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School Snack Suggestions?

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Millions of nerve-wracked parents will be liberated in the coming weeks, after spending a long hot summer trying to entertain their vacationing offspring. Kids, we love ya, but glad to see you back on a schedule with sane bedtime hours, structure to the day, and less ruckus at home.

As it relates to Fooducate, back-to-school means either a school lunch or a packed lunch. In either case, chances are you’ll be sending some sort of snack in your child’s backpack. Sadly, most packaged and prepared snacks are highly processed are of poor nutritional value. You can also bet that the nutritional value is in inverse proportion to how “cool” the snack packaging will be.

So let’s help each other out please. We’re calling out to the Fooducate community to help us build out our Top Ten School Snack list. We’re looking for snacks that

1. kids will actually eat

2. taste good or great

3. add, not detract nutritional value

4. are easy to prepare

5. are cheap

Got something good? please comment here, on facebook or email us. We will publish the list of recipes in early September and promise to attribute each suggestion we use.

Bring it on friends, the kids are waiting…

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  • http://www.fitness121online.com Francesca

    Good Snacks would be cut up Fruit packs, homemade trail Mix (Cheerios, craisins, Nuts if they are not allergic like almonds, and some small choc. chips) measeure in a small zip lock bag and keep on hand in cabinet. Another is the Lara Bars all natural 5 ingredients really healthy. String cheese and an apple, Almond butter on crackers (if not allergic). There are so many ideas you need to plan and prepare for good health and well being.

  • http://www.thetableofpromise.blogspot.com The Table of Promise

    My kids aren’t in school yet because they are too young. But we love to serve raw veggies as a lunch side dish. Our favorites are carrot sticks (from adult carrots), cucumber slices and cherry tomatoes. I hear all the time about parents including ranch dressing. But I hate the prepackaged dressings for all the obvious reasons. So I make my own. I take about a cup of 2% greek yogurt add a couple tablespoons of mayo (you could omit this too) and mix in one teaspoon of granulated garlic, one teaspoon of granulated onion and one teaspoon of parley flakes. Just mix and let it sit overnight. Way ealthier than the mayonaise based dressings!

  • http://www.betterschoolfood.org Dr. Susan Rubin

    Better School Food developed a great healthy snack list. Its part of their Toolkit http://www.betterschoolfood.org/resources/tools.cfm

  • Den

    Apples w/any type of nut butter or cheese slices
    Celery with cream cheese or nut butter
    Carrot sticks and hummus

  • http://localnourishment.com Peggy

    It can be very expensive to buy dried fruit and nuts for snacks, but if you start with one package of store-bought trail mix, you can buy one package of fruit or one type of nut each week. Store the trail mix in a big canister, then each week dump the new package of fruit or nut in. Eventually you’ll have a great trail mix without a major financial outlay.

    If I have leftover pancakes after breakfast, I’ll put them in the dehydrator, they make great “crackers” for putting cheese on. Applesauce parfaits with layered applesauce and ground graham crackers is fun and the kids can stomp the crackers between dishtowels to sprinkle in. English muffin pizzas are a very substantial snack. We also like fresh fruits and veggies.

  • Anat

    my son was extremely happy with the food I sent him for a long day (8-3), and so where his class mates who tried to rob him! he got: sandwich with olive oil, sprinkled with dried hissop (zaatar in arabic, very popular in the middle east)+ slices of fresh cucumber. the second S was always sweet but no sugar, usually good quality tehini mixed with honey. no 3 was cream cheese or avocado and olives and lettuce. then some 3-5 whole fruits of the season. in winter I would prepare him cooked vegetables with rice or couscous, concentrated, so he could add hot water to it. And then, for every sandwich I attached a piece of fresh carrot to cleanse the teeth after the bread. Today I would have sent less, if any, bread, concentrate on fruit and veggies, nuts, avocado, and would make spreads from all the above and from legumes too. I didn’t know then.

  • sue ellen crosslea

    One thing I never see mentioned, although I haven’t yet had the time to read all of the above, is pickles. I used to take them with me on road trips because I liked the sprightly flavor, especially the bread and butter variety stuck in a peanut butter or otherwise bland sandwich. I also carried lots of dried fruit when I had jobs that reuired a lot of driving, which means eating on the road for me.
    As I think I may have mentioned here before, if one adds a can of black beans which have been well ground up in the blender to a brownie mix, the difference in taste is almost totally unnoticeable and is so much more nutritious.
    I carried cheese as my dessert as it helps reduce the damage to one’s teeth after eating a somewhat sugary snack. That is why the French finish their meals with cheese.

  • lanette

    We LOVE the “Playgroup Granola Bars” recipe on allrecipes.com …I make a double batch and my kids pick 3 mix-ins. (Most popular combo is craisins, coconut, and choc chips).

    Also, Sneaky Chef has a great recipe for PB&J muffins that we love using pureed carrots and oat/wheat flour.

  • http://definitelynotmartha.blogspot.com Leslie

    1) square of breakfast casserole (made with ww bread, chopped ham, a little bit of cheese, and low-fat milk/egg custard)

    2) cheddar cheese with multi-grain crackers

    3) ww tortilla rolled up with peanut butter [or nut-free substitute butter] with a banana inside

    4) plain yogourt, with a bit of vanilla and maple syrup added, selection of fresh berries/fruit

    5) ants on a lot = celery sticks with either natural nut butter and raisins, or light cream cheese and raisins

    6) salsa and baked pita chips

    7) homemade maki rolls with brown rice and whatever fillings your kid will eat
    8) cut-up veggies with homemade tzatziki dip

    9) hummus and ww pita/carrots/cucumber

    10) homemade “lunchables” with whole-grain cracker, swiss cheese, and thin slices of roasted meat

    I guess in my books, most snacks should really be in the fruit/vegetable/not-too-sweetened yogourt category. Some of the things I listed above would be more appropriate as meals.

    A few other meal ideas:

    1) Pasta salads made with whole grain pasta, fresh veggies, chopped cooked chicken/egg/tuna, homemade dressing

    2) Mini pizzas – whole wheat english muffin, not-too-sweet sauce, part-skim mozza, and lots of veggies

    3) curried couscous salad with fresh herbs, lots of veggies and chickpeas

    4) hearty soups in a thermos (lentil/carrot, black bean, beef stew)

    Just a few ideas! I guess it depends on what your kid will eat.

  • WilliamB

    You didn’t say whether refrigeration was available. I shall try for not:

    1. Meat jerkey. Homemade is healthy and tasty although it tends to be salty.

    2. Grapes, frozen are like little ice pops.

    3. Fruit leather. There are some on the market that have no added sugar *or* added fruit juice.

    4. Homemade granola bars. http://www.frugalgirl.com has a good recipe.

  • http://www.feedyourheaddiet.com Ken Leebow

    Here’s a list of ten…not all are easy for taking to school, but they all taste great and are high on the health-meter! http://bit.ly/czLBjt

    Enjoy,

    Ken Leebow
    http://www.FeedYourHeadDiet.com

  • http://www.feedmeimcranky.com Annabel @ www.FeedMeImCranky.com

    I don’t have kids yet, but that doesn’t stop me from thinking about what i’d/i’ll feed them! ;)
    - Roasted chickpeas — they get nice and crisp like “corn nuts” and you can season them a million ways
    - Larabars (better yet, make your own!)
    - Brown rice pudding sweetened with stevia and/or maple/honey
    - Baked egg rolls made with veggies
    - home-made pop corn with paprika
    - home-made banana or zucchini breads made with whole-wheat flour and sweetened naturally and very moderately
    - chocolate avocado mousse to replace a “Pudding Snack”

  • http://thetakebacktour.com Dr Renee Lea-Currie

    Sabra has these great hummus single packs that go great with lunch. Perfect for on the go when you oversleep. Kroger, Lowes Foods, Wal-mart supercenters, and other grocery stores sell these so it is not hard to find.
    See below for an excerpt from today’s suggestions and deals called Superfast out-the-door back to school deals [http://www.thetakebacktour.com/take-back-blog.html]

    Big Lots (if you are lucky enough to have one nearby!)
    - canned Del Monte fruit in NATURAL JUICE for only $0.40 each
    - Big Lots brand honey braided whole wheat twists. These taste soooooo good and have a 3 g fiber per serving. EVERYONE I shared these with loves them. What a great way to add great tasting fiber to your lunch or snack. I like these served with peanut butter or plain and a side of fruit. Yummy, crunchy fiber goodness!

    Speaking of peanut butter, I just saw my favorite new last minute lunch/snack idea. Wal-mart now sells individual 1.1 oz. pouches of Peanut Butter & Co. brand peanut butter. They also have a peanut butter/dark chocolate version. These fit perfectly in a pocket or purse for quick on-the-go protein. They are only $0.66 each. But the whole pantry storage pack of 10 for back-up out-the-door. Great for those on-the-go breakfasts on a whole grain waffle, crackers, wheat pretzels (see above) or apple slices. I prefer these versus the national brand cup individual peanut butter servings as there are only 4 simple ingredients and NO HYDROGENATED oils or fats added. Just simple peanut butter goodness. It is about the size of an individually wrapped tea bag so the size is perfect to keep with you at all times. Kids love it!

  • Sandra

    Homemade LARA bars. Inexpensive and so easy to make. The kids can even help. All you need is 4 ingredients or less – equal parts dates, your choice of other dried fruits and nuts, a little bit of cinnamon (optional). Blend it all up in a food processor, form into bars, wrap in foil or plastic wrap. Takes about 15 minutes including cleanup. We like to make a big batch about once a month and then store them in the refrigerator for a quick grab-and-go snack.

  • Jessica

    @Dr Renee Lea-Currie

    I’m confused as to why you would suggest canned fruit from Big Lots, over fresh fruit from a local source? What about the BPA coating in the cans? Just as concerning as that is the fact that our local Big Lots OFTEN sells expired foods. I would always opt for fresh, local, in season, organic when possible, fruits.

    Also, every school in our area is now peanut-free. So any peanut butter snacks are not options. Most peanut butter alternatives are double the price too.

  • Dr.Quirk

    Utz brand Organic Seven Whole Grain Pretzel Sticks are high in fiber and very nutritious as snack food goes. Three grams of fiber, 220 mg sodium, 85 mg potassium per serving. Contains flax seed, so has ALA Omega 3. No trans fat. They say on the label “0 grams saturated fat,” but there has to be some (less than the 0.5 grams required to state on label) because they use a mix of palm oil (saturated) and safflower oil. It’s far better choice than chips, etc. in regards to healthy fats and the amounts of sodium and fiber. It tastes like snack food, and it’s organic.

    I also think Kind Bars are a good choice, if you’re not allergic to nuts or to the price (cheaper in bulk). They are high in protein and potassium, low in sodium. Read the labels though: a few of the flavors have significant saturated fat from coconut. They use no GMO ingredients, which is nice.

  • Karen

    I’m defining “snack” in my world, as something that is either after school, or added to lunch as a treat (in addition to the main meal). These are things that work for my 9-year-old son:
    Added to lunch: homemade, whole-grain carrot-raisin-nut cookies (recipe available upon request); whole wheat fig bars (available at Whole Foods), “True North” nut clusters, 1-inch-square chocolate bars (available at a variety of different stores, available in almond, high-cocoa versions); “Terra” Crinkle Cut Sweet Potato chips, “Just Fruit” munchies. Notice nothing in here is considered a vegetable or fruit serving. It’s all “snack” or “treat” and my son will eat it as such. But as a snack or treat, they add to rather than subtract from nutritional content overall.
    At home: garlic stuffed olives; whole wheat crackers, no-salt peanut butter pretzels, raw sweet potato sticks dipped in olive oil, banana smoothie (1 cup milk, 1 frozen banana cut in small pieces, 1 tsp vanilla, cinnamon to taste, blend until smooth), cashews, coconut rice pudding (brown rice cooked in lowfat coconut milk, small amount of brown sugar, sprinkle of cinnamon), prunes, pistachios.

  • http://bulmerfam.blogspot.com Jodi

    and… i thought the sabra hummus had trans fat in it??!! Maybe it changed, but I was sure last time I read that label it contained partially hydrogenated oil…

  • http://thesuburbanjungle.blogspot.com Angela

    Homemade muffins can be okay (you can usually substitute applesauce for 1/2 the sugar.)

  • http://www.livingitupcornfree.com kc

    I would just like to remind everyone to use organic wheat flour without vitamin enrichment when making homemade snacks to avoid GMOs. Also, remember that trail mixes, lara bars and peanut butter may not be allowed at most schools anymore because of deadly nut allergies. I suggest buying a dehydrator and learning to make tasty seasoned dried veggies, fruit and meat at home. Avoid diet, low-fat, fat-free and reduced calorie everything – they always contain more GMO corn-derived additives than whole fat versions. Buy organic, unfortified dairy products to avoid GMO corn-derived vitamin carriers. If you don’t have a lot of time in the morning (and who does?), make lunches the night before and wash, peel, slice all veggies ahead of time and place individual servings in snack size containers for “grab-and-go” convenience.

    My last suggestion: look into bento boxes as a way to make leftovers and fresh vegetables into an enviable lunch using cute food picks and shape cutters, packaged in a neat bento box. http://www.obentolunch4kidz.com/