Friday, July 15, 2011

Healthy Kid Snacks.

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This looks so fun & yummy! Our household will def be trying this!


If you are friends with me on facebook then I am sure you saw my status last night about a kid Jace's age (16 months) eating cotton candy at the baseball game. I so badly wanted to tap that mother on the shoulder & kindly tell her to throw it away. Of course, that is none of my business whatsoever. I will never tell another mother what she "should" do without her permission. I know I don't like the recommendations myself. Now, don't get me wrong... I let Jace try things like ice cream & new foods. What I don't do is let him indulge in anything that is going to create bad habits. I don't believe in being an extremist but I do believe in making healthy choices for you & your kids. Your kids will imitate what you do. So, this brings me to today's blog: Healthy Kid Snacks. I want to share with you some creative ideas I have found for kids. I know when I was a child I looked forward to snack time at my Aunt Jolene's house in the summers & I am sure most kids do! So, why not make it fun? :)

Healthy Kid Snacks:

Cheese & Fruit Kabobs:

The protein in this kid-friendly snack keeps energy levels high until dinnertime. We like to stick salt-free pretzel sticks into cubes of low-fat cheese to make "satellite snacks," but you can also make cheese more interesting to kids by cutting it into fun shapes with a cookie cutter and making kabobs with your favorite fruit.


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Green Apple:

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Jace loves eating a green apple at the baseball games! We pack one each night into our bag & it not only is healthy for him but it keeps him busy too! Kids his age like to feel independent & boy does he feel like a big boy eating his apple. It's actually pretty entertaining. (we still cut the pealing off for him)

Fruit Smoothies:


After our evening runs together Jace & I usually share a fruit smoothie. It's a great alternative to ice cream (my husband would say it's not even comparable to ice cream as he is an ice cream guru! ha!). Fewer calories & you can even sneak in the veggies your kids might not like by themselves. 

*You can also make these into freeze pops & eat them like Popsicle's! All you need is popsicle sticks & popsicle trays to freeze them!

Vitamins:


Jace likes to take Manna Bears or we like to get the vitamins from our Whole Foods Market. I recommend researching into what vitamins you get for your child but it is ultimately your decision on what you give them! I stick with multi-vitamins that help their immune system. Jace hasn't been sick much at all... thank the Lord!

Broccoli:


Keep fresh veggies & fruits in your fridge that are ready to eat. I like to go buy broccoli, cauliflower, grapes, & strawberries. Cut them up & store them in the fridge so if any of us get the urge to "snack" we can have healthy choices available. We also try to add a few pieces of broccoli to our plates so that we all are encouraging each other to eat more greens. Jace enjoys chewing on broccoli but I doubt it's his favorite... actually I know it's not. He does like to carry it around bc he sees us doing it. For now we are pretty cool in his book... wondering how much longer I can soak up this coolness? ;) Even if your kids don't think they like it you are still encouraging them in a positive way! 

These are very practical tips on giving your kids healthy snack options, however, it's always a nice reminder. By no means am I perfect at this or any other advice I give you. I strive to be better at everything I do & this is definitely one of them. I have come to enjoy eating healthy & encouraging my son to as well! 

What's your favorite healthy snack?? 

Today's tip: Go here to learn how you can plan your meals each week for your family! It's a great tool a friend recommended to me & I am looking forward to using it a lot this off-season. It gives you recipes, grocery lists, & approx. costs! Great tool!!


Influence someone in a healthy way today! 

Be healthy!








4 comments:

  1. I love all of these healthy snack ideas...but wait until your second child, it gets much harder ;) We eat healthy at our house most of the time, but sometimes a kid just needs some cotton candy, LOL! The fruit kabobs are super cute!!!!

    I really like IntraKid by Drucker Labs. It's a liquid multivitamin (liquid is absorbed better) and is organic and pharmaceutical grade. It contains probiotics and omega-3's as well! A daily probiotic supplement, Omega-3 gummy (DHA + EPA) and Vitamin D3 is a good idea as well.

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  2. Thanks Kelli Ann! Yes, I have been told that I don't do things the right way even with my first child so I am sure my second one will be even worse...bahahaha! I do try my best to be a good example & make an effort on his eating though! Every now & again it's ok to have something sweet... it's just when it's all the time I have struggled with it being ok. I am sure you agree though!

    I am going to have to look into those liquid vitamins. Really good to know!!! Thanks for reading :)

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  3. You're welcome! I love your blog. I always read it! Reid ate only organic until he was about 13 months old, but it's been so much harder with LilliAnn! I haven't been as strict with her diet :( I did, however, wait longer to introduce juice and I try and give her water most of the time. She LOVES water and Reid will barely drink it! I guess that's a plus :)

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  4. Thank you! That is great!! I wish I would have given Jace organic baby food but honestly with as much as we travel I highly doubt it would have even been doable. I hope to with our second child though... I want to get a baby bullet or something along those lines. Jace loves juice but has grown to love milk & water more.... especially in the AZ heat.

    I love all your pictures you post! You seem like such a great mommy as I am sure you are!!!! :)

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