It can be extremely challenging to find healthy treats that your children will eat. Most kids are picky and would prefer to indulge in junk food over treats that are healthy and wholesome. By being creative, you can come up with healthy snacks that your children will eat and not even realize they are eating something good for them.
Smoothies
Smoothies offer children a delicious treat that is sippable and loaded with vitamins and nutrients. Begin by blending a base consisting of one banana, 1 cup of 100 percent orange juice and 1 cup of fat free vanilla yogurt. Next, experiment with different flavors by adding different sliced fresh or frozen fruits to the base. Some ideas include peaches, mangoes, strawberries, raspberries, blueberries and blackberries. Offering smoothies at snack time is the perfect way to give your kids a nutritious snack that adds two to three servings of fiber and fruit into their diets.
Greek Yogurt
This snack provides a sweet treat without worrying about high fructose corn syrup and high sugar content. Greek yogurt is full of good fats, protein and probiotics, making it a well-rounded treat. Many children may not eat plain yogurt because they find the taste to be sour. To help, mix 2 tbsp. of raw honey into the yogurt. Next, add some dried fruit such as raisins or cranberries and serve alongside crushed almonds, walnuts or pecans. To get your children more accustomed to the taste of yogurt, slowly decrease the amount of honey being added.
Sweet Potato Chips
Kids love crunchy snacks, but reaching for a bag of salty potato chips only serves a load of fat and empty calories. Instead, use your food dehydrator to make your own chips out of sweet potatoes. Not only do sweet potato chips have a taste that is both slightly salty and sweet, but it is also packed with beta-carotene. To make sweet potato chips, take three sweet potatoes and slice them into thin pieces. Toss the potatoes with 1 tsp. of olive oil and a dash of sea salt. Set them in the dehydrator on a mesh screen and dry them at 105 degrees Fahrenheit until crispy.
Roll-Ups
Roll-ups are a big hit with growing children and are easy to make. Take a whole-wheat tortilla and spread a small amount of mustard on one side. Take a slice of roasted beef, roasted turkey or ham, place it on the tortilla and roll it up. In place of the meat and mustard, you can also spread cream cheese or peanut butter on the tortilla as well.
References
- "Healthy Treats and Super Snacks for Kids"; Penny Warner; 1994
- "Top 40 Kid Pleasing Fruit Treats"; Beth Vistus; 2010
- "50 Ways to Take the Junk Out of Junk Food"; Julie Whittingham; 2004
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