Real Food Kids' Snacks

Here's a little list for you moms out there - these are tried and true at our house.  And basically all I ever have around.

A couple of you may be wondering why everything on this list is "fattening" - I'm actually doing that on purpose.  My kids are developing through age five at a faster rate than they ever will again.  Brains are 2/3 fat and actually need supplementation to work properly!  This goes for adults, too, especially when we are stressed out.
http://www.fi.edu/learn/brain/fats.html

Another strategy I'm working is to get probiotics and live enzymes into my kids at any chance.  I get our milk, yogurt, and cheese raw from local farmers.  The raw milk has been a huge hit at our house - my kids drink more milk than they ever did before.  Which would normally worry me, but their appetites for food have remained as good or better than they were before.  And raw milk from a trusted source is one of the least expensive, most nourishing foods you can get. 

My goal is to make one batch of something "snacky" every week.  Sometimes it's making the "candy bars" below, or granola, but other days I try to cook with the kids when we get home from school.  Just a 10-15 minute project, like the "ice cream" or the popcorn below. 

 

Kid’s Real Food Snacks:

·         GMO-free popcorn (Richardson Farms) with melted butter  http://rethinkingfoodforthought.blogspot.com/2013/01/real-popcorn.html

·         Apples or bananas thinly sliced with peanut/almond butter

·         Raw milk cheese slices (Heini’s in the grocery store is good – can also get it at farmer’s market - Dos Lunes is one)

·         HEB brand rice crackers (less icky ingredients than Blue Diamond) with peanut butter

·         Vanilla Raw Whole Milk Yogurt - I get this from my dairy farm.  You could sub with whole milk plain yogurt from the store, mix in a little maple syrup/honey until it's tolerable, and add a little vanilla extract.  My kids just eat it plain in a bowl like that - feel free to add fruit or granola crumbles if yours like it that way

·         “Ice Cream” –  again using the vanilla yogurt from my farm, or whole milk yogurt with maple syrup/vanilla if you want – I blend a banana and a cup of yogurt and add a teaspoon of cocoa powder – stick it in the machine and in less than 5 minutes, we have frozen chocolate “ice cream”

·         Almond Protein “Candy Bars” – these you can make in your food processor in about 10 minutes, then refrigerate and they are ready!  They are AMAZING.  I've made them with and without the chocolate topping.  http://www.kitchenstewardship.com/2009/07/01/recipe-connection-almond-power-bars/

·         Granola – either homemade or I buy it from the farmer’s market

·         Grandma’s hummus – local, organic, can buy at grocery or the farmer’s market OR I make it at home    http://rethinkingfoodforthought.blogspot.com/2012/11/five-new-easy-gmo-free-recipes.html

·         Raw carrots and celery and bell peppers and cherry tomatoes (with above hummus)

·         Ms. Mays nut clusters – I see these at Costco in little packages or the grocery in one larger package, and they have ok ingredients.  Want to find a recipe for these because it has to be even easier than the above “candy bars”

·         Applesauce Bars  http://rethinkingfoodforthought.blogspot.com/2012/11/five-new-easy-gmo-free-recipes.html

·         Leftover Broccoli Cornbread   http://rethinkingfoodforthought.blogspot.com/2012/11/gluten-free-broccoli-cornbread.html

·         Guacamole – smash an avocado with a fork or biscuit cutter, sprinkle with sea salt.  (Add a little squeeze of fresh lime and/or cilantro if your kids like it!)

·         Smoothies – whole milk yogurt, fruit, avocado, flax seed meal, whatever your kids will tolerate

·         Dinosaur Popsicles – Organic “green” juice (or whatever kind you like) and vanilla yogurt – I pour a little in of each at a time and it makes the popsicle stripey

 

 

Hope this helps you guys!  Please add any other ideas/recipes below - variety is the spice of life.

Jill