Snacks should be simple, quick, easy to prepare and nutritious. While snacks used to be frowned upon as "spoiling your appetite" for your main meals, they are now an accepted part of a healthy meal plan. Mid-morning and mid-afternoon snacks can keep your blood sugar level, which helps you avoid those energy crashes and keeps you from running for the donuts.
Fruit and Nuts
Try a combination of tastes and textures in fruits and nuts. This gives you a hefty dose of fiber, while providing an abundant source of protein. Core a medium size apple and fill it with peanut butter, topped with raisins. A medium apple has approximately 84 calories, 21 g of carbohydrate and 4 g of fiber. One tablespoon of peanut butter has 95 calories, 3 g of carbohydrates, 8 g of fat and 4 g of protein. Or try a handful of pecan halves sprinkled over melon balls. The kids might like shredded coconut mixed with pistachio nuts sprinkled over orange slices.
Dairy
Yogurt is always a great snack, anytime of the day or night. Give kids a container of vanilla yogurt and a choice of toppings such as raisins, nuts, bananas, dried fruit, granola, cereal bits, halved cherries or grapes. One cup of plain yogurt provides about 144 calories, 12 g of protein, 4 g of fat, and 16 g of carbohydrates. Try a cup of frozen yogurt topped with granola and berries. Cut a peach or pear in half. Core out some fruit and fill with cottage cheese and sprinkle with cinnamon. All of these make fun, delicious and healthy snacks.
Vegetables Plus
Vegetables make a great healthy, fun snack as you can cut them into different sizes and shapes to look like a variety of characters. Take a large carrot, cut it into 2-inch long pieces and stand them on end. Top them with a dollop of ranch dressing and half an olive. You can also fill a 2-inch piece of celery with peanut butter or hummus and sprinkle with coconut, raisins or dried fruit bits. One medium size carrot has 31 calories, 7 g of carbohydrates, 2 g of fiber and 1 g of protein. One celery stalk has 6 calories and 1 g of carbohydrates and 16 mg of calcium.
Smoothies
Smoothies always make a great pick-me-up, particularly when you can add just what you crave. Start with 1 cup of plain yogurt and 1 cup of fat-free milk. Pour into a blender. Try adding chopped fruit and a pinch of spice such as cinnamon, nutmeg or ginger. For a colorful smoothie, use half your milk and yogurt and mix with blueberries. Pour into a glass. Use the remaining yogurt and milk and mix with strawberries, and then pour over the blueberry smoothie. Top with a dollop of whipped cream, sprinkled with cinnamon; this gives you a red, white and blue smoothie.
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