Getting your kids to eat healthy can be a challenging task in today’s world. Most of us are to busy to spend a lot of time preparing food. Luckily, there are many healthy, quick and easy snacks we can prepare for our kids to keep them strong and smiling.

Jelly rolls- These are one of my personal favorite because they are so easy to make and the kids love them. All you need is bread and your favorite jelly. Remove the crust from the bread and roll it flat with a rolling pin (The kids love doing the rolling). Spread a small amount of jelly over the flattened bread and then roll it up like you would a sleeping bag.

Veggies and dip- Kids love to dip their food. Simply cut up some celery, carrots, broccoli, or cauliflower into bite-size pieces and serve with a small cup of ranch.

Cheesy trees- This is simply broccoli and cheese in kid’s words. Cheesy trees sound much more appealing to a toddler than broccoli. Place a cup of fresh or frozen broccoli into a sandwich bag and tie it loose enough for some air to get out. Microwave it for a minute or two until the broccoli is steamed and soft. Then place in a bowl and cover with cheese.

Pizza bagels- The perfect breakfast for the morning after spaghetti night. Spread a small amount of leftover spaghetti sauce on the bagel, top with breakfast sausage or pepperoni, and sprinkle some mozzarella on top or simply add a slice of American cheese. Pop in the toaster oven for a few minutes and you’re done.

Fruit and yogurt- We all know kids love apple slices dipped in caramel but it isn’t very healthy because of all the sugar in the caramel and the tubs of dipping caramel can be pricey sometimes. A cheaper and healthier alternative is fruit slices dipped in yogurt. You can purchase single serving yogurt cups for as little as 3/$1.00 as opposed to 4.99 for a small tub of caramel. For some extra jazz, layer the fruit and yogurt in a cup and sprinkle some granola on top.

Snack mix- Toss some nuts, cheese crackers, pretzels, raisins, m&m’s, cereal, or whatever your heart desires into a bowl and mix. This can also be sprinkled with powdered sugar. For an extra special treat, place on a cookie sheet and place in the oven until warm. If you choose to make it a warm treat, remember to add the m&m’s after baking so that they don’t melt.

Popcorn- It is light and healthy and extremely easy to make. And it has the added plus of sitting the kids down for a movie and popcorn so that you can have some quiet time.