Healthy snack hacks
A few months ago, my 3-year-old son told me, "Mom, I only like to eat mac and cheese and Goldfish!" I wanted to argue with the determined little man, but to my mommy horror, I realized the only thing I could add to his list was string cheese. In that moment, I acknowledged that feeding my child processed cheese in three different shapes was not OK.
Today, I am sharing my unhealthy snack hacks that are quick, healthy and have actually put a smile on my kids' faces!
Bars
My kids love store-bought granola bars. They like to pick out the chocolate chips and leave the granola crumbs all over the backseat of the mom-mobile. So, as a "bar" snack hack I made these awesome homemade Larabars. I wrap them individually in parchment paper like they are huge Tootsie Rolls and keep them in my bag. They are awesome right before swim lessons or after school. The best part? My kids devour them.
Put it on a stick
One thing I have realized about my children is that they are super easy to fool, which is great. If one day they say they hate grapes, and that black olives make them want to fall over and die, all this sneaky mommy needs to do is put the once-hated food on a stick and it transforms into the best snack ever. Some of my favorite snacks to put on sticks include: frozen fruit, olives and meat or even an entire sandwich.
Roll it up
Like putting food on sticks, rolling up food seems to completely change how it tastes. A favorite after-school snack that is easy to tote around is the monkey roll-up. Take a tortilla or wrap of your choice, spread it with peanut butter, then stick a banana in it and roll it up. I know, super easy, right! Your mom-friends will tell you to start your own food blog, and your kids will love it!
Make it a chip
I am all about trickery to get my kids to eat things they normally wouldn't. I recently purchased one of these, and I have been making everything into a chip. I love it because the chips are easy to make, easy to store and easy to take with us. All of a sudden, my children are eating (and enjoying) things like kale, zucchini, apples, pears and sweet potatoes. Win.
Noodle it
Like the chips, I realized that turning a healthy whole food into a curly noodle also makes it the most amazing snack hack ever. I splurged on one of these babies and could not be happier! I have "noodled" carrots, apples, beets and sweet potatoes. I even super-hacked the beloved mac and cheese and made "orange mac and cheese" for my son. He had no idea he was really eating cheesy sweet potato noodles instead of loads of white flour and MSG.
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Tell us:
Tell us:These are the healthy hacks that have worked for my family. What are your go-to healthy snacks?
For more snack hacks check out
Top 10 healthy snacks for kids
5 Super-portable after school snacks
Healthy snack packs at home