Healthy, filling snacks are important for children.
Snacking is good for kids, provided that the food they snack on is nutritious. According to the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), children should eat foods from all six main food groups each day. These groups are fruits, vegetables, meat and beans, milk and grains. Healthy, filling snacks provide necessary calories as well as nutrients they need to be healthy and grow strong. With some basic planning and good food choices, it is simple to provide wholesome snacks for children.
Hummus and Pita
Hummus is a hearty, Middle Eastern dip. Whole wheat pita bread goes perfectly with it. You can also provide sliced vegetables such as peppers, carrots, celery and cucumbers for dipping. To make a simple hummus, combine one can of drained chickpeas (retain the juice), two cloves of crushed garlic, two teaspoons ground cumin, 1/2 teaspoon salt and one tablespoon of olive oil. In the blender, blend these ingredients while gradually adding the reserved chickpea liquid until the hummus has the consistency you desire. Refrigerate for several hours to allow the flavors to blend and it is ready to eat.
Mini Pizzas
A good, filling children's snack is a mini pizza made from an English muffin half. To make this, spread some tomato sauce on the English muffin, and then add some cut vegetables, such as cherry tomatoes, tiny onion bits and sliced mushrooms. Top this with grated cheese and broil them until the cheese melts.
Homemade Muffins
Although many commercially prepared muffins are not particularly healthy, those made at home can be wholesome and healthy for kids. You can replace at least half of the oil in most muffin recipes and if you add fruit, nuts and shredded vegetables, such as carrots or zucchini, your muffins will be moist and sweet. You can also reduce the amount of sugar in the recipe and add dark chocolate chips. The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) recommends that at least half the flour should be whole wheat, which also adds to the food value of the muffins.
Cheesy Fruit Kabobs
Kids seem to love kabobs and these filling snack kabobs are packed with nutrition. Stick a variety of fruits alternating with cubes of cheese onto a kabob stick. Fruits could include pineapple slices, melon chunks, watermelon, pears, grapes or apples.
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