After school, kids get hungry, but what do you give them when dinner is only a few hours later? While kids might be craving some sweet treats, this is prime time to give them a nutritious snack. They’ve just had a major workout from learning and also need enough fuel to make it to bedtime. Here are a few delicious after school snacks to satisfy your little one’s hunger.
Fresh fruit
It may seem simple, but fruit is the perfect after school snack. Whether it’s apples in the fall, oranges in the winter, strawberries in the spring, or blueberries in the summer, you can’t go wrong with fruit. To prepare, simply wash and enjoy. The really nice thing about fresh fruit is you can even get your little ones helping out. They can easily give the fruit a good rinse. And more eager helpers can learn to safely cut any pieces up.
Try to leave the skin on the fruit, as this is where the bulk of the fiber is. As well, it’s important to serve fruit and not fruit juice. Fruit juice might have a large number of vitamins but lacks all of the fiber that whole fruit has. Juice can also have unnecessary sugar added to it. If fresh fruit isn’t an option, frozen fruit is a great alternative.
Parfaits
Yogurt is delicious but can become a bit boring after a while. Mix things up by creating a parfait. Combine yogurt with granola and fruit and you’ve got one of the most delicious after school snacks. For fruit, you can use anything, but berries are the true winner. If fresh berries aren’t available, frozen ones will work just fine. As for granola, you can use a breakfast cereal or a specific granola package.
When making a parfait, it can be easy to just buy normal yogurt with added fruit. But look closely on the label and you will see that this yogurt is filled with sugar. Plain Greek yogurt is best as it has no added sugar and a high protein content. The fruit that you add yourself will be sweet enough to make the parfait delicious.
Cheese and crackers
Prepare a little tasting plate for your budding cuisine expert and introduce them to the finer things in life. What’s really nice about cheese and crackers is you can explore the different varieties on offer. Test out different crackers, including wheat and rice ones. The more flavors and textures you expose your child to, the wider their palette will be. This should lead to more adventurous eaters.
The same goes for cheese. You can stick with regular old cheddar, or you can start looking for new cheese to sample. Whether it’s gouda or brie, a mild or bold taste, you can make this somewhat boring snack really pop.