Last week we went on vacation to Switzerland and I knew I would need to prepare lots of snacks for the flight for myself, my husband and my 16 month old. I am a total believer in snacks. I always feel like I need something in between meals and I would rather it be something that adds nutrition rather than empty calories. This is true also for my son who is always asking for something to eat.
If you search for "healthy snacks for toddlers" on Google you will get 10.8 BILLION results. Ok that is just WILD. I guess us moms have one thing in common. We want our kids to have healthy snacks. And toddlers love to eat them. Most of those results give you long lists of various creative and easy snacks that you could offer your child. I will link 5 of the best sites and Instagram accounts I've found below. But first I wanted to share with you my top 5 easy and healthy snack ideas that work for us. Each one of those can be customized to suit yours or your toddlers tastes, appetite and what you have on hand. I hope this will be helpful!
1. Yogurt
Yogurt is a great way to add nutrition to mine and my son's diet especially since we both absolutely love it. I like to add mix-ins such as nut butters, chia seeds, ground flax seeds and thawed frozen fruit. For more on yogurt as a snack or healthy breakfast and lots of other ideas see my post on the topic.
2. Pancakes, Snack Cake or Muffin
Pancakes are an underappreciated snack option. They are perfect because they pack nutrition and can be eaten cold making them great for on-the-go. Pancakes are made with eggs and you could also add a tablespoon of nut butter to the mix for the extra protein. There you go - a perfect snack protein fat and carbs. Same idea relates to snack cakes such as my zucchini cake or any type of muffin as long as they are not heavy on the sugar.
3. Sandwich with a healthy spread or rice cake and a fruit
Bread is not considered the healthiest option when it comes to snacks but it is convenient and when you add a healthy spread such as a natural nut butter or avocado it can be pretty good. Plain rice cakes with no added salt are also a convenient option for on-the go. I always have a pack ready for the next breakdown while doing errands. I do also try to add a fruit such as Clementine or strawberries for some extra vitamins when the main snack is a sandwich.
4. Bliss Balls - Health Bombs
I'm not sure what took me so long to try making bliss balls at home but I am totally obsessed. There are so many recipes online but they are also so easily customizable based on what you have or what you like. Also, you don't really need any measuring cups because the dough is so forgiving, once you get the hang of the relative amounts of liquid and dry you are all set. Check out my beetroot bliss ball recipe here.
5. Cut up Vegetables and a puree smoothie
Some vegetables that you could cut up into slices easily and put in a container are peppers, cucumbers , and carrots. A homemade puree or smoothie in a reusable pouch or a store bought one is really convenient.
Now for some of my favorite websites and IG accounts for snacking inspiration:
1. For a real master list of just about any snack you could think of check out
https://www.yummytoddlerfood.com/recipes/snacks-recipes/master-snack-list
2. If you are looking for some extra-special creative snacks check out the list on thebump.com
https://www.thebump.com/a/healthy-snacks-for-kids
3. For nutrition snacking tips as well as ideas for snacks check out family.snack.nutritionist on instagram.
4. For fun and easy snack ideas as well as creative ways to add variety to meals and snacks check out kidfriendly.meals on instagram
5. I also recently found my.little.food.critic on instagram as well as the blog. You'll find tons of creative ideas to make snack time interesting.
https://mylittlefoodcritic.blog/
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