More Snack Ideas

 

I've recently talked with some friends about what they wanted to see on my blog.  Almost everyone has asked for more quick, easy, on-the-go type snacks for themselves and more importantly their kids. I totally understand the need for something you can throw in your purse or diaper bag when you are flying out the door - this seems to be a common scenario at our house too.  Here are a few more ideas in addition to my previous snack post. 

 

My friend Ashley reminded me about Lara bars recently.  I love all their flavors and so do my kids.  They are all natural with fruit and nuts - no flour, sugar, or additives.  There are a few that do add chocolate chips, which has the tiniest amount of sugar, but I still think these are overall an okay choice because it's so minimal. 

 

One of my favorite places to shop has got to be Costco.  I can buy all kinds of great things there and snack items are no exception.  I buy these freeze dried fruit pouches in a huge box with lots of variety, like apples, bananas, strawberries, mangoes, pears, and cinnamon apples.  They have no added sugar and are easy to throw in lunch boxes or in your bag for a snack.  I also like to take some of these and cut them up to add to homemade granola - yum!

 

Another great Costco find are these all natural fruit leathers.  Talk about portable, they come individually wrapped and are so thin they can fit in any bag no matter how full.  Again, they are all fruit with no added refined sugar - can't beat that for kid pleasing and guilt free. 

 

My local Trader Joe's has these little cuties all portioned and prepackaged which makes them perfect for on-the-go.  I love nuts and all their health benefits.  My kids really enjoy these cashews and the almond variety too.  If you don't have a Trader Joe's, no problem - just buy raw nuts and portion them out into individual snack sized bags that are ready to grab anytime.  You could even do this with a nut medley too.  So good!

 

I really haven't wanted my kids to feel deprived and have to say to people "I'm not allowed to have that."  I want them to feel like regular kids, just more well informed, and as they get older I hope they will make the best food choices on their own.  However, not feeling different comes with finding good swaps for classic kids snacks, hence the juice box.  My kids flip for a juice box - really I don't see the incredible appeal, but for a special outing, I let them take a juice box with them.  I like these two brands in particular because they have no added sugar - a must if you are going to even buy juice boxes in the first place.  Another thing I like about them is they are super small and my kids already know that once they are finished, they can have either water or milk after that. 

I hope this helps to add a few more ideas to stock your pantry when you don't have a lot of time and also don't want to opt for something overly processed.