5 Healthy Snacks for Kids

For many families, September/October is synonymous with drastic changes in daily life, the start of new projects or routines. A period of change even more significant than the new year! And this happens essentially because this time coincides with the beginning of a school year for children, which implies new logistics for parents (especially when there are changes in cycle/school).

One of the biggest challenges is organizing family meals at home and, especially, outside the home. Children's snacks are, as a rule, the biggest headache for mothers and fathers who strive to find quick, affordable, and healthy solutions (but it's good if the children like them too).

The secret here is creativity (which is easy to say, but difficult to put into practice), and we're here to nurture yours to make your daily life easier and ensure the well-being of your little ones.

Check out our suggestions for healthy snacks for kids:

Banana Sushi – kids are increasingly enjoying sushi, and even those who don't like it love the idea of ​​eating it with chopsticks. Now you can disguise a banana as sushi rolls, in a complete fruit snack (banana, of course), wrapped in peanut butter, crumbled biscuit (or crumbled dried fruit) and cacao nibs. See how to make it here and don't forget to send the chopsticks, it'll be a hit!

Healthy morning treats – impossible to compete with chocolate snacks and healthy morning treats, right? Wrong. If you can disguise them really well, you can include these cute chocolate treats invented by Mommy Paleo and make your child happy!

Carrot or zucchini sticks – It doesn't get any easier or more nutritious than this. Simply wash the vegetables well and cut them into thin strips. To accompany them and make them even more nutritious, you can make a hummus spread (you can vary between chickpea hummus, beet hummus , or others to differentiate the color and flavor).

Assorted fruits – This is the most obvious option, but it can't be left out of the list of healthy snacks. You can (and should!) vary the fruit and focus mainly on seasonal fruits. For those that oxidize, here's a valuable tip: after slicing an apple or pear, for example, put the slices back together and secure them with a rubber band when placing them in your lunchbox.

Madeleines – make homemade madeleines in your kids' favorite muffin tins to include in snacks or take with you to any occasion (beach, picnics, etc.). You can add a different flavor by replacing the orange zest with the flavor of your child's favorite fruit. Check out the recipe here , also from Mamãe Paleo.

If you opt for traditional sandwiches, always try to vary the filling with healthier options, such as peanut butter instead of the traditional spread, or thin slices of zucchini or lettuce instead of ham. Also, alternate the bread with healthy pancakes that you can make extra on a weekend, and don't forget that traditional children's drinks are also full of sugar. Take advantage of fruits that are ripening to make natural juices or smoothies for energy-packed snacks.

Healthy snack, happy snack

Tips for making snack time a happy moment:

We eat with our eyes too! Try combining colors and shapes to make kids' snacks more appealing. Combine different fruits with cookie sticks or homemade cupcakes.

Surprise! Arrange fruits or vegetables in a more original way, so that it looks like an animal's head, a smiley face , or even the child's name. Of course, if the container is larger, it's difficult to keep everything in place until snack time, so adapt it to where your child takes their lunch. You could use carrot/zucchini sticks (which can be used to make letters or rabbit whiskers, for example), grapes skewered on a stick, or healthy pancakes cut into different sizes to make a snowman's body. A smile is guaranteed on the little ones' faces when they open their lunchbox and see the treat you've packed for them.

Cheat Day: Every now and then, pack a less healthy treat in your child's lunchbox . After all, we all like that occasional comfort that helps us get through those never-ending days, right? If you really don't want to stray from healthier options, there are already sugar-free jelly beans or even lollipops that have the same happy effect (they don't exactly need to know about that part).

For inspiration, there are projects like Funny Cook that combine healthy snack tips with an attractive and fun presentation! If you're sending them to school, just adapt the options to the lunchbox they have at home.

For a more immersive experience or for a special occasion, they can invite the Nutrition Scientists home or to school to teach them how to make healthy gummies that explode in their mouths (molecular cooking adapted for children). Vanessa teaches about healthy eating, turning her little ones into authentic detectives in the kitchen or teaching the basics of healthy eating with adaptations of stories, such as the one about the animals who want to taste the moon.