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7 Delicious Snacks for After School (or Work)
Disclaimer: I was provide a variety of samples from Simple Mills in exchange for a social post. As always, the thoughts and opinions in the post are entirely my own.
Happy fall y’all! I cant believe school is back in session and summer if officially over. It seems like these first few weeks of the school year are all about getting back into the swing of things. Waking up early, managing new schedules, and adjusting to busy family life again can feel so overwhelming and hectic.
September is Childhood Obesity Awareness Month so, I thought it was a great time to highlight a few delicious (and healthy) snacks for after school or after work when life just gets a little too hectic. According the the Centers for Disease Control, the percentage of children and adolescents affected by obesity has more than tripled since the 1970’s. Many factors contribute to childhood obesity including short sleep duration, genetics, metabolism, and even eating and physical activity behaviors.
Did you know the average person makes over 200 food decisions each day? With so many opportunities, it’s super important to stock your kitchen and present your kids with healthy and delicious snack options to help instill lasting healthy habits. A healthy snack should satisfy them for after school activities or the next few hours before dinner without ruining their appetite.
Let’s take a look at the following guidelines for choosing and preparing healthy after school snacks.
Limit Processed Foods
Whole foods tend to be the most nutritious but it is okay to choose a few convenience foods you can trust. We know it’s not realistic to make everything from scratch! For example, it is great to keep a hummus, a nut or seed butter without added oils and sugars, low added sugar yogurt, or crackers (I love Simple Mills Almond Flour Crackers!) on hand.
Include a Fruit or Veggie
Snack time is a great opportunity to present fruits and veggies in different ways. Fruit isn’t just for breakfast and veggies shouldn’t only be served with dinner. Try a fruit salad, a fruit parfait, fruit smoothie, veggies with dip, or experiment with veggies cut into different shapes or cooked versus raw.
Low Added Sugar
A little bit of sugar is appropriate to enhance flavor and to encourage a positive outlook on food and food choices without restriction. But, a high sugar snack will give your kids a quick burst of energy and lead to a crash shortly after.
Make it Last Till Dinner
Include a source of fiber, protein, or fat to increase satiety and help them feel satisfied until dinner. Fiber, protein, and fat take longer to digest than simple carbs and can prevent a crash in energy.
Here are a few simple, delicious, and healthy snacks your kids will love! What are your go-to after school snacks?
- Homemade Snack Mix Include whole grains, nuts, seeds, and dried fruit. Try seasoning with nutritional yeast, cinnamon, chili powder, or other herbs and spices. We love this Spicy Maple Cheddar Snack Mix recipe.
- Almond Flour Crackers with Avocado Slices Simple Mills Almond Flour Crackers are great because they use a nut and seed blend as a base and provide 2-4 grams of protein, 6-9 grams of fat (mostly from nuts!), and 2 grams of fiber. Top with sliced avocado or homemade guacamole.
- Low Sugar Yogurt Parfaits These are a fun way to get the kids involved. Provide a healthy base of a lower sugar yogurt and various toppings (nuts, seeds, granola, fruit, etc.) for them to make it their own. Try this Banana Berry Crunch Parfait recipe for a simple homemade granola.
- Hummus or Honey Mustard Dip with Veggies Present veggies in different ways with fun homemade dips. Try this hummus or this Honey Mustard Dip.
- Ants on a Log This classic, well balanced snack offers fruits, veggies, and a healthy source of protein and fat. If your kids don’t like celery swap it for apple slices, carrot sticks, or Simple Mills crackers. Top with hemp, chia, or ground flaxseed, and dried blueberries, currants, or cranberries for a fun and healthy twist.
- DIY Cheese Board Cheese boards offer great variety and presentation! Include different types of cheeses, fresh and dried fruits, Simple Mills Sea Salt Almond Flour Crackers, and veggies too! Allow the kids to pick and choose their favorites.
- Low Fat Cottage Cheese with Fruits or Veggies Like yogurt, cottage cheese pairs well with most fruits and because it has a neutral flavor, it also pairs well with most veggies too! Top it with chia, sunflower, pumpkin or flax seeds for an added boost.
For more healthy snack ideas, sign up for a FREE 3-day trial of our meal plans, no credit card required. The meal plans include a healthy snack each day and the recipe box function allows you to sort by snacks to find more ideas your family will love. All meal plan recipes are dietitian created and approved!
Priscilla Askew, NDTR
Priscilla Askew is a Nutrition & Dietetic Technician, Registered. She loves all things related to health & fitness and blogs about her adventures in running, triathlon, and nutrition.
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Healthy lifestyle tips
21 Sep 2019Once we grow up, the physical activities become lesser, thanks to modern equipments and lifestyle; there is little need to do any physical labor. Every basic chore than once man had to do himself, like, sweeping, moping, or washing clothes, dish washing or even gardening is anymore a part of his chore. Machine does it all! Walking is an activity that was once never mentioned, today we barely walk, excepting on the treadmill as a forced exercise! The rest of the time there are 2 wheelers and 4 wheelers to replace our legs! With television becoming a 24×7 entertainment in every home, even children watch more programs that actual physical games. Thus there is a making of couch potatoes in the being further. Can we expect a good health in the given scenario? A good life is a discipline that has to be imposed up on oneself. Determination, motivation and the desire to be as fit as when in youth is the driving force for a good heath. It is never too late and nobody is too old to take the first step towards starting a healthy living. Enjoying a nutritious diet with more physical activities, and regular walking for minimum 4 kilometers is one of the best ways to begin. A healthy life style brings about radiance to your personality. Self confidence, mental strength, and a vibrant aura is just a concomitant to a quality living style!