Parenting Tips: Healthy Snacks for Kids

My kids love to snack. They are always hungry. And being the good mom that I am I buy lots of fruits, vegetables, whole grains - stuff that is good for them. Always with the best intentions. I walk through the grocery store with visions of baking healthy muffins and oatmeal cookies, tossing up delicious salads and blending frosty smoothies - all chock full of nutrition and “good” calories. Ha!

I arrive home from the store with bags (reusable, of course) full of healthy snacks - or actually raw materials that have the potential to become healthy snacks - no, really, let’s just call it bags full of work to do. It’s true, the healthiest foods take time to prepare. Pre-packaged snacks are often not as nutritionally sound as foods that take some time to get from fridge to table.

And more often than not, my good intentions go awry when one (or two, or three) week(s) later, I pull out some unrecognizable fruit or vegetable out of my produce drawer.

So now I am on a mission to provide healthy snacks for kids and reduce food spoilage as well. I have come up with a simple one, two method that does take time, but not as much as my original ambitions.

The first step is to set my sights low. No more grand plans of spinach souffle’s and the like. When I hit the produce department at the grocery store I buy fruits and vegetables that require minimal preparation. I shop when I know that I will have an hour or so at home afterwards available to “process” my groceries.

When I get home, I wash and cut and peel the produce I just bought. Carrot and celery sticks go into one container, washed grapes in another, strawberries that have been cleaned and hulled in another. And a bowl of apples, oranges, and bananas on the counter. If I buy a brick of cheese, I slice the whole thing and wrap it up. You get the idea.

One important rule on this road to healthy snacks. Never wash just one. If I buy a bag of apples, I wash all of them. A box of strawberries - the whole package gets prep-ed. This way something healthy is always at the ready when someone’s tummy gets rumbly.

Now I know, sometimes (once in a blue moon) I just might fall a smidgen behind and not have something prepared at that critical moment when my child is “dying” of hunger. In that case I try choose pre-packaged healthy snacks for kids like Cheerios Snack Mix or Fizzix Yogurt - just on those rare occasions mind you.

I was recently contacted by a representative General Mills to review their new Cheerios Snack Mix. Since I am always looking for healthy ways to fill my kid’s seemingly bottomless tummies, was happy to give it a try.

I promptly received in the mail one bag of the cheddar flavor of Cheerios Snack Mix. Upon tearing open the bag of Cheerios Snack Mix our family’s unanimous vote was - Yum!

Now that the important stuff was out of the way, I took a closer look at the facts.

It seems that I am not the only parent in search of healthy, convenient and tasty snacks for my kids. To provide parents a solution to this problem General Mills created Cheerios Snack Mix. The first step in the right direction is that Cheerios Snack Mix is baked, not fried. It contains MultiGrain Cheerios cereal, Chex cereal, pretzels, crackers, and seasoning. It is similar to Chex Mix (also by General Mills) but in my opinion Cheerios Snack Mix Cheddar flavor is more tasty.

Taking a closer look at the nutrition information, I see that one serving of Cheerios Snack Mix is about 2/3 cup and there are approximately 7 servings in each 8 oz. bag. For our family, that serving size was a little small - 1 cup was more satisfying. Each 2/3 cup serving contains 120 calories, 30 of which are from fat. However, Cheerios Snack Mix contains NO trans fats or cholestorol.

The “make mom happy” factors are that each serving of Cheerios Snack Mix contains 1g of fiber, 3g of protein, 4% of daily value for calcium and a whopping 30% daily value of iron.

Cheerios Snack Mix comes in two flavors - Original and Cheddar. Cheerios Snack Mix retails for about $2.59 per 8 oz. bag. For more information visit cheerios.com.

Cheerios Snack Mix is an excellent alternative to other empty calorie snacks that children like to eat (like potato chips, pretzels, and cheese curls). I, for one, will be adding Cheerios Snack Mix to my weekly shopping list.

Recently Yoplait sent me a free sample of a new product - Fizzix - Fizzy Yogurt Snack by Yoplait (the makers of GoGurt).

Fizzix is a new twist on an old favorite. Many of you are familiar with GoGurt (yogurt in tubes) that is a modern day lunchbox staple. Fizzix is also yogurt in tubes but it packs a new secret ingredient - carbonation. If your kids like soda or pop rocks, this is sure to be a hit. Think - fizzy yogurt.

The carbonation adds some unexpected fizz to the yogurt. It is a taste that reminds me of a cherry cream soda or ice cream float.

My family loves it. When I first offered my kids the Fizzix, I just told them that it was a new kind of yogurt. They assumed it was a new flavor. When they tried and experienced the fizzy taste, their eyes widened with surprise. I took a box out to a neighborhood block party and many of the kids there had the same reaction. And yes, the overwhelming response was - “Yum!”.

We also froze a box of this yogurt novelty. And while we also like it frozen, the fizziness is not as pronounced.

You may think that Fizzix is for kids, but I have to say that my husband and I both like it too. Perhaps they should make a cup version for grown ups.

Fizzix comes in boxes containing the following flavors:

• Blue Raspberry Rage/ Strawberry Watermelon Rush
• Wild Cherry Zing/ Strawberry Lemonade Jolt
• Triple Berry Fusion/ Fruit Punch Charge

Fizzix is now shipping. Keep an eye out for it in the dairy section of a supermarket near you.

To read more food reviews check out: Cheerios Snack Mix.

Robert’s American Gourmet has recalled all of their Veggie Booty snacks due to possible salmonella contamination.

This is one of my kids favorites (mine, too!).

Kudos to Robert’s for acting quickly on this serious health issue.

To read about other (and at this point better) choices of snacks for kids - read Cheerios Snack Mix and Fizzix Fizzy Yogurt.

We’ve all heard the warnings: sugar is bad for kids, limit the sweets, buy healthy snacks……

But let’s face it - kids love sweets.

And although I generally buy healthy snacks, I also tend to indulge their sweet tooth from time to time.

So now I ask - are all sweets created equal? The answer is NO.

Gummy Candies vs Ice Cream
Given a choice between gummy candies (or fruit snacks) and ice cream -the ice cream is the clear winner. Granted, it has bad stuff like fat and sugar but it also has protein from milk and possibly nuts.

The gummy candy usually translates to all sugar and sticks to teeth (read: empty calories and cavities).

Cakes, Cookies, and Donuts
Cakes, cookies, and donuts vary depending on the recipe. These can contain trans fats and tons of calories. But certain brands are fine - you just need to read the ingredient label or make them yourself. You know, in your spare time. Sometimes, you can even sneak some oatmeal or bran into the recipe.

The bottom line: once you decide to offer up a sweet treat, choose the lesser evil (the more nutritious option).

Why not just let them enjoy, without worrying about nutrition?
Sometimes I do that, but usually if they are having a treat after a meal. This way, they have some good food in their bellies already.

If they come home from school starving, and in a moment of weakness, I give in to their pleas - then I prefer that they eat something with a little nutritional value like ice cream, or a (previously approved by me) muffin or cookie.

I know all of you healthy moms out there are screaming right now but my kids are very persistent. I find that this middle of the road approach works for me so I wanted to share it with you. Write me a comment and divulge some of your nutrition secrets.

For some middle of the road snacking alternatives read Cheerios Snack Mix and Fizzix Fizzy Yogurt.