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!