We always have a plate set up from grazing, at our house. On it, is any combination of the following:

~Sliced apples, sliced pears, carrot sticks, raw broccoli and cauliflour, raisins, trail mix with sunflower seeds (high in Essential Fatty Acids, which kids really need), sliced avocados, orange wedges, wedges of veggies pizza (easy recipe down below), dry cereal and more... I also mix peanut butter with a bit of honey for dipping the apples and carrots.

The girls are always welcome to snack off of the plate whenever they feel hungry, except for right before dinner, I try to keep the snacking down.

For the veggie pizzas, I use wheat pitas as the crust. Mix a dash of onion powder into softened cream cheese and spread over pitas. Then add shredded carrots, diced green peppers, diced cucumbers, chopped broccoli, chopped avocados or any other veggies you have on hand.

The girls also like Banana Rollups. Spread some peanut butter on a wheat tortilla. Place a peeled banana to one side and roll it up in the tortilla.

I also have some faily healthy muffin recipes, which are good for snacking... I'll have to add them to this thread a bit later, as I need to hop offline for a bit.

Please share your ideas for healthy snacks for the kids!!!

Here are a couple of current crowd pleasers here (well, for Owen anyway ;) )

Yogurt with fresh fruits (especially strawberries and/or blueberries)
Frozen blueberries
Cottage cheese with sliced pears or pineapple chunks
Sliced apples (sometimes sprinkled with cinnamon for variety)
Homeade applesauce
Strawberry shakes (strawberries, yogurt or icecream and milk)

I'm interested in more ideas!

Maya's favorite right now is cherry tomatoes- she will eat half a pint at a time!

I've recently started a "snack bin" in the fridge for each girl, because they've gotten pretty independant with getting themselves food, but I was afraid they'd grab something that was old, yk? so, here's what we put in it: (I seperate everything into portion sizes in baggies or tupperware b/c my 3 yold would eat a whole bag of carrots in on sitting. . . )

-Whatever veggies looked good at the market, cut into sticks
-ditto with fruits, but I leave them whole wherever possible
-I add one "junky" snack per day - usually a cookie made with wheat flour - this way they know they're getting it and don't nag
-leftover steamed veggies from dinner - faves are cold brocolli and peas
-a nut mix
a dried fruit mix
whole wheat raisin bread with cream cheese
cheese and crackers
"Just Veggies" for my 3 yo, 5 yo won't touch them
pretzles
granola bars
Black Olives
Chick Peas
Cold cereal mixes

What I like about this is that they now know that when I'm getting the water bottles ready to leave the house, they choose a snack to grab too. and my older one knows which need refrigeration, so she'll grab the cooler bag if necessary. . .

I'm looking forward to getting more ideas for variety!

my lil ones love rice cakes {the salt free ones} w/ pb & banana on them.. or some polaner all fruit as well ~ sugar free ;)

graham crackers w/ pumpkin butter is a pleaser as well :)

love the ideas... keep em comin' mamas!~

cinnamon graham crackers (without the hydrogenated oils)

peanut butter and jelly mixed together (again the healthy PB and polaner all fruit for the jelly) - not the healthiest but katie has taken to eating it straight

homemade whole milk yogurt with maple syrup and a dash of vanilla

homemade stove-popped popcorn with nutritional yeast

peas & green beans w/nutritional yeast on top

cream cheese mixed with jarred sundried tomatoes and spread on bread or crackers or pita or tortilla, or along a celery stick

i am wanting to try a muffin recipe from More With Less cookbook

banana bread

fresh veggies (carrots, celery, cherry tomatoes) with a sesame tahini/garlic dressing similar to annie's goddess dressing, as a dip

fresh whole apples, bananas

fresh strawberries, blackberries, blueberries, raspberries

smoothie made with homemade yogurt and frozen berry/fruit mix (we get a nice one w/grapes, berries & peaches & pineapple cheaply at Costco) and a little maple syrup and Ceres tropical fruit juice -- YUM!

(nak) that's all i can think of at the moment

Wow, some of my best ideas have already been mentioned.

Here's one I haven't seen yet:

Ants on a Log: Take a rib of celery, smear peanut butter in the middle, top with raisins.

CHeese sticks
Homemade muffins
CHeese tortillas
home made chicken fingers


I'll think of some more later

Nikki

In the summer, we like to freeze juice or puree fruit to make popsicles.

We roll out bread so that it is flat (or can just use flat bread), spread pb&j on it and then roll it up...then slice into bite size pieces.

Popcorn.

Banana or apple chips.

Toast w/ Marmite

And our favorite....hot dogs w/ mac and cheese with a big cup of Kool Aid. :joker:

Most of our snacks ideas are already mentioned...but I make homemade baked fries...yummy snack!! I just take 1 or 2 potatoes and cut them into thin slices. I then soak it in a mixture of water to cover with a little salt and a little sugar/sweetner. This helps get some of the moisture out so they crisp better. After soaking for 15 minutes to several hours(the longer, the crispier) then dry on a towel and toss in a large bowl with 1 tsp oil for each potato and some paprika and a dash of salt. then place on baking pan and bake at 450 until crisp...turn over when bottom is browned. These are really good and the kids love them!

Also banana bread/muffins, corn bread, bean burritos, and baked tortilla chips with homemade salse are great snacks here...but I have older kids.

Thanks to JennyC we have a new staple. It's the Carrot Cashew fondue found here http://www.vegetariantimes.com/recipes/printrecipe.asp?recipe=8567 .

Even dh likes it. I made it easier on myself and bought the freshly ground cashew butter at whole foods instead of processing the cashews myself. I didn't dip the tofu or tempeh in it, maybe next time. I cut up bright veggies into bite sized pieces. The favorite here is jicama to dip. This dip is fabulous warm, and just as yummy cold. It would make a nifty celery spread, or a sandwich spread too. I doubled the recipe, it was gone in 2 days, no kidding.

We also do frest fruit, pb&j, popsicles, sliced cheese, dry cereal.

I wish there was an organic, no sugar added, version of juice boxes. I'd pay big bucks for them, lol.

Our big problemo here is that Finn and Winnie are at different stages in eating. Frequently Finn will end up with Winnie's snack so I'm trying to get Winnie to sit and eat rather than wander. I'm also tired of finding half eaten sandwiches in the couch cushions, lol.

The potato fries sound yummy. I bet you could use sweet potato too. And, what the heck is Marmite?

frozen peas, my kids eat them like candy
fozen grapes are great in the summer time also
and baked tortilla with a bit of cinnamon sprinked on and cut into chips

Most of the the things we have for snacks have already been mentioned! Two things I don't think I saw listed that my children enjoy are soy nuts and already shelled sunflower seeds. I do have an excellent book recomondation though. I just got the book Sugar-Free Toddlers which is filled with tons of great kid friendly recipes. All the recipes do not use sugar (although many use fruit juice as a sweetner). Many of the recipes also use whole wheat, wheat germ, and other healthy ingredients.

Laurie

Originally posted by mommy2maya
Maya's favorite right now is cherry tomatoes- she will eat half a pint at a time!

wow...my ds is also obsessed with these! he loves the grape tomatoes cut in halves with mozzerella cheese and balsamic vinager:)

he also loves:
raisins
fresh fruits and veggies(he is big on berries, pears and apricots)
mini whole wheat bagels with scallion cream cheese
dry organic cereals(loves chex type one and puffin cereal)
amarenth graham crackers(they also come in oat... at your local healthfood store)
mini blueberry waffles
homemade biscutts and apricot jam(we use cookie cutters to make different shapes)
organic animal cookies(on occasion;) )

he is also addicted to a juice we get at our local healthfood store called "VFruit". he loves the orange veggie flavor(and so do i! :) )

thanks for all the ideas!

Ooooo - great ideas!

I always keep rice cakes around. Pretzals are good for the salty cravings. Fruit is always available, kiwis are the big kick lately (I hate peelin' those things!), sunflower seeds and soy nuts for the crunchy cravings, DS likes cucumbers a lot, oh - and he is always asking for another bowl of cereal all day - so a small bit of cereal and the lite soy milk.

I wish there was an organic, no sugar added, version of juice boxes

I put juice or water into small glass bottles and keep them handy. Keeps us away from off-gassing rubbermaid stuff and its handy in little kid-sized portions. The best bottles I have found currently are the green Pellegrino (spelling?) serving size mineral water ones. They are a great size, easy for little hands to hold, the cap is sturdy so can be re-used over and over... and green is my DS's favorite color... so they are appealing to him!

they do make organic, unsweetened juice boxes...i can't think of the brand right now...hmm. i will try to figure it out:)

ds also drinks juice boxes..can't quite get the hang of a sippy cup...but loves straws! he likes those apple and eve ones with sesame street guys on them. they are 100 percent juice and no sugar.

I'm a long-time lurker, but I wanted to share a recipe for muffins that Erik really loves...

Sweet Potato and Apple Muffins

1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. cinnamon
3 tbsp. canola oil
3/4 cup light brown sugar
1 egg
1 egg white
1 (15-oz) can sweet potatoes (yams), drained and mashed or 1 cup fresh sweet potatoes, cooked and mashed
1/2 cup skim milk
1 3/4 cups chopped, peeled baking apples

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. In a bowl, mix together the flour, baking powder and cinnamon; set aside. In another bowl, mix together oil, brown sugar, egg, egg white, mashed yams and milk. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and add yam mixture, stirring until moistened. Do not over mix. Fold in the apples. Spoon batter into paper-lined or coated muffin tins, filling about three-fourths full. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until done. Makes approximately 1 1/2 dozen muffins.


I used ww flour, and decreased the sugar a bit. They were a hit! I made them as mini-muffins...perfect for little hands.

Here's a recipe for homemade graham crackers that are also a favorite here (though I actually think I eat more than Erik does!): http://www.post-gazette.com/food/20010809grahamsd.asp

I love some of the other ideas. Erik is a constant big eater, and I'm always challenged to come up with variety for him. I'll be making veggie pizzas this week!

Thank you for the recipe, and for posting, Heather! :)

My children like:
(Sorry if I repeat any ideas!)

>Frozen grapes

>Frozen bananas or other fruit blended into a smoothie
(You can add honey, soft tofu, yogurt, spirulina powder..)

>We bought a hot air popper at a yard sale for a couple of dollars, never used!
We eat popcorn with dulse sprinkles and nutritional yeast all the time

>Carob fudge
(powdered carob mixed with nut butter, unsweetened coconut, nuts, raisins, honey, dates and what have you)

>baked tortilla chips and fresh salsa

>hard boiled eggs
(dh works with folks that give him fresh eggs all the time)
I know some people do not eat eggs.. but we do

>hummus

>my children do not like raw veggies much, but they do like lightly steamed broccoli and carrots with a tofu or white miso dip

>cherry tomatoes and sliced cucumbers

>soft tofu blended in the blender with honey and carob powder
(super easy pudding! :)

We do not have any fancy pants organic boxed juice around here ;) so we use frozen juice and make herbal juice.
I usually use alfalfa, red clover, and oatstraw and make a tea.
(put a handful of herbs in a quart mason jar, cover with boiling water (or make sun tea) and cover and let steep... strain tea.. mix with frozen juice concentrate and water)
My children like to drink this or we make popsicles

We also like to freeze carob milk in the popsicle molds for 'fudgesicles'

Pasta, mini muffins, homemade crackers, cookies, brownies, etc....

We do not have a health food store nearby, so we make most of our snack foods.


Hope

We make alot of what has been said...

Dd LOVES avocados- can't keep them out but I slice it in half and give her a spoon and she just spoons it out! We live in San Diego so the avos are plentiful and SO delicious.

I love air popped popcorn! YUM! So does dd. I usually sprinkle with Vege Sal, but I will try it with Nutriyeast next time. Haven't bought it in years- forgot about it! We got ours at a yard sale too! Gotta love yard sales!!!

Our co-op has little cheddar guppies (like goldfish crackers, except good ingredients) they are TERRIBLY expensive- $3 for a small bag. I wish I could make them. Aren't crackers easy to make? I'll have to do a search, unless someone knows how.

Toast, we love toast, lol. Easy and we get this wonderful org. sprouted bread here in SD. It is really good for you and lightly toasted it is really yummy. I love it with almond butter. I also love to drown it in butter and fresh organic honey (you know that time of the month ;))

On this bread I have put pasta/marinara sauce and some cheese and made dd little pizzas :) In the toaster oven- really easy!

OH....I can't wait for summer fruit! Melons, grapes...yummy! I love melons!

Thanks for the thread of ideas.

julie

Wow! Great ideas, mamas, keep 'em coming!

Matthew loves many of the things listed above, and I'll try to mention only the ones that haven't been posted already.

He loves nearly any kind of nut or seed - especially almonds, macadamia nuts, peanuts, pumpkin seeds, pine nuts. We eat them raw.

Whole wheat Ritz - yes, they sell these, but they are REALLY hard to find

Smoothies

Shaped pastas - just plain

pretzels

cereals - our current faves are Nature's Path Hemp Plus Granola, Puffins, Nature's Path Optimum (has blueberries and flax and soy in it)

Pancakes cut up in strips (ds calls them "snakes")

Booty - any flavor

Fruit leather - we limit this as Matthew has tooth decay issues

That's all I can think of for now.

Chenning

Wow! Great ideas, mamas, keep 'em coming!

Matthew loves many of the things listed above, and I'll try to mention only the ones that haven't been posted already.

He loves nearly any kind of nut or seed - especially almonds, macadamia nuts, peanuts, pumpkin seeds, pine nuts. We eat them raw.

Whole wheat Ritz - yes, they sell these, but they are REALLY hard to find

Smoothies

Shaped pastas - just plain

pretzels

cereals - our current faves are Nature's Path Hemp Plus Granola, Puffins, Nature's Path Optimum (has blueberries and flax and soy in it)

Pancakes cut up in strips (ds calls them "snakes")

Booty - any flavor

Fruit leather - we limit this as Matthew has tooth decay issues

That's all I can think of for now.

Chenning

Our co-op has little cheddar guppies (like goldfish crackers, except good ingredients) they are TERRIBLY expensive- $3 for a small bag. I wish I could make them. Aren't crackers easy to make? I'll have to do a search, unless someone knows how.
Too funny, Julie! That's Gabriel's favorite.

Most of my ideas have already been mentioned too. Gabriel is currently obsessed with grapes. He also loves the whole wheat organic mac 'n cheese from the coop.
Whole wheat organic graham crackers
dried fruits
veggies and dip (especially colorful veggies!)
Tofu in pasta sauce...this is really good with veggies in the sauce!

Smoothies, smoothies, smoothies. We have a vita mix so we make 1-2 smoothies a day and we add everything we can think of (flax seeds for the EFAs, soy protein powder, wheat germ, dates, raw carrots, almonds, fruit seeds, etc.) These are a great way to get kids to eat everything they "need" to. :)

Just another idea inspired by Katie...she made this "recipe" and had it for lunch. :D Take a whole carrot, wash and peel it, and spread cream cheese on top. Top with peas in the cream cheese and enjoy! LOL! :)

Originally posted by mamabear
[with a sesame tahini/garlic dressing similar to annie's goddess dressing, as a dip

[/B]

Do you have a recipe for this? I have a huge jar of tahini in my fridge leftover from an unsuccessful attempt at making hummus, and I'd love to use it up!

If you have a failproof recipe for hummus, I'll take that too! Thanks!

Melanie

Oh, one thing that is really good is an avo/banana dip. I just do 1 whole avocado and half of a banana...kids love it!
Got the idea from Martha Baby mag last spring.

Erin :)

this is a great thread! i love all the ideas!

ever since woo was a baby, i've always grown lots of lettuce, parsley, chives and other edible herbs in my garden. the kidslove to graze through it while they are playing outside. i can't grow some of my favorite flowers like foxglove b/c they are poisonous, but it's worth it to see their happy little facesmunching & getting all those vitamins while they are playing outdoors. things the big guys won't touch at the dinner table--like arugula, spinach, etc are big treats in the garden. also, handfuls of blueberries when they ripen. and our peach trees (3 dh and i planted as our anniversary present to each other 4 years ago) are loadedwith fruit!

More! Keep 'em coming please! I'd also love to hear a hummus recipe if someone has one.

HEY Meeshi!!!! THANKS so much for the fried cheese recipe! LOL I mean the tofu recipe! I told my son it was fried cheese, he ate 3 bitesof it then decieded he didnt like it, but my daugter LOVED it! Me and hubby liked it too, and we will DEFINITELY be making it more!!! I added bread crumbs, wheat germ, parsley and garlic powder. YUMMY!ccd

I missed Meeshi's fried tofu recipe! Can someone forward it to me?? TIA! Magoo

Ok.. those of you that give your children popcorn.. at what age did you start giving them popcorn? I'm always so afraid James will choke on it? Am I being silly?

I started popcorn at 4 years of age w/dd. I am pretty paranoid, though, since my dd had a bronchoscopy for inhaled carrot pieces at 14 months of age! :( Choking is a serious hazard so I would definitely go by your comfort level.

I give DS popcorn now (at 14 months), but I crush it really well with my hand first so he can't choke on it :). Then it's just tiny little pieces.

BTW, I thought of another snack today that we always eat: veggies and dip. I jsut cut up a ton of veggies and make some dip and we keep it in the snack drawer of the fridge. We use a really good dip mix (which I sell, he he he) from the Pampered Chef . It's pricey but so worth it. We live with in-laws who don't eat raw veggies very much and they'll down veggies with this dip. Here's the link:
Farmer's Market Seasoning Set (http://www.pamperedchef.com/our_products/catalog/product.jsp?productId=6467&categoryCode=PANTRY)