Healthy snack food ideas

[logiesmummy]

Hey all i am after any ideas on healthy snack foods for my 2 year old ds! Any ideas???

[UmmInayah]

What about sultanas or banana chips? Sultanas and Cranberries are a hit with my DD :)

[hayleysmummy]

:wave: Check out ourlittletreasure.com.au they have heaps of different recipes for kids

I've made these mini quiche things for DD with a slice of bread pushed into each hole of a miffun tin, crack an egg in each one and top with some cherry tomatos or bacon/ham and put them in the oven they keep well and DD loved them

[Electric Mumi]

I make popcorn for DS and put it in little snappy bags for daycare, he loves it!

I also send him with cheese stix or I cut cubes from a block, rice crackers and some ham\chicken\meat for him to nibble on.

Cut up carrot stix, dried apricots, almonds, a nice little mixture of things to choose from.

[cinnamonbear]

mmmm the banana chips sooo yummy.. the girls i used be a nanny for loved them!

also yogurt covered Sultanas and

Cranberries are another sweet option

all the dired fruit is yummy!

another thing is slice capsicum.. the red one is actually sweet tasting the girls loved it and so do i!

i used to cut up a big container once a week of capsicum, one of carrot sticks one mushrooms and another celery and when they wanted a snack it was ready to go in the fridge or the older child could help themselves..

if you dont introduce junk food.. and offer healthy options for a young age your child will be happier healthier and your shopping bill cheaper!

[babylover111]

What about sultanas or banana chips? Sultanas and Cranberries are a hit with my DD :)
I love banana chips but I hate to be the bearer of bad news but they aren't too healthy!

Fresh fruit is always the best way to go, cheese on biscuits the 9 grain vitaweets are good, peanut butter on celery and yoghurt.

[elissas]

Also be careful re dried fruits, particularly if there is a history of asthma in the family. Most dried fruits contain sulphites, a type of preservative. They are nasty for a number of reasons but particularly in relation to respiratory issues.

If your kids are coughing, specially at night, then definitely cut them out.

I get short of breath when I've had too many over a few days. DS was waking coughing at night because of them. :(

Sulphites are also in wine, balsamic vinegar and a lot of commercial fruit juices.

We just stick to all foods in their natural form as much as possible, and make as much from scratch as we can (DS is on the Failsafe diet and intolerant to a lot of additives and food chemicals, natural and synthetic).

[KapowSchazam]

I usually go for fruit or vegies cut up into toddler-sized pieces. I also make some hazelnut-meal cookies, which she loves as a special treat.

Her all-time favs are carrot sticks, or cherry tomatoes, or apple, or pears or bananas...and they're generally the easiest to have on hand!

[elissas]

I brush Mountain Bread cut into corn chip sized triangles with Crisco oil and put it in the oven till they're crisp.

I make up a big batch of veggie soup, blend it and freeze it in small snap lock bags as a serving of dip.

The Mountain Bread goes crispy like chips or bikkies and the dip is really yummy!

No need to use stock or sauces in it, kids need to get used to the natural flavour of food without it being loaded with glutamates and sodium.

Another one - I get the large tins of pears, drain the juice and puree it with a stick blender, freeze in portions. I add the pears to homemade natural yoghurt. You can add oatmeal or rice porridge if you like. Or some quinoa.

But really, the best stuff is the easiest - unprocessed natural food. Banana, apple, carrots, corn on the cob (this keeps them occupied too!), unprocessed grains. The main thing is to vary all the food chemicals so that they don't get an intolerance to any one thing (like too much wheat/gluten)

[KatiesMum]

I also tend to give DD dried cereal a lot as snacks.

- Cheerios, Nutrigrain (though not too much as that is a bit high in sugar), the little fruitibix weetbix are pretty standard snacks in my house

- Sultanas and popcorn are also pretty regular.

- For an extra special treat she gets yoghurt with 'sprinkles' (my DD would eat anything in the world if you put sprinkles on it :laughing:)

- She loves fruit so a banana or 'tainer of grapes are always available. These are actually pretty staple diet for her, are not a special treat.

- for a bigger snack, cheese toasties or bread with pizza sauce and vegie toppings with lots of melted cheese

The other thing I find is that the setting makes a huge difference to my DD. 2 days ago we had a 'picnic' in the back yard ... with Grandma and her dolly ... and she ate 3 HUGE bowls of pure vegies!!!!! If we go to the park and have a snack she is much more likely to eat fruit and healthy food (and be happy about it :laughing:) than if we go to the shops.

[bridee]

I've started making vegetable pikelets DD loves them. The recipe was in a Super Food Ideas. It was an adult recipe but I read it and thought DD could eat them. I'm going to make fruit pikelets as well.

[Christelle]

Could you please give me your recipe for the veggie pikelets!!??

[tyler's mum]

2 cup self raising flour (I use half wholemeal and half white self-raising flour) 6 eggs 4-5 cups of grated vegetables (ie. zucchini, pumpkin, carrot, peas, corn - slightly mashed) Herbs to taste (we love lots of chopped parsley) seasoning - veggie salt (small amount) & pepper Milk

[Jaileth]

fruit and veg, cheese, sultanas, jatz type bikkies, yogurt, etc.

ds has never really had any lollies - so a few weeks ago when I bought a bag of the natural confectionary lollies to share with him, he was more interested in playing with them than eating them. (they were the plane, cars and trains bag)