After a busy day of learning and recess, children often come home hungry from school and ready for a snack.
Snacks are a great opportunity to provide your child with healthy options that can replenish their energy and hold them over until dinner. Of course, having a wide variety of nutritious snacks to choose from can seem like quite the endeavor to undertake; especially after a long day of work or running errands. Luckily, with a little forethought, having a wide array of healthy foods ready to go after school is quite easy to accomplish.
One of the simplest ways to go about this is by creating your own after school snack station. It doesn’t need to be fancy, just filled with some of your family’s favorite healthy snack choices. As the reserves run low, simply restock as needed.
To create your own snack station, you need the following:
- A plastic container with multiple compartments or a plastic veggie tray
- An assortment of your family’s favorite snacks – the healthy ones!
- A few minutes at the end of each day or beginning of each week
Once you have everything you need to build your snack station, remember to keep it restocked so your kids can easily grab the healthy treat of their choice and continue on with their day. The easier it is to grab something healthy, the more likely they are to eat it.
To speed things up even more, pre-wash and cut fruits and veggies, and pre-portion crackers, nuts and trail mixes into individual baggies.
To make your snack station diverse and delicious, fill it to the brim with:
- Sliced fruit or sliced veggies with individual cups or baggies of hummus
- Individual baggies of healthy, whole grain homemade trail mix, cereal, or granola
- Whole wheat crackers or baked pita wedges
- Cheese slices or cheese sticks
- Yogurt
- HFCS-free peanut butter or almond butter
Your kids will love the fun of picking out their favorite snacks each day, and you will love knowing that your children are fueling their bodies with proper nutrition.
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