5 Snacks for Kids Under 100 Calories

There are thousands of complex recipes available for low calorie kids' snacks. The truth is with snacks for kids, it's best to keep it simple. Most kids are confused or intimidated by overly complex food. I find it's best to stick with a few simple, raw ingredients that kids can easily recognize. Making kids' snacks with a handful of raw ingredients is also healthier, as you expose them to fewer preservatives, artificial sugars, and all the other junk that goes into processed and packaged foods.

My first suggestion is a classic called "Ants on a Log." This healthy snack for kids can be as fun for them to make for themselves as eat. Simply cut celery into sticks about 3-4 inches long. Fill the celery trough with peanut butter and dot the top of the peanut butter with raisins. The celery gives a cool, calorie-free crunch to the snack. The peanut butter adds protein and distracts the kids from the taste of the celery. The raisins add sweetness and fiber. One tablespoon of peanut butter should have about 90 calories. Five raisins add about 4 calories. One 4-inch strip of celery will give you less than 1 calorie, making each serving of this snack for kids less than 95 calories total, and packed with protein, vitamins, fiber, and taste.

Mini pizzas are another great low-calorie snack for kids that they will have a blast making themselves. Use crackers or half of a mini bagel as the "crust." Spread a little tomato or pizza sauce on them. Rather than calorie-rich pepperoni or sausage, top your pizza with chopped green peppers and onions. We've used this recipe at camp before, and I was shocked at how much the kids loved the pepper and onion toppings. Top the mini pizza off with some shredded parmesan cheese and microwave until the cheese is melted. Half of a mini bagel has about 35 calories. One tablespoon of canned pizza sauce adds about 9 calories (and tons of vitamin A). One tablespoon of green peppers is less than 2 calories, and a tablespoon of chopped onions is 4 calories. Adding a tablespoon of shredded parmesan cheese adds about 20 calories, as well as calcium and protein, completing this well-rounded healthy kids' snack. Do the math and you'll find that mini pizzas total about 70 calories per mini bagel, making them a fun and delicious low calorie snack for kids.

Trail mix is a great low calorie snack for kids on the go. Not just for the trails anymore, trail mix is great for car rides, bus rides home from school. Trail mix is also easy to munch on while watching TV or working on homework. Fancy party trail mix usually involves calorie-rich butter, salt, seasonings, and painfully attentive baking, but the low calorie mix for kids does not have to be so strenuous to put together. Low calorie kids trail mix can be as simple as throwing their favorite cereals and a few surprises in a plastic bag and shaking until it's all mixed together. I suggest Honey Nut Cheerios, to add sweetness that kids love, Chex, raisins, or other dried fruit like pineapple. Avoid overly salty, high-calorie additions like pretzels. Also avoid adding candy like chocolate, only because it will encourage the kids to fish through the rest of the mix One-quarter cup of honey-nut cheerios has about 35 calories in it. The same amount of Rice Chex has less than 25 calories. An ounce of raisins contains nearly 85 calories. Split the half cup of mix between two kids and you have a healthy, filling snack of less than 75 calories each.

My final two suggestions are as simple as they come. Kids crave sugar and sweets more than we adults do, and tend to shy away from more bitter tastes. But instead of feeding kids sugary, high-calorie snacks, I suggest that you take advantage of healthy natural sugars in fruits. Apples and pears, for example, are sweet tasting fruits that children will love to eat. One small apple has about 77 calories, and over 3 grams of fiber! One small pear has about 86 calories and over 4.5 grams of fiber. Chop fruits and combine them for new and interesting flavors, or slice them and use honey or caramel sauce to dip. This will be a low calorie snack your kids love!

Similarly, for another low calorie snack for kids, try fresh berries, like strawberries (about 4 calories each), raspberries (1 calorie each), or blueberries (less than 1 calorie each). Rather than adding sugar, combine the berries with a half cup of skim milk (43 calories) or yogurt (75 calories) to counter their tartness. For less than 100 calories, you can create a great-tasting and healthy snack for your kids.