>U Mom Knows Best: Healthy After School Snacks That Kids Will Eat

Monday, October 14, 2019

Healthy After School Snacks That Kids Will Eat

Sponsored post: This post was sponsored by Pretzel Pete and I received samples of other mentioned products.

It seems that my kids are always hungry



  If you have kids in school, you know how hungry they can be when they get home from school. My boys are starving when they walk in the door after school and after they take their shoes off they head straight to the refrigerator. I have to stop them in their tracks and remind them to first wash their hands before they eat. Schools can be a breeding place for germs so washing hands helps keep my boys from getting sick. I also use some amazing natural products to keep my kids healthy during the school year, discover them HERE. After my boys wash their hands, they are free to have a healthy snack of their choice. I let my boys choose their own snacks as they are older and they know how to prepare their own snack. I stock the pantry and fridge with healthy food options and rarely have junk food in the house so I don't have to worry about my boys eating too many sweets. We on occasion do have ice cream in the freezer or candy in the pantry and the boys know that they have to ask permission to eat those. I don't forbid junk food, I just don't buy it and the boys can have it on occasion. My boys do a good job of eating nourishing food but do need reminders to eat more fruits and veggies.



Have healthy snacks available

 I hear from too many people that they have a hard time not eating junk food like chips, fried foods, and cookies. I like to tell them to not allow the food in the house if it is tempting you. My motto is to buy more fresh food from the farm and less food from the factory. There are plenty of healthy options of food that comes from factories and there is nothing wrong with buying snacks like pretzels, wheat crackers, granola bars, etc. Just try to eat more food like fruits, veggies, nuts, and other plant-based food for a healthy body. I always remind my boys to include a fruit or vegetable and a protein with their snack. So I have snack options available that my boys like so it makes it easier for them to have a healthy snack. My boys have their favorite snacks but I am always introducing them to new healthy snacks Here are some snacks that my boys love to eat for after-school snacks.

Pretzels are the best snack
  My boys think that pretzels are the best food for after-school snacks. They love the crunch and the salty flavor of pretzels. Pretzels are made with simple ingredients like wheat flour. When I buy pretzels, I make sure to get ones without preservatives, artificial coloring and trans-fat. My boys like when I buy them the gourmet pretzels and so does my husband. My husband really likes the honey mustard and onion flavored pretzels. So my family was happy when a box of Pretzel Pete pretzels arrived at our house. My boys were excited to try the many different gourmet pretzel flavors. The flavors of the pretzels were unique and sounded so delicious. I really liked that the pretzels are made in a nut-free manufacturing plant so my older daughter who has a peanut allergy can enjoy them when she comes over to visit.


 When the Pretzel Pete pretzels arrived, my boys could not wait to try them. My boys liked that there was a cheese pizza mini twist pretzel as they do love pizza. My husband had to try the Honey Mustard & Onion Nuggets. The box contained so many different types and flavors of pretzels. There were mini pretzel twists and pretzel nuggets. I loved that some of the bags were sized for one person and would make portion-control so easy for school lunches.

Purchase Pretzel Pete Pretzels and save 15% with discount code 15mombest on Amazon

  Pretzel Pete Pretzels come in flavors like cheese pizza, garlic parmesan, smokey barbecue, and salted caramel. These were not your typical store-bought pretzels they were fancy gourmet pretzels. These delicious pretzels were seasoned with delicious flavors that were hot, spicy, salty or sweet.


 My husband grabbed a couple bags of the Pretzel Pete pretzels so he could bring them to work for his snack drawer. I am glad that my husband likes to eat healthy snacks. These gourmet pretzels came in flavors that even grownups would enjoy.

 I liked that the bags of pretzels had the ingredients and allergens list on them. That way I could enjoy the pretzels that did not contain any dairy. My dairy allergy is not severe so I was ok with the pretzels being produced on shared equipment that also manufactures products with dairy. As long as dairy is not in the ingredients, I could enjoy the pretzels so that meant that I could enjoy the honey mustard and salted caramel pretzels. Enjoy them was what I did. I ate these gourmet pretzels by the handfull. I think the pretzel nuggets were my favorite as they had great crunch in bite-size pieces. The boys and I ate the pretzels for an after-school snack. I like that pretzels are a healthy snack that is ready to eat. When my boys are not enjoying pretzels for their after-school snacks they do have some other snacks that they enjoy and I made a list of them so you can get some ideas for healthy after-school snacks for your kids.

Purchase Pretzel Pete Pretzels and save 15% with discount code 15mombest on Amazon


While pretzels seem to be a family favorite for snacks, my boys also other healthy snacks and below is a list of some snacks. The list includes some new healthy and delicious snacks that we recently discovered.



Peanut butter and jelly sandwiches
  My boys love their peanut butter sandwiches and love them for snacks. Peanut butter is a healthy source of protein so this a good choice for a snack. If your kids have nut allergies, then this homemade honey sunflower seed butter is a great substitute. My boys love their sandwiches with homemade honey wheat bread and I encourage them to have some apple slices with their sandwich.


    If your kids are crazy about peanut butter, they just might love these frozen protein ball snacks from Crazy Richards. My boys love the bite-sized snacks that are made with simple ingredients. I love that these all-natural snacks are dairy-free and mess-free. The peanut butter balls are made with dried fruits, oats, and other delicious ingredients that are plant-based, gluten-free, and non-GMO. They make snacking fun but are also great for school lunches. These frozen protein balls come in three flavors like PB & strawberry, PB & cacao, and cinnamon oatmeal.



Apple nachos
 A favorite fall snack that my boys love is apple nachos. You simply drizzle some warm nut butter, that you heat up for a couple of seconds in the microwave, over apple slices. Then sprinkle granola or crushed pretzels on top of the apples. This is a snack that kids can make themselves.





Yogurt parfaits
  My boys can always find vanilla yogurt in the fridge and homemade granola in the pantry. So they can easily make a yogurt parfait with fresh or frozen fruit. Sometimes I will add a tablespoon of chia seeds to some yogurt the night before and then stir in some fruit puree the next day for another type of yogurt parfait. When I have time, I make homemade yogurt with an electric blanket. To add some awesome flavor to the yogurt parfait and some powerful omegas, I like to sprinkle flavored hemp hearts on the yogurt. These raw hemp hearts are so delicious on their own too and they are loaded with antioxidants, vitamins, omegas, and fiber.


Protein bars
  One of my favorite snacks is protein bars and my boys love them too. We recently discovered some delicious Hemp Bars that have 11 grams of protein in them and come in amazing unique flavors like Pumpkin Seed and Spice and lavender pistachio & blueberry. These delicious protein bars are gluten-free and plant-based and loaded with powerful nutrition. So kids can grab one from the pantry when they get home from school.


Hummus and veggies
 Hummus is always a great way to get kids to eat more veggies. I always have some type of homemade hummus in the fridge so it is easy to grab for a snack with some raw carrots. It is so easy to make hummus with a can of beans. My favorite flavor of hummus is a spicy carrot hummus. Head over HERE to get my easy recipe.



Bagels that are loaded with protein
  When we have greek yogurt in the house the boys love to help me make two-ingredient bagels in the air fryer. These bagels are loaded with protein and can also be made in the oven. My boys love shaping the dough into bagels. We always make a double batch so the boys can have them for snacks all week. These bagels are soft and chewy and taste great with cream cheese or peanut butter. The bagels are also great for sandwiches.





Dried fruit


  Dried fruit is another favorite snack that my boys like. I like these portion pack dried fruits from Sunny Fruit as the pouches keep the fruit soft, unlike the ones that come on boxes. My boys got to sample the raisins, figs, and apricots and they loved how moist they were. I love that they are organic and have no added sugar. These snacks are also gluten-free and nut-free and loaded with fiber.

Fruit smoothies



 Smoothies are a great way to get more fruit into kids. My boys can use the mixer and make their own fruit smoothie. I always have frozen blueberries or mangos in my freezer. My boys like mixing the frozen fruit with plant-based milk or vegan protein powder. Sometimes they mix up a banana with chocolate milk and peanut butter for a delightful healthy chocolate treat.

Gluten-Free Chocolate Mocha Protein Brownies




 My boys are glad that I love to bake. They love when I mix up a batch of healthy brownies that are loaded with protein. These delicious brownies are also gluten-free so you can say yes to chocolate brownies for an after-school snack. These brownies can also be made dairy-free and vegan with vegan chocolate chips and an egg substitute. Other sweet treats that I make into healthy versions with vegan protein powder are Dairy Free Peanut Butter Pretzel Protein Bites and Dairy-Free Vegan Chocolate Protein Pancakes.

Healthy cookies



 Yes, cookies can be a healthy after-school snack. You just need to use nutritious ingredients like almond butter or homemade honey sunflower seed butter. Adding ingredients like chia seeds and oatmeal makes the cookies nutritious. You can even make the cookies low sugar if you use a natural zero-calorie sweetener that mixes and tastes like sugar. I love dipping these cookies in vegan chocolate chips and sprinkling them with salt for a delightful taste.


 Since my boys are wanting to do some cooking on their own, I got them a cookbook that teaches them some basic recipes. These recipes are ones that will help them survive adulthood so they won't starve when they live on their own. My youngest son is excited to make granola by himself and some of the other recipes. This cookbook has some great recipes in it that I even want to make.

The Anti-Cookbook also:
•    Breaks down recipes in an easy to follow format
•    Shows how cooking doesn’t need to be complex
•    Reminds us that food is not only nourishment but a chance to sit around the table, share stories and create memories



 These are just some of the healthy after-school snacks that my boys love to eat. Snacking is good for kids and holds them over until dinner. When you replace the junk food in your pantry with healthy snacks, you can feel good about your kids eating a snack after school. These healthy snacks are also great options for school parties and school lunches.




22 comments:

Why Girls Are Weird said...

Oooh these all look super yummy. I want to try those salted caramel pretzels! Thank you so much for sharing this with us!

Celebrate Woman said...

Tara, I would respond well to a fruit smoothie and BBQ pretzels! I love your options.

Masshole Mommy said...

We almost always have pretzels in our house. My kids eat them all the time.

Jackie said...

The honey mustard and onion flavor sounds delicious!

AiringMyLaundry said...

Yum, these all look amazing! I know my kids will love these. I would too. I love pretzels.

Jaredamy said...

I am all about tasty, crunchy, sweet, and savory snacks! These pretzels look really delicious!!

Lisa Joy Thompson said...

These snacks look amazing! My twins are always starving when they come home from school so I'm always looking for healthy snack ideas.

Norma said...

All those snacks caught my eye. I will look into purchasing some.

Kathy said...

These are such great snack ideas. I see so many I would really love to try. The pretzel nuggets are one I really want to try out. I can't wait to taste them.

Lisa Favre said...

My son is such a picky eater and you know what? It never occurred to me to offer him pretzels! What a fantastic idea because I think he would gobble them up.

Nyxie said...

I'm loving the apple slices. It's something so different that I know I would have loved as a kid!

Agnes said...

All the recipes are nice. The Apple nachos are especially simple to make, and I hope my daughter will learn how to make them by herself. She loves apples a lot.

Toni | Boulder Locavore said...

These are awesome! My kids will surely love to try these!

Ruth I said...

Oh I need to find the Pretzel Pete in here. I would like to taste all the flavors they have!

Gust si Aroma said...

Love the healthy alternatives of after school snacks. Thanks for sharing these with us!

Ckrusch said...

My son loves pretzels! Love all the options you've shared! So delicious!

Alvern said...

I really do like your big list of healthy snacks which can also be used during the Christmas period with so much junk food available for the taking. The pretzel nuggets do look very intriguing and the healthy cookies also something I need to try.

Cindy Ingalls said...

So many delicious snacks. I love whipping up a smoothie whenever I'm craving something sweet. I also love to snack on pretzels. They satisfy the crunch and salt I need.

Heather @ US Japan Fam said...

GENIUS snack ideas!!! I struggle so hard and just go for the same thing pretty much daily. I love these!!! Gonna work on my shopping list and first to try has gotta be the apple nachos - YUM!!

Fatima D Torres said...

these treats look delicious. I'd love to try and remake them for the family.

Jocelyn said...

My friend has been looking for new treats to make for the kids she nannies, and these would be perfect! Thanks for sharing this post!

Enriqueta E. Lemoine said...

I so agree with you! My children will eat all those snacks! Thanks for sharing!

data-matched-content-rows-num="2" data-matched-content-columns-num="2"
Mom knows best