school snacks

Nut-free healthy snacks for kids

Nut-free healthy snack ideas for kids...



...that also happen to be free of gluten + dairy!



SHARING TODAY a few of the snacks the kids have been having at school so far this year. They help fill them up without making their blood sugar spike and crash... so these are some good ideas for adults too. ;-)



Are you a snacker or prefer to stick to your 3 meals?



Happy Tuesday,
Tara

After School Smoothie Routine

We're heading into the fourth-ish week of school here in New York and at this point, we've changed up our routine quite a bit to accommodate a 3.75 year-old who is now in preschool in the afternoons.  This beautiful child of mine is usually TIRED and HUNGRY!  If not hungry, she's "starving".  Did I mention how hungry she is? Yikes!  I'm assuming she'll be going up a size…or 5…soon with the way she's been putting back food lately.

In this video, I talk about how we're satisfying her hunger, specifically after-school, without skimping on the veggies she so badly needs.

If you are new to smoothies or would like to simplify things a bit for yourself, sign up for my newsletter here and receive my Formula For the Perfect Plant-Based Smoothie.  This PDF can be saved or printed and will help give you fresh ideas to make healthy and balanced smoothies that you and your kids will love.

Tell me, how have you adjusted your schedule with food and/or sleep since the school year began?  Any tips for a newbie school-mama like me?  ;-)

In good health,

Tara

27 Healthy School Snack Options

With our little threenager's impending entry into preschool, I was feeling relieved about the rumors (and downright claims) that this particular school program is known to be "strict" and "healthy" in their nutrition policies.

Awesome!  I got 99 worries, but a snack ain't one!  :-P

Then, this curious little packet arrived in the mail.  Along with doctor forms, emergency contacts, and mandatory meetings came a sheet claiming to educate parents, like myself, about what is considered a 'healthy snack'.  This…..THIS is what they wrote:

Hmmmm…..really?!?  "Pepperidge Farm Goldfish Crackers", "animal crackers", and "graham crackers" made THEIR list!

Hmmmm…..really?!?  "Pepperidge Farm Goldfish Crackers", "animal crackers", and "graham crackers" made THEIR list!

WHAT in the graham cracker did I just read?!?!  

A few of the items, at least, are in fact healthy.  However, my biggest problem with this list is that it comes from an authority that claims to have a superior understanding of what we *should* be feeding our children.  This means that some parents without much knowledge in nutrition may trust and follow these guidelines in hopes of nourishing their kiddos.  If goldfish and graham crackers are a healthy, everyday-type snack, what do they consider a treat?!

I do not judge others' decisions for what they feed their families, when, why, etc.  I like to believe that everyone is doing the best they know how.  I also believe this is one of my purposes in life - to help raise the bar.

After posting this list on social media a couple of weeks ago, some of you said you'd like to see me post a list of my own.  So, I am!

**The following list takes into consideration that most schools are tree nut and peanut free these days.  Although there are no overt peanuts or tree nuts in this list, many packages / ingredients will need to be double-checked to make sure they are in-line with your school's allergen policy.

Feel free to use these ideas however you see fit - to send in for snack, to combine and give as a quick meal, or just enjoy at home with your kiddos.  You will find some of these are meant to be paired together with other items on the list to balance it out, because….can you really eat hummus by itself?  ;-)  (Give me a spoon - I certainly can!)

  1. Dried chickpeas
  2. Cheese stick (organic, if possible)
  3. Fruit - apple, banana, fruit salad
  4. Sunflower seed butter
  5. Hummus
  6. Guacamole (with a squeeze of lemon or lime juice)
  7. Seed crackers (such as Mary's Gone Crackers brand)
  8. 100% whole grain crackers
  9. Raw veggies - peppers, halved grape tomatoes, carrots, broccoli, cauliflower, cucumber, snap peas, green beans, halved olives
  10. "Chips" made from baked sweet potatoes, zucchini, beets, or kale
  11. Seaweed
  12. Homemade granola (99.9% of store-bought has added sugar)
  13. Apple "nachos" - include sunflower seed butter, hemp seeds, and coconut flakes
  14. Trail mix with just seeds and dried fruit (goji berries, raisins)
  15. Freeze-dried fruit
  16. Hardboiled eggs or deviled eggs
  17. Celery with sunflower seed butter or tahini and raisins ("ants on a log")
  18. Air-popped (organic) popcorn
  19. Seed pretzels (such as Mary's Gone Crackers brand)
  20. Yogurt (coconut or Greek - unsweetened and plain…send in fruit to dress it up)
  21. Applesauce (make yourself or buy organic with no added ingredients)
  22. Savory yogurt dip (add spices, herbs such as dill, etc.
  23. Chia seed pudding
  24. Brown rice cakes 
  25. Yogurt parfait - layer yogurt with fruit, seeds, granola, a layer of chia seed pudding, etc.
  26. A smoothie
  27. Small portion of leftovers or soup (a small thermos is helpful here)

As a special treat for holidays, birthdays, or other celebrations, consider sending in a homemade / healthy muffin or "cookies" such as those made from oats + banana.

Raw veggies are crunchy, colorful, and convenient little vehicles to get dips into little mouths.  :-)

Raw veggies are crunchy, colorful, and convenient little vehicles to get dips into little mouths.  :-)

I hope this helps!

 

In good health,

Tara