Toddlers are a funny group. Some are incredibly picky eaters, and other seem to eat whatever you put in front of them. I read somewhere years ago, when my first child was a toddler, that children need to see a new food 11 times before they will willingly eat it. The point, being, if they don't like it the first time, try, try again!

There are the snacks that are really easy--like opening up a box and then other things that take a bit more time like homemade muffins.

Annie's Real Cheddar Bunnies -- I buy a few boxes of these when they go on sale. They are more natural than the other cheddar snacks. Look at the ingredients, if you see a big line with words you can't even pronounce then it probably isn't healthy.

Bite-size pieces of string cheese -- how small you need to cut the pieces will depend on the age of your toddler.

Baby carrots cut into slivers -- toddlers have a tendency to swallow without chewing or shoving too much food in their mouths. I slice the carrots into very thin slivers so that it is easy for them to chew. You can add some natural yogurt with some herbs or "ranch" seasoning for them to dip. Toddlers love dipping. You can also try cutting fresh broccoli into bite-size "trees", and experimenting with other vegetables like jicama or celery. Just make sure the slices or slivers are thin.

Yogurt -- Try to buy natural yogurt and add sweetener to it. You can add honey, agave syrup, or low sugar jams. When sugar is already in the yogurt, the probiotics tend to be less powerful.

Frozen grapes, sliced -- When children are teething, frozen grapes are so soothing to them. Make sure you slice them so they don't choke!

Frozen peas -- My toddlers have loved eating these, when they are teething also. It might sound crazy, but they actually taste good.

Whole-grained toast -- There is something comforting about a piece of toast. Put some jam on it and cut into four pieces or use cookie cutters and make fun shapes!

Mini-pumpkin muffins -- Making muffins are actually an easy way to sneak in some more fruit and veggies into kids diets. Grated carrots, zucchini, and applesauce can all be added to pumpkin muffins. Usually you can get by with reducing the sugar amount in most recipes by 1/8 or more without even missing it.

Oatmeal with smashed bananas -- Toddlers usually graduate to other cereals and leave their mush behind. Sometimes a bit of oatmeal with mashed bananas is a soothing little snack for a toddler. Don't make the bowl too big or he won't eat his dinner or lunch.

Pancake or Waffle -- I like to make an extra batch of whole-grain waffles or pancakes and freeze them. Then for a quick snack idea, I can just pop them in the microwave or toaster. Van's also has some good, healthy waffles like Hearty Oat Waffles.