Creating snacks doesn’t mean making a choice between healthy or delicious. You can have it all including ones the kids will love! After school snacks are a great way to get more whole foods into your children with lots of delicious choices. Three things to keep in mind are whole foods, color, and protein.
Let’s start with whole foods. Fruits and veggies make good snack items when you dress them up to make them appealing to kids. Some examples: apple slices with fresh, natural almond or peanut butter, carrots and celery with a low fat dipping sauce, or low fat plain yogurt with fresh berries.
Adding color can make it more interesting and more nutritious. Each color in the fruits and vegetables offer a variety of nutrients, with the color adding to the appeal to the kids and the nutrients appealing to the parents. The key is to keep it natural.
Since our bodies don’t store protein and it’s needed for our cellular growth and maintenance, so including this in snacks (for adults & kids) is always a good idea. It can be as simple as a small handful of nuts along with a piece of fruit or pure nut butter (peanut or almond) on banana’s or apple slices. Another option is a smoothie made with fat free yogurt or almond milk, fresh fruit and Chia seeds.
When only cookies will do, make a double batch with reduced sugar and whole grain flour. They can be made in big batches and stored in the freezer to enjoy for several weeks. These along with a glass of milk or non-dairy almond milk make a great treat for everyone.
Since its strawberry season, I wanted to share an easy, delicious snack that contains whole grains, fresh fruit, and cinnamon which is tasty and has lot’s of healthy benefits. And don’t forget to make it fun for everyone by using cookie cutters and making fun designs. Enjoy!
Strawberries and Cream Cinnamon Snack
Ingredients
2 TBS Cream Cheese (reduced fat)
4 medium Strawberries, sliced
1 tsp Cinnamon *(my favorite is Saigon Cinnamon:)
1 tsp raw sugar (I use Coconut Palm Sugar)
1/8 Cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil
4 slices of thin whole grain bread (1/4” – 1/2” slices) – approx. 4” diameter (*great alternative is whole grain sandwich wrap)
Directions
- Preheat oven to 350 deg.
- Brush olive oil on top & bottom layer of bread
- Sprinkle on cinnamon and sugar mixture, very lightly. Then spread with brush to even out.
- Place in oven on cookie sheet & bake for approximately 6-8 min. (for flat sandwich wrap) ** Start checking at 5 min to ensure it doesn’t burn. Remove when starting to turn slightly brown & is a little crunchy.
- Let bread cool for 5 minutes then spread cream cheese on each slice.
- Top 2 slices with sliced strawberries, then place other bread slice on top (cinnamon side down).
- Cut in half and serve.
Tips
** When choosing whole grain wraps or bread, look for > 3 grams Fiber, and < 1 gram sugar per 100 calorie or less serving, and try to choose all natural ingredients.
