Ways to Make After School Snacks Healthier!
After school snacks can get junky and repetitive. Just as fast as our morning goes, we’re awaiting our kids at the bus stop before half the laundry gets done. Exhausted, yet wired, kids are ready for the afternoon. Hours of soccer, ballet and gymnastics cram our days and my daughter is always STARVING from the moment she sets her book bag down!
Bags of chips, chocolate filled granola bars and sugary cookies are often what kids want. As Smart Mamas we need to remember nutrition is still important, even after a long day at school.
Making Better Choices
Here’s a chart provided as part of my involvement with the Hormel Extended Family Blogger program to help Smart Mamas think of healthier snack options.
| Instead of… | Try this… |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Now don’t get me wrong…my daughter snacks from the “instead of…” column too! What I want to do, as her one and only Smart Mama, is present her the opportunity to eat healthy, from the “try this…” column when possible! Often it’s at the mercy of a compromise.
Compromising Snack Time
Just today she wanted chips and salsa after school. I have the CHI-CHI’S® Snackers® always on hand as she’s a big time “salsa girl.” She nibbled on the chips and salsa. I then offered her some carrots. The crinkly cut ones available at our Publix. She loves carrots, and she loves salsa. She ended up enjoying the salsa with both chips and carrots. I felt accomplished with that.
A bowl of ready to eat fruit is also a great way to incorporate yummy snacks. Purple (red) grapes are always a hit here! Banana or apple slices with peanut butter is another crowd, kid-pleaser.
What snack choices do you provide your kids? Have you found a healthy, kid-loved item? Share! We would all love to learn about it!
Disclosure: I am currently a member of the Hormel Foods Extended Blogger Program and this post is part of my involvement in the Group. While Hormel Foods provides me material and necessary resources to complete various activities, all statements and sentiments stated are my own.
