Our kids these days are busy. With many school-aged kids competing in sports and other extracurricular activities, it is hard to keep up with whether or not they are eating properly. Add a picky toddler or two to the mix, and coming up with nutritious snacks can lead to a lot of frustration. There is no need to worry, though. Many of the things that kids love can be made into fast and easy snacks for kids on the go.
What kid doesn’t like peanut butter and jelly sandwiches? It may seem like a simple kids’ diet staple, but for a mom whose kids have hectic schedules, these snacks can be a saving grace. If you make them in the morning and wrap them properly, they stay fresh throughout the day. Pack them in the kid’s lunchbox, and even if they do not eat the sandwich during lunch, it might be just what they need for quick energy before soccer practice or basketball games.
Another fast and easy snack for kids on the go is trail mix. With its mix of nuts, dried fruit and the occasional chocolate piece, trail mix is something that kids really love. Pack a small bag of it in their book bags, and it will provide the protein and carbohydrates that they need to get through the day.
If you have a busy toddler around the house, you know how hard it is to get them to sit down for a decent meal. However, before you go out and buy those nutritional supplement drinks that advertisers often market for the one to four year old age group, you should try making your own. A frozen banana, a teaspoon of apple juice concentrate, a cup of milk and a tablespoon of wheat germ is all you need to make a nutritious shake for your little one. Blend it up until it’s really smooth, and watch your tot gulp it down in minutes.
While most families think of it as breakfast food, cereal is another great snack for kids on the go. Whether they have time to sit and eat it with milk between activities or they pack their favorite cereal in a snack bag to eat it dry, cereal has nutrients that will keep your kids healthy and curb their appetites for other not-so-healthy snacks.
For on the go kids who come home hungry after school, little homemade pizzas are a great quick snack. You can spread pizza sauce on an english muffin or bagel and top it with cheese, bacon bits and pepperoni or anything else your kids might like. Pop them in the oven right before the kids get home, and take them out when they are slightly toasted on the bottom with the cheese melted on top. These snacks will be gone before you know it.
Even the busiest families do not have to rely on the school snack machines to provide between meal sustenance for kids. There are many fast and easy snacks for kids on the go that are healthier than chips and soda, and do not take that much more time to prepare.