Back to School Snacks

Are your kids famished when they come home after school? Mine are! I am preparing for our “back-to-school” mentally and collecting ideas to make the transition from summer to school easy and fun this year. I love the suggestions that have been linked up recently with healthy snacks and drink ideas sure to fill the bellies and put smiles on the faces of our children.

• Avoid the juice and flavor water for your kids to hydrate before they go off to the afternoon activity. Love this idea from Healthy Mama, she flavors her kids water with lemon slices and mint sprigs.
• Enjoy beans and pretzels – this recipe is “Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Dip” but it is healthy – kids won’t even know what they are eating!
• Create “icecream” for the kids from frozen bananas. Yummy!
• Have a pro-biotic and antioxidant-rich Yogurt-Berry Popsicle ready to help ward off the back-to-school yuckies – I think I will add a teaspoon of elderberry to mine!
• Here is another yogurt and berries idea – make smoothie stars – great for tots too!
• Be silly and create Apple faces for the kids from halves of apples and candy toppings.
• Kids love “fun” snacks. Fruit leather is one of “those” snacks at our house, rare and cherished by the kiddos. Make your own with these instructions.

• Everything is more interesting on a stick! Skewer fruit, cheese and a treat on a stick for a fun “wand” of food.
• Make them work for their snack. Hide it in different parts of the house and give them a “treasure food” map for them to follow.
• Have a frozen banana buffet treat. Freeze the banana in advance and then offer topping options for your kids to enjoy their snack.
• Need something more filling? Make a savory roll – I tried this recipe, so easy the kids can make them and they freeze well!
• Work on the spelling list while you snack with these homemade alphabet cheese crackers

…and our personal favorite after-school snack are soft pretzels.  These are SO yummy and addictive!

What do your kids love to eat when they get home from a day full of learning?  Stop by our Facebook page and let us know!!  Thanks for linking up to our weekly It’s Playtime Meme.  We love to feature posts included on facebook, pinterest, and on our blogs.  By linking up you are giving us permission to grab and image and link back to you.  Also, we’ll add you to our weekly newsletter.  Can’t wait to browse all the activities you’ll link up this week!

.