Seeking Healthy Snacks

Hi S.,

Do you feed your boys sweets (including sweet breakfast cereal? If yes, that is why your 4 year old won't eat fruit. If this is the case, I recommend changing their diet. They may not like it at first; but they'll eventually eat what you give them.

If you don't typically give them sweet foods, you can try hiding fruit in yogurt, oatmeal, or cereal. You can also try cooking (on the stove) or grilling the fruit, or blending it in a smoothie form.

Fruits and Veggies are ESSENTIAL to get your children to eat. I would make it "non-negotiable".

Some other snack choices:

•Shredded Carrots
•Sugar Snap Peas
•Grape Tomatoes
•Plain Organic Yogurt w/ Agave Nectar (can add granola and/or fruit)
•Apples or Celery dipped in Peanut Butter
•Organic Brow Rice Cakes w/ Almond butter and Honey or Agave Nectar (and a pinch of salt)
•Home-made Smoothie (you can sneak lots of things in a smoothie)
•Sweet Potato Fries (cooked in coconut oil or olive oil w/ a little salt & garlic)
•Shredded Zucchini w/ lemon juice, garlic, salt, & olive oil

Good Luck!
G.

1 mom found this helpful

Have you tried craisins or other dried fruit? The craisins are so sweet and I don't think they taste like fruit at all. I LOVE them. Yogurt, string cheese, yogurt covered raisins, cucumber slices, carrots, celery, air popped popcorn

Try a healthy recipe book for kids snack from the library. Making your own snacks is so much healthier than store bought. BTW, goldfish are not healthy. Read the box. It's all processed junk including enriched flour, partially hydroginated oils and high fructose corn syrup. Look for store bought snack WITHOUT those ingredients. Try Whole Foods. There is a new Whole Foods on Ray and 101.

K.

Hello,

I have a four year old as well, he doesn't like fruit either. Have you tried the 100 calorie packs? My son likes cheese sticks, toast or dried cereal (applejacks, fruitloops) or even crackers for snacks.

Good Luck!

You said he does not like fruit but what if you made it into a yummy slush? My son likes to munch on crackers also, the cheese nip kind, and Ritz. Does he like veggies? You could try giveing them carrot sticks and celery. I give my son broccoli (sp?) and califlower. He does not like cooked veggies.I hope you find some thigns that will work! Good Luck!

M.

if you go to the website Familyfun.com, they usually have healthy snack ideas that are appealing to kids.

mini pita bread/crackers with hummus/peanut butter/etc. as a dip/or not; granola bars; string or cubed cheese; frozen yogurt; and what about vegetables? My kids LOVE brocolli & baby carrots - that's the only veggie I can get them to eat; dry cereal; mini muffins; graham crackers; hard boiled eggs. Goldfish now come in a whole grain one that tastes the same. At least you're not giving out candy & chocolate for a snack ; ) - ya know!

My daughter used to love honey nut cheerios and sometimes I would mix 1/3 cup cheerios with 2 Table spoons of raisins and she loved it. Peanut butter cracker were also a big hit. Hope this helps a bit.

My 3 year old is picky as well. The healthy snacks he enjoys are yogurt, cheese (string or sliced mild chedder & colby), raisins (both my kids LOVE raisins - I buy the mini boxes of Sunmaid raisins they like the little box tyye can open themselves and carry around), muffins (aka cupcakes!), oatmeal, pudding, granola bars and popcorn.

My kids like dried fruit and nuts. We also eat crackers and cheese. If your kids like fruit snacks Treetop brand makes theirs with 100% juice.

I have three children and they love to snack on peanut butter with apple slices, or vanilla yogurt and apple slices that the can dip into a small cup. You can try to put fruit into smoothies. My kids also like to eat string cheese, smoked almonds, granola bars.

Give him what I call "Old School Fruities" AKA raisins, Craisins, and other dried fruit. My 4 year old also likes Broccoli trees, because he gets to be a giant and eat the trees. Celery with peanut butter is also good. Good luck!

My 3 year old won't eat fruit either, except for bananas. I make her smoothies and she loves them. I use frozen friut and yogurt, sometimes a little ice cream for a treat. She loves them. It is hard finding healthy snacks and meal ideas for picky toddlers.

I know this is going to sound crazy but here goes.... My kids loved (especially in the summer) frozen veggies. They liked to eat frozen corn, peas, and carrot squares still frozen. They thought that was the biggest treat. Also, when their mac and cheese was too hot I would put frozen peas in it to cool it off. Then they would eat the mac and cheese and the cheezy peas too! I had to get some nutritional value into mac and cheese :)

Hi S., My kids go to a school where they are allowed only snacks/lunch from an A+ snack list so I may be able to help. Here are some ideas:
veggies w/ ranch, nuts, nutrigrain bars, low sugar cereal (Kix, Cheerios, Fruit Loops), Low/no butter popcorn, wheat crackers, mini bagels, string cheesego-gurt, yogurt, beanut butter for dipping fruit, veggies, or crackers, animal crackers, jello, pudding, frozen yogurt, graham crackers, rasins, fruit cups, applesauce, dried fruits, apple or banana chips.
Hope this helps. I didn't think my kids would eat any of this and now they eat it ALL.

Hi S. B,

I suggest raisins or craisins. They seem like candy. I also just started buying the Kraft Cheese cubes. They are a great snack for everyone. I don't know if you have tried banana with peanut butter, but that may be a way to hide the fruit. My son also loves peanuts.

Good Luck!

K.

Most 4 yr olds love the concept of "ants on a log". (Celery filled with nut butter...almond is my preference....with raisins lined across the top.

The 2 yr old I work with as a nanny loves "Mary's Gone Crackers" crackers that are full of nutrition, including Omega 3.

Apple siices with nut butter smeared on them, or used as "dips" is also one of his favorites. (Sometimes this is so "disguised" they dont realize it as the fruit they dont like.)

Our company has healthy snacks in the form of crackers, cookies, cereal and snack bars. You can call me at ###-###-#### or email me at ____@____.com for more information.

my kids love to do the ants on a log. Celery with peanut butter and rasins. Also in the kraft food and family magazine this month they had a couple of cute ideas. One was to cut an apple in half and put strawberry cream cheese on it then dip it in fruity pebbles. My kids love to do that one. or cheese and crackers with juice. we sometimes make corn muffins from the jiffy box. trail mix is good too. good luck

I don't know if this will work, but there are some snacks I got at COSTCO that where great. They were freeze dried fruit. So if your son doesn't like fruit becuase of the texture this may work. It was crunchy like potatoe chips but there were apples, peaches and pears. My kids love them. COSTCO also has "healhty handfuls" which are snacks. There are organic cookies, and cheese crackers in that one. Home made fruit juice popsicles a great during the summer. Kids love to dip things. Some carrots sticks, cucumber pieces, and other veggies with ranch or peanut butter may work.

We do Mozzerella cheese cut into squares and then put chow mein (hard dry noodles) in them for antenas and legs and raisins for eyes:-)

i also have picky eaters. i have found that there are dozens of great snacks, we just have to have time to prepare them. organic yogurts are great, they even have squeezables. vegetables are also great, carrots, raisens, nuts, some dried fruits have sugar added so you could mix them in with nuts. organic cereals, popcorn, rice cakes, applesauce, cheese sticks, celery with peanut butter...
i have found with particularly my son, the more that i present the foods he doesn't like, the more he begins to like them. for instance, he can have his pizza for dinner if he eats the apple first...now he loves apples (specifically pink ladies)
i "hide" food in dips, (corn chips and salsa, corn chips and guacomole), smoothies always work. peanut butter covered apples. cut apples thin, place in frying pan with small bit of butter and cinnamin...go on line there's tons of ideas...
i think giving kids the option of eating something healthy or waiting for meals and not snacks can also work...
i also suggest that just because he doesn't like oranges one day, to try another day (sometimes the orange is sour or the strawberry is too tart) pick seasonal fruits and eat when they are completely ripe.

String Cheese, Granola Bars,, Peanut Butter, Yogart, Apple Sauce, Rasins. Hope this helps.

My four-year old is also picky about fruits. Healthy snacks that she loves now and has loved in the past (changes all the time) include: hard-boiled eggs with the hard yolk pulled out, avocado, carrot sticks, yogurt, cheese (sticks, cut up, and even shredded and eaten with a spoon), cooked veggies (peas, broccoli, green beans), and edamame (she loves to push out the little soy beans).

There are many healthy snacks besides fruit. There here are two with peanut butter adn fruit/veggies. With the peanut butter and the fun "boy" name your kids may be more likely to eat them.

Bugs on a Toilet Seat
fresh/dry apple rings spread with peanut butter. Place bugs "raisens" on seat "apple ring"

Ants on a log
tender celery sticks filled with peanut butter. Place ants "raisens" on log "celery stick"

Hope your boys enjoy the fun.

Go to the Deli and have them cut a slice of turkey or ham 3/8" thick, then you can cut it into strips, cookie cutter shapes etc.
Yogurt, cottage cheese
Have you tried the "Flat Earth" veggie chips?
Even my 5yr old still likes to snack on cold cereal like Life, or Multigrain cheerios.
My kids like canned green beans straight out of the can, as well as black beans or kidney beans rinsed and drained.
Maybe your kids will like to dip corn chips into mushed avocado, or warmed refried beans. You can also put grated cheese on them and microwave 30s or 'til melted.

My 5 yr old daughter loves yogurt covered raisins. She thinks they are chocolate, and I just let her keep thinking that they are. Also trail mix might be a good option.