What are some healthy snacks that kids will love?

Watch as Nutritionist Kate Geagan gives tips on creating healthy snacks that kids will love to make and eat. 

Try this quick and easy, kid-tested recipe! Here's a fave of my three daughters featured in my 101 Optimal Life Foods Book! Try this at your next kid’s party - the kids love assembling them. They are also great served with your favorite salad dressing. Try adding cherry tomatoes for added color and taste.

Cheese and Fruit Kebabs

Servings: 4 Kababs

Ingredients:

6 Mini Babybel® Lite Cheese

1 cup pineapple, ct into chunks

1 cup Mango, cut into chunks

1 cup Red Grapes

4-8 to 10-inch bamboo skewers

Directions:

Cut each Mini Babybel ® in half, making 12 pieces. Place one piece
of cheese on the skewer. Add fruit of your choice next on the skewer. Alternate
cheese and fruit until Kebab is complete.

Nutrition Profile

70 Calories, 2.5g Total Fat, 1g Sat Fat, 10mg Cholesterol, 120mg Sodium, 9g Carbs, 1g Fiber, 5g Protein.

Smarter Snacking: Healthy snacks can help pack extra nutrients into your children's daily eating habits that they might be missing at meals. When your growing child requests a snack, choose foods from the key food groups, such as whole-grain crackers with low-fat cheese, low-fat yogurt with fresh fruit or vegetables slices dipped in salsa.

Additional suggestions include: freezing cleaned and de-stemmed grapes for a quick refreshing snack on those hot summer days. Keep them in individual servings (approx. 8-10 grapes) in baggies or frozen storage containers so they are ready to grab and go. Kids love to choose for themselves-consider putting a variety of good snack options in a muffin tray in your refrigerator and let your child choose a snack for themselves.  Items to include: a variety of cut up fresh fruits & vegetables, low-fat cheese and/or deli meat, raisins, trail mix, graham crackers, animal crackers, whole grain crackers or cereals, (like cheerios)  or other dried fruits in appropriate portions.

Be Aware of Liquid Calories: Sugary beverages are often loaded with calories and have few nutrients, if any, which unfortunately replace nutrient-packed foods or beverages for many children. Encourage children to drink water, low- or fat-free milk or 100% fruit juices rather than soda, fruit drinks or other sugary beverages. If your child is already hooked on soda, encourage them to choose alternatives such as seltzer with some lemon or lime, or allow soda as a special and only occasional treat.

Again with fruit juices portion sizes should be no more than 4-6 oz per serving. Adding seltzer to juices can make for a fun fizzy drink.  Smoothies too can be a great snack.  Mix Fat-free vanilla or fruited yogurt (6 oz carton) with 1/2 cup orange juice and 1/2 cup chopped strawberries, bananas or other favorite fruit.  You can use a blender or shaker bottle to mix and then serve as is or over ice.  This is great for kids to help prepare too.

Lastly, enjoy a healthy snack with your child as they learn and model behaviors from the others around them.

There are many snacks kids love if only they are given the opportunity to try them. So first thing is to make sure you stock your kitchen with healthy choices. Secondly, I suggest getting your kids to go food shopping with you and helping you to select them. My favorite kid (and adult) friendly snacks are: string cheese or individual serving size cheeses, 100% whole grain crackers, low-fat yogurt, fruit, raw veggies, hummus, low-fat chocolate milk, popcorn, nuts and fruit. Put them on shelves in the refrigerator and on counter tops that are easy to reach.