Healthy School Snacks

In just a few short weeks, children here in Florida, will be returning to school and the rush will begin. Getting up early, preparing lunches, doing homework, and going to after school activities will be part of their routine.

Making sure our children eat well and get a healthy lunch and after school snack are sometimes tough to manage. With a little bit of preparation, these snacks will save you time and money and kids will certainly appreciate having something they enjoy eating.

Using small plastic containers that you can later wash and reuse is an easy and inexpensive way to send your child the snack he or she loves. You can take one small plastic container, like the one shown; fill it with water and then freeze. This will serve as an ice pack to keep your snacks cool. Once the snacks are gone, throw out the melted ice, wash and reuse.

Cool snacks can be made the night before and dry snacks can be prepared up to a week before using.

Here are the 50 top healthy snacks that kids love. Serve them for lunch, afternoon snack, or anyime you need something quick and on the go.

1. Fruit cubes: Cut any kind of fruit into small square pieces. Some favorite fruits: Mango, papaya, watermelon, cantaloupe, blackberries, kiwi, strawberries, blueberries, grapes, peaches, pears and pineapple
2. Veggies: Sliced or julienne vegetables with low-fat salad dressing or yogurt. Some favorite veggies: Green, red, and yellow peppers, broccoli and cauliflower florets, celery, radishes, cucumber, zucchini, cherry tomatoes and mini baby carrots
3. Caesar salad wih dressing on the side, whole wheat croutons
4. Greek salad: romaine lettuce, green/red diced peppers, cherry tomatoes, chopped cucumber, feta cheese and dressing on the side
5. Cobb salad: lettuce, hard-boiled egg, lean ham and low fat cheese; dressing on the side
6. Bean burritos: whole wheat tortilla, low-fat refried beans or black beans, low-fat shredded cheese and salsa
7. Whole wheat pita triangles with black bean dip
8. Whole wheat mini bagel, low-fat flavored cream cheese and sliced fruit
9. BLT: Turkey bacon, lettuce and tomato on whole wheat bread
10. Whole wheat pita pockets filled with grilled chicken and veggies or lettuce and tomato
11. Celery sticks with peanut butter and raisins
12. Low sodium vegetable soup
13. Bow-tie pasta salad with veggies
14. Pasta and shrimp salad
15. Tuna salad and wheat thins
16. Ham, turkey and low-fat cheese roll ups
17. Mini corn dogs
18. Chicken fingers
19. Hard-boiled eggs
20. Mini whole-grain waffles
21. Banana or blueberry muffins
22. Whole grain tortilla chips and salsa
23. Low-fat cheese cubes and grapes
24. Peanut butter and jelly on whole wheat bread
25. Cherry tomatoes with mini mozzarella balls
26. Low-fat yogurt with sliced fruit or granola
27. Trail mix: mini pita chips, mini pretzels, mini chocolate chips, walnuts, cashews, almonds, whole wheat Chex cereal
28. Dried fruit mix: apple, pineapple, raisins, dried cranberries, dried mango
29. Whole grain Chex cereal with dried fruit
30. Granola
31. Popcorn
32. Pretzel sticks
33. Goldfish crackers
34. Nuts: pistachios, pecans, walnuts, sunflower seeds and pumpkin seeds
35. Pita chips and hummus
36. Flavored rice cakes
37. Protein and energy bars
38. Granola bars
39. Unsweetened cereal
40. Baked chips
41. Low-fat string cheese
42. Greek yogurt
43. Low-fat yogurt
44. Sugar-free gelatin
45. Applesauce
46. Whole fruit; such as bananas and apples
47. Cottage cheese
48. Animal crackers with peanut butter
49. Unsweetened fruit or vegetable juice
50. Graham or oatmeal cookies with low-fat milk

You can also make a variety of sandwiches using healthy breads and lean meats. Use cookie cutters to make fun and appealing snacks.

Good luck this school year and make it a fun and successful one.