Skip the potato chips, fruit snacks, graham crackers, and candy. If you’re in a rut here are some quick, great real food any-time or after-school snack ideas for inspiration that kids will love (and adults, too!). Sticking with simple ingredients keeps snack time easy and fun.
Keep these tips in mind:
- Combine some of the suggestions below in creative ways (for example, combine some fruit with yogurt to make a yogurt parfait, or make a fruit salad and drizzle some honey on top)
- Most of the fruits below are also great frozen. Ever blended up frozen bananas to make “ice cream”? Try it!
- If you’re looking for school lunch ideas, any of these would be great in a school lunch box!
- If you have a picky eater, combining several of these snacks onto a plate – tapas style! – could make a well-rounded lunch or easy breakfast
Please leave any additional suggestions in the comments below…
Fruits and Vegetable Snack Ideas
- Apple (good with peanut butter, or almond butter)
- Banana (good with peanut butter, or almond butter)
- Carrots (good with hummus or ranch dip)
- Celery (good with peanut butter and raisins a.k.a. “Ants on a Log”)
- Mango
- Pear
- Grapes
- Strawberries (good with regular or Greek yogurt)
- Blueberries (good with regular or Greek yogurt)
- Raspberries (good with regular or Greek yogurt)
- Oranges
- Peaches (good with regular or Greek yogurt)
- Plums
- Kiwi
- Grapefruit
- Avocado (good with soy sauce and brown rice)
- Pineapple
- Papaya
- Star Fruit
- Figs (good with goat cheese)
- Honeydew Melon
- Cantaloupe
- Watermelon
- Cherries
- Edamame (good with soy sauce, or drizzle with a little olive oil + kosher salt)
- Raw Sugar Snap Peas (good with hummus)
- Cooked Green Beans
- Mashed Sweet Potato (good with butter and cinnamon)
- Raw Sliced Bell Peppers (good with hummus or ranch dip)
- Cucumber Slices (good with ranch dip)
- Jicama
- Cherry Tomatoes (good with ranch dip)
- Cooked Snow Peas
- Frozen Peas (frozen…no cooking necessary!)
- Raw Cauliflower
- Raw Broccoli (good with ranch dip)
- Applesauce
- Unsweetened Raisins
- Fruit Leathers
- Freeze Dried Fruit (like mango, banana, blueberries or strawberries)
- Dried Apple Rings, or pineapple rings
- Canned Fruit like Mandarin Oranges (Native Forest brand does not use sugary syrups in their cans)
- Olives
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Whole-Grain Snack Ideas - Whole Grain Crackers (like Triscuits, Multi-Seed, Ak-Mak, Whole-Wheat Matzos, Brown Rice Crackers/Snaps, Whole-Grain Rye Crackers topped with cheese, peanut butter, almond butter, or a cream cheese and jelly combo)
- Popcorn (make it using “The Popcorn Trick”)
- Oatmeal (served warm in a Thermos if sending to school)
- Shredded Wheat (look for brands that contain 1-ingredient)
- Arrowhead Mills Puffed Whole Grain Cereal (corn, brown rice, wheat or millet variety)
- Brown Rice Cakes
- Whole-Wheat Pretzels
- Whole-Grain Toast
- Small, Cooked Whole-Grain Noodles
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Nuts and Seeds Snack Ideas - Larabars
- Peanuts
- Cashews
- Almonds
- Pecans
- Walnuts
- Pine Nuts (they are good lightly toasted)
- Pistachios
- Sesame Seeds
- Pumpkin Seeds
- Nut Trail Mix including Dried Fruit
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Other Snack Ideas - Hard-Boiled Eggs
- Garbanzo Beans
- Cheese (cubes or sticks…with or without crackers)
- Plain Whole Milk or Greek Yogurt (flavored with a little honey or maple syrup and vanilla extract)
- Organic and/or Local Bacon
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Homemade Snack Ideas - Homemade Granola Bars
- Homemade “Larabars”
- Whole-Wheat Toaster Pastries (a.k.a. Pop Tarts!)
- Smoothies or Smoothie Pops
- Whole-Wheat Banana Bread
- Zucchini Chips
- Whole-Wheat Zucchini Bread (made into muffins)
- Whole-Wheat Pumpkin Bread (made into muffins)
- Whole-Grain Cornbread (made into muffins)
- Whole-Wheat Berry Muffins
- Pecan Maple Breakfast Cookies
- Easy Cheesy Crackers
- Kale Chips
- Homemade Powerballs
- Whole-Wheat Biscuits (good with butter and jelly) or Buttermilk Cheese Biscuits
- Cinnamon Glazed Popcorn
- Whole-Wheat “Baked” Donuts
Share your snack ideas with us in the comments below!
Mara’s Peanut-Thai Pasta and Feta Pasta Salad
We shared these snack ideas this holiday season. My baby loves it! Every bite burst with happiness, it’s like the heaven opened its gates. This is so good, so thumbs up!
I am loving the inclusion of fruits and vegetables. 2019 is the time for a healthier version of you. Thanks for this.
OMG! Thanks for this article. I am now committing myself to eat healthier this 2019. With this, I can stay fit and avoid any sickness for the coming year ahead. Xoxo.
What kind of jelly do you recommend? I was worried about all the sugar.
Hi. Look for an organic all fruit version. I buy Crofters most commonly.
Wonderful ideas! I just went down the list with one of my boys because he is so picky. I was stumped on what have for a snack for him after school. We did find some solutions. Thanks for sharing!
This could also be another idea for parents out there to give to their kids as sort of snacks. With this, we can ensure that we provide them with a healthy snack.
Your ideas are great. Thanks for sharing
I want this Homemade Granola Bars and Whole-Wheat Banana Bread. Thanks for sharing these ideas.
OMG I love the idea of homemade Pop Tarts! I’m always looking for variety in snacks for travel and this is a good inspiration list.
Hello! Do you have a recommendations for whole wheat pretzels? I can’t
seem to find any at our local stories that follow real food rules, and my kids & hubby LOVE pretzels. Any recommendations?
Hi there. My favorite is Unique Sprouted Whole Wheat Pretzels.
Snack idea 44 says Triscuits. While Triscuits are made with only 3 ingredients (whole grain wheat, canola oil, sea salt), I know that canola oil is bad for us: it is a synthetic oil discovered in Canada (hence its name). What do think about this? Thank you.
Canola oil is from rapseed, the variety of plant was bred in Canada, but it is not synthetic. you can check wikipedia or other sources for more information.
Hi Patricia. This was an early post and Lisa really does not use Triscuits anymore precisely because of the conola.
At a young age, we should already introduce our kids to healthy living. We should all start by giving them fruits snack perhaps or vegetables during meal time. Why we promote a healthy lifestyle? So that, while they are still young they would know the importance of being healthy and they can enjoy their lives today.
We offer books to children to teach them a healthy lifestyle. We do seminars and workshop here also! Just visit our website http://www.academyforhealthsuperheroes.com
These days, I love roasted chickpeas for snacking! They satisfy that need for something crunchy, and you can make them savory, spicy, or however you want!
What is the best substitute for whole wheat flour?
Hi. Spelt is a good sub for WW.
We love olives but could someone tell me what kind the “healthy” ones are please?
Great ideas
My daughter has a retainer and cannot eat nuts. I was wondering what other things she might be able to try.
Is there a printer-friendly version of this list? Lisa’s Facebook post suggested printing this and taping it to the pantry door, but when I try to print from my browser, it’s a mess.
Not yet, but we’ll see if we can put that in the works. – Nicole