Hey momma, if you’re like me–I was tired of hearing my girls say the word “snack” over and over again throughout the day. I knew they needed balanced nutrition, but I was struggling to find things they’d actually eat and keep them full. Now that my girls are 8 & 7, I finally feel we have our “go-to” snacks that they devour! Here’s the list:
(The items I’m sharing below are all from our Target grocery store)

1. Apples & Nutella

Our favorite kind of apple is Honey Crisp because they’re so sweet, crisp, and crunchy. This past year the girls were introduced to Nutella (hey mom, what’s this chocolate butter?) as we were grabbing peanut butter on our usual grocery run. When we got home, we decided to try it on our apples instead of peanut butter and they couldn’t. get. enough. We also use it to dip our strawberries and spread over bananas–it’s heavenly!

2. NAAN Bread & Hummus

I’m pretty particular about my hummus and have found the BEST. ONE. EVER. at Target. It’s so fresh and only has a handful of ingredients (that you can actually understand) which I love. The hummus is Good & Gather brand and I get the Classic Hummus flavor. Ingredients include: cooked chickpeas, water, sesame tahini, canola oil, garlic, lemon juice, sea salt and citric acid. Once you’ve got your hummus–then add the good stuff! We get Stonefire brand authentic flatbread in the mini naan originals. The secret is cooking it with a tiny bit of olive oil in a pan on the stovetop. I use a spoonful of oil to cook both sides. Once its warm and crispy, use your hands to peel it apart or use a pizza cutter to make triangles.

My girls love cut up veggies like red/yellow/orange peppers, cucumbers, and sugar snap peas to dip in hummus too. I’ll be sharing my “world famous” hummus recipe in another blog!

3. Avocado Sourdough Toast

Now stick with me as I know most parents are going “my kid will NEVER eat this”, but you’d be pleasantly surprised how yummy ours is. First off, it’s all about the bread. I buy the fresh baked sourdough bread from the Target bakery section. It’s thicker and when toasted the crunch factor is what makes it so good. Once you toast your bread, cut your avocado in half and start to spread it on your toast like butter–I do mine pretty thick. Then grab your pure ground pepper & kosher salt and lightly sprinkle it over top. Now for the magic ingredient—fresh squeezed lemon. Cut your lemon into fourths and squeeze to perfection. It brings all the flavors together so nicely and Kenley just can’t get enough.

4. “Crackers & Cow Cheese”

I love this one because when the girls ask for it, I chuckle every time. Their version of “cow cheese” is The Laughing Cow spreadable cheese wedges. They have many different options to choose from, but I purchase creamy light. Next up is the crackers. Now–we don’t take our crackers lightly around here. Trevor introduced us to Toasteds Harvest Wheat crackers and we’re major fans. Top your crackers with spreadable cheese and if you want to add some sweetness to it, grab Stonewall Kitchen Hot Pepper Jelly. By adding just a tiny bit over top, it adds a whole new flavor profile that is great for everyday snacking or an appetizer for get togethers.

5. Havarti Grilled Cheese

It may sound simple, but they’re so good! The secret ingredients for these are 1. Kerrygold Pure Irish Butter- so rich and creamy for the outsides of your bread. 2. Sargento Havarti Cheese- the. best. cheese. ever. 3. Master English Muffin Bread- when it gets cooked over the stove it gets so much crunchier! Once the cheese is perfectly melted and ooey-gooey in the middle, use a pizza cutter and cut into small squares or strips for easy dipping!

6. Yogurt & Granola

First start by churning your cream…just kidding! We use Light & Fit Greek Yogurt by Dannon because its packed with protein (helps my kiddos stay fuller longer) and under 100 calories per single serving. For the granola, we found the brand Made Good and like the cocoa crunch & strawberry flavors. Made Good granola is organic, has nutrients from vegetables, and is free from most common allergies. Read the side of the package–it’s pretty impressive! Easy enough, pop open the top of your favorite yogurt pack and pour in the desired amount of granola. It’s a quick & simple snack, but one with lots of good stuff!

7. Mini Pizza’s

This last one I remember enjoying when I was a kid. We just recently started making it in our home and my girls love it. Start by grabbing your favorite brand of english muffins (we use Thomas brand) and your favorite pizza sauce (we use Rao’s). Grab the ingredients you’d like for each mini pizza i.e. pepperoni, mozzarella cheese, sausage, etc. and start by placing your english muffin in the toaster. Turn on your stove to broil and let it heat up. Once your muffins are toasted, spoon on the pizza sauce, sprinkle your mozzarella cheese, then add whatever toppings you’d like. Place all the completed muffins on one pan and place it in the oven–keeping close watch as they cook fast. I tend to leave the oven door cracked a bit so I can watch them broil as the cheese gets brown very quickly. My girls like to take bites with their “whole pizza” but you can also use the pizza cutter and chunk these up as well for small bites.

8. Charcuterie Board

Last but not least, go all in with a “charcuterie” style food landscape if your kids love little bites. Especially around 2-3pm, my girls want a bigger snack to get them through until dinner. Now, I know this seems like a lot of options but all of these items will work to throw together and place on a board. I’m going to lay out an example in bullet form here for you—

• grab a small cutting board
• cut up fresh fruits like strawberries, melon, grapes, raspberries, watermelon, etc. and place them on the board
• add your different cheeses: mozzarella balls, cheddar, “cow cheese”
• place veggies like cucumbers, bell peppers, snap peas, celery
• add any meats–prosciutto, summer sausage, pepperoni, meat sticks
• lastly add any dipping sauces–hot pepper jelly, Nutella, peanut butter. hummus

Now–you don’t need to add everything to a board from this list, but I just want to give you ideas of items you can put on a “snack board” for your kids. My girls love it when I make boards like this and when they’re full, I just place saran wrap over top and put it in the fridge until they’re ready to come back to it later. It not only simplifies my day, but they know exactly where it is when they’re hungry again.

I hope these little snack tips help simplify your life and keep your kiddos full & happy!

Be sure to comment below with some of your “Simple Snack Time Favorites” to share with our community.