It’s back to school time which means hungrier kids than usual (if possible). That’s why I’m talking all about easy, healthy snacks for kids today.

In this episode, I’ll cover:

• How and why to make an eating schedule
• What are healthy snacks for kids?
• Should I serve a bedtime snack?

Listen in (up top) or watch (right below) or read on for more.

I know that you’re probably wondering what this has to do with snacks. And I’d like to humbly respond…everything.

Snacks are the answer to almost everything for parents.

Long car ride? Snacks.

After school? Snacks.

Grumpy? Snacks.

And while I do agree that snacks are a great feeding (and parenting) strategy. I think they are also the most common culprit for parents who are wondering “why won’t my kid eat dinner?”.

Enter, the eating schedule. (Or feeding schedule if you prefer.)

The ideal eating schedule, in my book, is the one that keeps your kid full and nourished without filling them up before meal times.

This means that it may vary day to day and certainly family to family. Here’s the one that works for us most of the time: (Note that times are pretty approximate)

• 7 am: Breakfast
• 10 am: Morning snack
• 12 pm: Lunch
• 3 pm: Heavy snack (if it’s a late dinner day and we’re eating closer to 6:30 this may be more like 2 and 4:30)
• 6 pm: Dinner
• 7:30 pm: Bedtime snack

And here’s an example of what those different meals and snacks might look like:

Obviously, the times on your schedule may look a little bit different from ours, but here are some things to consider:

• What are predictable times when I can provide meals and snacks for my kid?
• How can I give the opportunity to eat every 2-3 hours?
• How can I build balanced meals snacks so that they will carry my child through to the next eating event?

Many of these questions were inspired by my recent reading of “Secrets of Feeding a Healthy Family” by Ellyn Satter. If you are struggling with feeding your family well or want to know why food predictability and structure is so important, I highly recommend it.

Here’s one great quote: “Don’t just give food or beverage handouts (except for water) when your child begs for them, and don’t let her wander around while she eats.”

Want to know more about why a food schedule is so important? I talk all about it here.

Now that we have the logistics out of the way, let’s talk about what some examples of easy, healthy snacks to feed at your scheduled eating times.

This is such a good question and one that I’ve often wondered about as well.

Back to Ms. Satter and her book, in it, she offers a great explanation of how to build a balanced snack. Satter explains ” To taste good and to keep you satisfied until dinner time, a snack needs two to three foods and needs to include protein, fat, and carbohydrate.”

Some examples of what counts as protein, fat or carbohydrate:

• Protein and fat
  • Milk (2 percent or whole to include fat)
  • Cheese
  • Lunch meat
  • Nut butter
  • Hard-boiled eggs
  • Hummus
• Carbohydrates
  • Bread
  • Crackers
  • Juice
  • Fruit
  • Vegetables
  • Cereal or granola
  • Baked goods

Want to add a little more fat? There are some added fat options:

• Olive oil for dipping bread
• Butter or cream cheese for bread and baked goods
• Dip for vegetables

Here are some things I’ve put together based on the list above and fed my kids for snacks lately:

And here are some cool potential snack products I found while walking around Target:

This is the million dollar question for most of us after we’ve outlined a food schedule and built healthier, more balanced snacks.

Bad news. There is no clear answer on this one.

In fact, when I asked my Facebook followers about bedtime snacks, it was one of our most hotly debated topics in recent memory. Some examples:

In our house, we do serve a bedtime snack of either a banana or an apple. Sometimes, the kids get a little peanut butter with it.

For us, this has been a good compromise between fully shutting down the kitchen and giving them something that’s so good they hold out for it.

I hope that with this information on:

• When to serve snacks
• How to serve balanced snacks
• Whether to serve a bedtime snack

You’re all set to serve better, healthier snacks to your kids!

Have a great idea for a easy, healthy snack for kids? Tag me on Instagram!

Want ideas for easy, healthy snacks for kids? Follow me on Instagram!

The post Easy, Healthy Snacks for Kids appeared first on Cooking With a Full Plate.