Kids are picky eaters and are very hard to please. It is quite tough to find snacks that are not only tasty but healthy too. This article provides some nutritious snack recipes that kids would love to eat.
One never associates the word snack with anything nutritious or healthy. Moreover, one always assumes it to be bad for their health, full of fats, and calories which ruin our appetite for dinner. However, this is not true. Snacks are an essential part of one’s daily meal and one needs them to sustain themselves in between lunch and dinner. No doubt that the store-brought potato chips and nachos are fattening and far from being nutritious. But it need not be that snacks are only chips and burgers. One can have snacks that are healthy and tasty as well, with simple improvements in the normal preparation.
Healthy Snacks
Kids generally like to eat fried or sweet food and have an aversion for eating vegetables and fruits. However, the best way to make them eat the same, would be to sneak the vegetables in dips and frittatas. A very good nutritious snack would be fresh fruits but they would very likely not eat them. So, one can make a fruit smoothie or try fruit kabobs and see them eating fruits with relish. Here are some nutritious and tasty snack recipes:
Hummus with Crunchy Carrots
Ingredients
- 2 cans chickpeas, rinsed and drained
- 2 garlic cloves, crushed
- 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- ¼ cup tahini paste
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ cup water
- ½ tablespoon freshly ground black pepper
- 2 medium carrots
Method
In a food processor, whiz together the chickpeas and garlic. Add the water, tahini paste, lemon juice, extra virgin olive oil, salt, and pepper, and blend till it becomes a smooth paste. Wash and peel the carrots and chop them into long strips. Place the hummus in a bowl and serve them with the carrot strips.
This is a great way to make the children eat fresh carrots. Furthermore, chickpeas are full of fiber, iron, and vitamin B, which is necessary for proper cell formation. One can also add some crumbled feta cheese into the dip to make it more nutritious.
Deviled Eggs
Ingredients
- 6 hard-boiled eggs
- ¼ cup low-fat mayonnaise
- ½ tablespoon Dijon mustard
- 2 teaspoons fresh parsley, chopped
- 1 tablespoon Kalamata olives, chopped
- 2 tablespoons capers, chopped
- 1 tablespoon sun-dried tomatoes, chopped
- ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- ¼ teaspoon salt
Method
Cut the eggs carefully half lengthwise and remove the yolk. Place the yolks in a small bowl and add the chopped sun-dried tomatoes, mayonnaise, pepper, capers, Kalamata olives, Dijon mustard, salt, and chopped fresh parsley. With a fork, mix all the ingredients together until it becomes a smooth mixture. Gently spoon the mixture into the egg white half and serve with a sprinkling of fresh parsley.
Eggs are a very good source of protein, vitamin A and B12, and also contain other essential nutrients. This is one of the best nutritious snacks for kids at school and are appealing to even those children who generally do not like to eat eggs.
Granola
Ingredients
- 450 g rolled oats
- 120 g sunflower seeds
- 175 g apple sauce
- 100 g light brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon ground ginger
- 250 g whole natural almonds
- 120 g white sesame seeds
- 120 g brown rice syrup
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 4 tablespoons honey
- 300 g raisins
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 tablespoons sunflower oil
Method
Mix all the ingredients, except the raisins together in a large mixing bowl. Combine them well by using a spatula, until one gets a cohesive mixture. Spread the mixture into a baking tin or baking tray and bake it in a moderately hot oven for 40 minutes. When the granola turns golden, remove it from the oven and let it cool. Mix in the raisins and break granola into bite-sized pieces.
This is a healthy snack that one can make for their kids, and it would taste much better than the store-brought granola.
One should try getting their children involved while planning what snacks to make. Furthermore, one should remember that kids love variety, so one can try to come up with different variations in the snacks that are healthy.
