Healthy After School Snacks

All parents are familiar with the crazy few hours after school ends. Whether it’s shipping your kids off to after-school activities, or running around the garden getting rid of the pent up energy that comes from sitting at a desk, it can be hard to sit your little ones down and get some healthy snacks into them.

Leaving a plate of healthy snacks on the kitchen counter is a great way to allow your children to snack without heading straight for the biscuit tin. Choose nutrient rich snacks, which give extra bang for their buck, and make sure that there’s variety of flavours and colours to please both the palate and the fussy eye of a grumpy child! Rather than loading with carbs, look to protein-rich snacks that will keep your kids fuller, longer, without a dip in blood sugar. Fibre and protein are both great ways to keep your kids full, and coupled with iron and calcium, make the dream team of kid-friendly snacks. Remember its important to treat your kids to a treat every now and then, so we have included a few healthy-ish treats below.

Top 10 After School Snacks

A piece of fruit or vegetable spears along with one of the following:

• Cheese and wholegrain crackers
• A glass of milk and a brown scone
• A tub of low fat yoghurt
• Wholegrain wrap with cheese
• A banana and a small dark chocolate bar
• Brown pitta slices with hummus
• Nut based granola bar
• Crackers topped with peanut butter and apple slices
• Low-fat ice cream
• Hot chocolate and an oat-based cookie

And finally, Lilly Higgins’ collection of healthy kid-friendly sandwiches are a fun way to round off a busy day.