It’s important to provide good nutrition through education and support healthy eating habits when serving healthy snacks to our children. In our busy lives sometimes it’s challenging to pack a tasty, convenient, healthy and cost effective snack for our children. Here are a few ideas for snacks and beverages.
Fruit--
Unsweetened applesauce, fruit cup or can fruit
Fresh fruit- kiwi, apple, orange, banana grapes**
** Fresh fruit salad, use a variety of colors to add appeal**
Try fresh fruit kabobs.
Dried fruit with little or no added sugar such as raisins, apricots, apples, papaya, cranberries and pineapples.
No added sugar fruit leathers; they come in a variety of flavors.
Vegetables-
Any vegetable can be cut up and served plain or with no fat or low fat dressing, guacamole, bean dip, hummus or salsa are just a few choices.
Veggie pockets – cut whole grain pitas in half and let children add veggies with dressing or dip
Celery with reduced or low fat cream cheese and raisins.
Any healthy whole grain bread, cracker or cereal, including whole grain rice cake, low fat popcorn, low sodium tortilla chips.
Whole grain granola bars or trail mix can be made at home or in the classroom.
Pretzels, breadsticks, flatbreads, and low fat cheeses can be another choice.
Small snack size sandwiches with low fat, low sodium lunch meats.
Beverage Ideas-
Seltzer, low or fat free milk, soy or rice drinks, 100% fruit juices, and of course water
