a piece of fruit and go, but I find that adding some nut butter or a cultured dairy or non-dairy item with fresh fruit really helps to better satisfy my hungry boys’ appetites.
• Fruit & Yogurt Parfaits
• Yogurt Banana Splits
• Fruit & Raw Cheese Kabobs
Super Smoothies
3) Super Smoothies & Wholesome Fruit Pops
Sweet and delicious, smoothies and homemade wholesome fruit popsicles provide an excellent opportunity to increase the daily amount and variety of raw fruits and veggies that your child consumes.
• Super Smoothies(GF)
• Wholesome All-Fruit Ice Pops(GF)
• Healthy Ice Pops & Frozen Treats
4) Dried Fruit and Nuts
Having an assortment of unsweetened dried fruits and “crispy nuts” on hand (raw nuts that are soaked/sprouted and then dehydrated) is especially helpful for creating quick, healthy snacks when you’re on the go.
• Crispy Nut Snack Mixes: Simply combine your favorite crispy nuts (like almonds, walnuts, pecans, etc.) with your favorite crispy seeds (like sunflower, pumpkin, etc.). Then add your favorite dried fruits, carob chips, and other healthy add-ins and voilà, you’ve got yourself a delicious healthy snack. (Perfect for snacking on the go!)
5) Whole Milk Yogurt & Dairy-Free Coconut Milk Yogurt
Organic whole milk yogurt and dairy-free coconut milk yogurt are delicious, nutritious treats that are full of healthy probiotics. Most kids like yogurt especially when it’s combined with fruit for natural sweetness.
• Fruit & Yogurt Parfaits
• Yogurt Banana Splits
• Super Smoothies
• Healthy Ice Pops & Frozen Treats
Fruit & Raw Cheese Kabobs
6) Organic Raw Cheese
If you are able to enjoy dairy, raw milk cheese is a living food full of beneficial nutrients. Unfortunately, there are many companies out there that label their cheese as raw, when it’s really not. So it’s important to check to be sure the raw cheese you’re purchasing really is raw.
• Fruit & Raw Cheese Kabobs
• Raw Cheese & Grain-Free Crackers: Simply slice up your favorite raw cheese and serve it with some healthy crackers. (See homemade cracker recipes below.)
Spelt Thins Crackers w/Veggie Confetti Spread
7) Homemade GF Crackers
No snack list would be complete without some healthy cracker options! They are the perfect little edible utensils for healthy dips and spreads! Making your own grain-free crackers is much more nutritious (since you can avoid all those unwanted ingredients like soybean oil).
Enjoy them with your favorite real food toppings/dips, such as raw cheese, nut butter & honey, guacamole, raw veggie confetti dip, hummus or whatever else you can think of – the ideas are endless!
• Grain-Free Multi-Seed Crackers
• Grain-Free Rosemary-Raisin Crackers
• Simply Herb Grain-Free Crackers
8) Sweet & Savory Roll-Ups
A great lunch/lunchbox option or snack, Sweet & Savory Roll-Ups are a tasty, fun and attractive alternative to the traditional sandwich. In fact, my kids have eaten foods they normally turn down, when I roll it up in a tortilla! Apparently, the cute little roll-up makes everything look and taste yummier!
GF Fruit Muffins
9) Nutritious Grain-Free Muffins
Naturally-sweetened grain-free muffins make a delicious, nutritious snack when served as part of a healthy, well-varied diet.
• Favorite Fruit Muffins
• Cinnamon Streusel Muffins
• Lemon Poppy Mini-Muffins
10) Other Wholesome Baked Goods
Homemade healthy baked goods make delicious wholesome snacks too!
• How to Make Homemade “KIND” Bars
• Grain-free Cinnamon Walnut Buttons
• In a hurry? How about simply toasting a piece of grain-free bread and top it with your favorite nut butter, a drizzle of raw honey and some sliced fresh organic fruit.
I hope this “Top 10 List” has inspired you with a variety of ideas for healthy Real Food snacking! I would love to hear from you as well. So please feel free to share your favorite healthy snack ideas and recipes too!
Joyfully Serving Him, Kelly
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