Healthy Treats for the On-The-Go Family

Last week we touched on the importance of influencing healthy eating for your family. With a busy schedule, it may be difficult to find the time to meal prep let alone healthy snacks. It can become a chore and buying healthy snacks at the store often adds up. So what do you do if you are a parent on-the-go, but also want to make sure your family is consuming nutritious options? Here are some fast, easy-to-make, wholesome snacks you can whip up in your kitchen.

HEALTHY TREATS TO MAKE TOGETHER:

Being healthy can be fun. Get in the kitchen with your family and make these snacks together. It's a great bonding experience that can be educational too.

DIY Trail Mix - If you want to teach your children about making choices, try mixing some options at the store and allow them to create their own trail mix. Options can include nuts, dried fruit, chocolate chips, oats, and more.

Smoothies - Another easy way to teach your child about making choices and allowing them to practice it. There are tons of base options and different flavorings, fruits, vegetables, nuts, etc. that you can put into a smoothie. I like adding Green Vibrance and rotating different protein powders along with a banana to smooth out the gritty protein. Figure out what flavors your children like and focus on that while incorporating new flavors to try out.

Honey Roasted Peaches - If your family is craving something sweet, try roasting some peaches then drizzling some honey and greek yogurt on it. Top it with some granola to make it a little bit more filling.

Nutella/Fresh Ground Almond Butter Rice Cake - The perfect mix for the chocolate or protein fix. Grab a rice cake, cover it in a light layer of Nutella (or a spread of your choice) and top it with strawberries, bananas, or any fruit you desire. Cinnamon is also good.

Peanut Butter Apple Sandwiches - A twist on the traditional peanut butter sandwich in a snack size, low-carb option. Slice some apples, spread a generous amount of peanut butter on them, stack another apple slice, and make it a peanut butter apple sandwich. Try adding raisins or craisins to it for some additional flavor. This avoids the high carb bread and extra unneeded calories.

Roasted Chips - Add some crunch to you snack with this easy alternative to chips. Use your oven to make your choice of roasted kale or chickpeas. Pace them on an oven sheet, sprinkle on some olive oil and spices, bake for 30-40 minutes, let them cool, and enjoy. They typically hold for a few days so you can make large batches at once to snack prep.

FOR THE PARENT WITH NO TIME:

If you find yourself in an S.O.S situation and can’t find any time to make snacks, there are other options. It’s understandable as a parent between doctor’s appointments and dropping off the children at soccer practice, snack prepping is the last thing on your mind. Consider string cheese, fresh or dried fruits, nuts, or hummus with vegetables.

Remember healthy snacking doesn’t have to be difficult. It’s imperative to teach your family that you don’t have to sacrifice fun snacks, but that there are ways to incorporate similar ingredients with a beneficial twist.