Easy Back to School Snack Ideas

Something that I've learned in my 43 plus years in taking care of children is that hungry children are cranky children. If you see your child headed for a meltdown try and think of when was the last time they ate something. Because children are more active than adults they need a continuous flow of easy snacking type food to keep them going. One of the easiest is making sure that protein is always a part of whatever they are snacking on or eating. Protein sticks with us the longest and the body uses calories digesting it.

Protein can be in the form of string cheese or any other cheeses the child might like. Peanut or any nut butter is also excellent especially when you pair it with whole wheat toast or bread. Okay, you can use white bread--you have my permission. The point is to feed the child so you can head off a potential hunger tirade. Okay, so protein is a valuable ally--cottage cheese with any kind of fruit is a great snack. If the child doesn't want things mixed or to touch each other the food can be eaten separately. Say eat a banana and follow it up with cottage cheese. Fresh fruit and veggie trays are also a good thing.

A food that my youngest granddaughter likes is my quick version of a quesadilla. It is like a grilled cheese sandwich with tortillas instead of bread. There is no need to butter the tortilla just use anti stick spray on the skillet. It's amazing to me how many of these she can put away....but I know it's because her body uses up calories faster then mine does. (no fair.) My electric skillet is my best friend. I use it all the time.

I think it's always important to include the child in on the decision making process as to what they are eating, however, adults are usually in tune as to what foods their child likes or doesn't like. Another food that is an easy snack idea is cut up fresh fruit with a very easy dip. The dip is 1 (8 oz.) pkg cream cheese mixed with 1 (7 oz.) container of marshmallow fluff. My granddaughters love this. Another easy dip is pudding.

If you want to get the kids involved in making a snack just get out the yarn and fruit or chocolate flavored cereal shaped in O's. Cut the yarn to appropriate length for a necklace or a bracelet or both. Use the yarn to thread the O shaped cereal then tie it off. They now have cereal jewelry they can eat. Another favorite around our house is popcorn. I use an air popper and then make various flavors of popcorn.

Kids can also be involved in making ice cream. With the ice cream makers on the market it doesn't take long to have a soft serve ice cream just waiting to be eaten. Ice cream can also be put between two cookies and frozen for an ice cream sandwich. Graham crackers work too. Graham crackers can also be spread with peanut butter and eaten as a snack.

If you want to make small individual portion size pizzas use english muffins, hamburger buns even hot dog buns. Just spread the bread portion with pizza or spaghetti sauce and add whatever toppings the child likes. Bake them for a short amount of time until the cheese melts. We also use leftover hamburger to make child size hamburgers and use dinner rolls for the buns. Our grandchildren love these.

When my three children were young I always made it a point to keep what I call "fast foods" in the house so the kids could just grab something and now with grandchildren I tend to keep convenience type foods that I can buy at the supermarket. I buy soups or foods in individual containers or frozen fish sticks, chicken tenders. Frozen waffles which can be popped into the toaster and can be paired with some fruit. Bacon is quickly made in microwave ovens or buy a large package of bacon, lay it out on a cooky sheet and bake in a 350 degree oven for 20 minutes or until done to your liking; in this way the splattering of the cooking bacon stays in the oven. The leftover bacon can easily be reheated in the microwave.

If your children like eggs, keep hard boiled eggs on hand. Baby carrots and celery are good. Celery can be spread with nut butters or spreadable cheese. If you like to bake there is a variety of muffins that can be made and frozen. Then just reheat in a low setting in the microwave. My youngest child always liked to dip his muffins in sugar or a cinnamon/sugar mixture. My family also loves cinnamon toast. Just toast the bread, spread with butter/margarine and sprinkle a mixture of cinnamon and sugar. I grew up having what my mother called "bread on a plate." Put a piece of white bread on a plate.....cover it with enough milk for the bread to soak it up then sprinkle with as much sugar or cinnamon/sugar as you like. Now don't barf....this is really good and you should try it. If your familly has food traditions that were popular at one time, go ahead pass that tradition onto your children!