As soon as my kids come in from school they toss their bags onto the ground, wash their hands and head straight for a snack.
School is a day full of emotional, physical, and mental strain that children come home exhausted and hungry. It is important to give them a nutritious snack that can help them get ready for any after-school activity and homework.
Here are some great after-school snack ideas.
Apple Slices with Almond Butter or Peanut Butter
This crunchy snack provides your child not only with good nutrition, but also provides them with sensory input to help them focus. Giving your child crunchy food helps stimulate attention. Balancing it with healthy fat provides nutrition to keep them satiated so they don’t crave more snacks. I usually place the apple slices in fun patterns to make this snack more appealing.
Veggie Cups
I cut up different colored peppers, carrots, and celery, I then place ranch dressing or onion dip for them to choose which one they would like. This again provides a cool, crunchy, and refreshing healthy snack that will also improve your child's attention.
Fruit Kabobs
Kids find it fun to eat fruit off of a stick. You can cut fruit, use a melon baller or get creative and use a cookie cutter to make shapes. The key is to use a variety of fruits to get a gorgeous arrangement of colors. I use watermelon, strawberries, cantaloupe, pineapple, and grapes.
Kale Chips
I love making Kale chips. I wash Kale, put anything from salt, garlic powder, and onion powder to cayenne pepper, and put them in the air fryer. They come out crunchy and delicious. It is a great alternative to potato chips.
Trail Mix
I love making my own trail mix. I put carob chips, almonds, sunflower seeds, pretzels or any variation you would like. The best part is you can have fun mixing various tastes to see which ones work. Once you make one you like, you can put them in bags or containers and they are ready for travel.
Having nutritious and protein-packed snacks readily available will make after-school activities and homework much simpler. Enjoy!