By Haley Bridges
Let’s start at the beginning. Anything with a “101” in it refers to the fact that the information being presented is essential in order to graduate to the next level. Most people do not know the importance of snacking and this 101-crash course is here to help you become as knowledgeable as possible.
First off, snacks are not the enemy, they are actually beneficial when eaten in the right amounts and the correct kinds of them are consumed. Foods such as vegetables and hummus, popcorn, nuts, fruits, cottage cheese and avocado make for great healthy bites. It is not only important for adults to have healthy light meals throughout the day but it’s also important for kids to have that as well.
Getting your kids to eat healthy snacks is one of the biggest challenges; they will probably think it “tastes funny” or “looks gross”. However, this is not only a great way to get missing nutrients into your kids bodies but it helps them from overeating at mealtimes and fill in their hunger gaps throughout the day. This is a perfect way for them to get extra sources of minerals, vitamin, protein and fiber.
Now the tricky part is getting your kids to eat these healthy snacks because let’s be honest, what kid wants to eat carrots and hummus?! One of the best ways to get your kids to eat is to make it fun! Be creative and add chocolate or come up with a clever name for it, if you make it kid friendly, they will be more likely to try it.
Coming up with ways to make these fun can be a challenge especially if you do not have time to spend on creating kid friendly snacks. One of the best ways to do this is to check out Pinterest; they have great ideas that are simple, fast and fun.
One of my favorite kid friendly snacks is “ants on a log”, it’s a very basic and well-known recipe that is easy to make. The great thing about this is that the log (celery) is so versatile you can switch up what you put inside it, cream cheese is a great alternative for peanut butter but if you are trying to stay on the super healthy side fill the log with cottage cheese! As for the “ants”, they can be switched up as well; from chocolate chips to raisins to small pieces of bell pepper the “ants” have endless options.
Here is a sweeter option that kids will love because they are eating chocolate!
Ants on a Log
Ingredients:
3 celery stalks
Cream cheese
Chocolate chips
Instructions:
- Wash the celery and cut the pieces in half.
- Grab a butter knife and spread the cream cheese onto the celery.
- Place some chocolate chips on top!
*Again for a super healthy version replace the cream cheese with hummus and the chocolate chips with small pieces of bell pepper.
*Click on the link or the photos to get access to 50 healthy snack ideas!