Keep kids fueled for fun with easy, pack-able snacks.
Whether on a road trip, a day at camp or playing at the beach, kids need fuel! Keep tummies from rumbling with these nutritious and delicious snacks.
Grab-N-Go
Pinwheels (above)
Popcorn
Trail Mix
Pizza Wrap
When we talk about healthy and cool snacks, why is the focus always on kids? At what age does fun snacking end and boring snacking begin? For me, I’m still 8 years old at heart, so fun snacks are always a part of my family’s repertoire. Check out two nibbles I recently made for myself and my kids. The pretzel knots are a breeze to prepare (because you use store-bought pizza or bread dough) and they’ve got a hidden gem of sharp cheddar nestled in the middle. You can tuck any cheese you want inside – in fact, you can insert lots of different things into a pretzel knot (olives, sundried tomatoes, pepperoni, ham, and so on). The onion rings might seem like an odd snack, but we love them in my house. Plus, onions are rich in cancer-fighting sulfur compounds so enjoying them as a snack instead of a measly side dish means you’ll likely get more of the onion’s powerful goodness. We like to dip the rings in ketchup, but they’re also amazing dipped in smoky barbecue sauce. What are you noshing on between meals? Let me know!
With the hustle and bustle of everyday life, there’s often very little time to plan for meals and snacks, let alone cook. So what do you do when your stomach grumbles when you’re on-the-run? If you’re super hungry, maybe you grab those month-old candies at the bottom of your purse or the candy bar sitting around since Halloween. It truly doesn’t have to be this way. With a little advanced planning and some creative HealthyEats ideas, you can grab nutritious and delicious snacks even on your busiest days.
Homemade
If your New Year’s resolution is to lose weight, it’s time to prepare yourself. Once times get tough, the excuses start coming. We asked top nutrition experts from around the country some of the most popular or outlandish excuses they’ve heard over the years. Do any of them sound familiar?
Excuse #1: “I end up eating my kid’s sweet snacks.”
D. Milton Stokes, MPH RD CDN, a Connecticut-based dietitian in private practice says “This is truly outlandish because the child doesn’t have to have those snacks (not that the snacks are forbidden, but unhealthy snacks aren’t manditory), but the parent seems to be using the child as a vehicle for dietary sabotage.”
Solution: Be mindful of the snacks coming into your home. Choose sweet snacks sparingly or for special occasions.
We’re teaming up with fellow food bloggers and healthy eating advocates to host a Healthy Every Week Challenge, a month-long initiative to develop healthy eating habits. The plan an is to develop a manageable healthy habit each week that will carry through the new year. Join us here and share what you’re eating on Facebook and Twitter with the hashtag #gethealthy.
There’s generally more time on weekends for bigger cooking and baking projects — a Tuesday night isn’t usually ideal for experimenting with homemade pasta or learning to make ice cream from scratch. So when you do have extra time on the weekend, pick something that’s maybe a bit more adventurous or time-consuming, but that also makes great leftovers for the busy week ahead. If you make pancakes or waffles this weekend, make a few extra and stick them in the freezer. If you make a pot of soup or chili, freeze single servings in freezer bags; move a portion from the freezer to the fridge at night and by lunchtime the next day it’ll be ready to heat and eat. If you’re in the mood for something sweet, make a whole-grain-packed treat that will satisfy your cravings this weekend, and that you can eat for a snack during the busy week to come.
Having a snack attack? Forgo the last minute trip to the vending machine and be prepared when hunger strikes with these snacks with fewer than 200 calories each.
#1: Basic Edamame
Munch on baby soy beans packed with protein and hunger-fighting fiber.
Calories: 150
#2: Apple and Peanut Butter
Top a sliced apple with natural peanut butter for a smooth and crunchy combination. This snack is packed with heart-healthy unsaturated fat and the antioxidant vitamins E and C. Check out how your favorite brand did in our taste test.
Calories: 190
#3: Rainbow Fruit Skewers With Chocolate Dipped Strawberries
This snack consists of 2 fruit skewers plus 3 chocolate-dipped strawberries. What better way to get a healthy dose of antioxidants plus your chocolate fix!
Calories: 184
#4: Chips and Spicy Salsa
An ounce of baked tortilla chips (about 15) dipped in ¼ cup salsa will give you a boost of vitamin C and lycopene.
Calories: 180
Hotel and resort minibars are getting a healthy makeover. The Hyatt Hotels Corp. and Four Seasons are just two companies in a handful of hotel chains opting for healthier minibar options, according to a recent Marketwatch report. Instead of the traditional calorie-filled junk food fare, guests can choose to snack on products like organic Clif Bars, Terra chips and gluten-free energy bars.
Why the sudden change of heart? Hotel patrons are actually clamoring for healthy options. The trail mix and cashews outsell the chocolate cookies, and Fiji Water is the minibar’s most popular item at the Loews Coronado Bay Resort in San Diego, Adam Martindale, the resort’s director of food and beverage, told Marketwatch.
So what if your bracket is busted? You can still cheer along your favorite teams, old and new, with these snacks by your side. These crowd-pleasing appetizers are lighter than your average party food, but still packed full of flavor. Enjoy the games and, more importantly, the munchies!!
I love packing lunch for my two boys every day. It’s a little part of me that I send in a brown bag (actually, a thermal lunch bag.) It like to imagine them opening lunch to find my surprises. These are my favorite simple, healthy foods to pack up, plus, my easy prep and planning tips.
Attention, snack lovers! We munched on popular whole grain pretzels to find which brands stack up the best for taste, crunch, and of course, nutrition. Find out the winners (and losers) in our taste test.
Get the pretzel taste-test results »
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