I need school snack ideas

[Evan&Anna's_Mom]

I do OK on school lunches, but I also need to send each child a mid-morning snack. Since DD doesn't do breakfast very well, I try to make this a reasonably healthy thing. No way to heat things and must be finger food (no utensils allowed for snacks -- silly rule but not worth fighting), also must be nut-free. Last year this seemed like an endless round of a piece of fruit and one of:

Crackers & cheese
Muffin
Hummus & crackers
Granola/energy/protein bar (the most common option)
Veggies & dip
Apple slices & PB or SunButter
HB egg

Other ideas/options? Especially lactose free for DS.

[greenmom4]

Sliced fruit or whole berries or grapes
Raisins
Popcorn
Trail mix
Applesauce/pear sauce/whatever
Sunflower or pumpkin seeds
Bean and cheese burrito
Fruit leather
Avocado

Alot of these are repeats from the cold lunch thread - my apologies for being redundant!

[lnitti]

oh, this is a good thread too. I have to send a snack to Kindergarten too.

[rainyday]

Cold quesadilla slices - could be just cheese and a tortilla or could include beans and/or veggies, depending on your child's pickiness!

Baked tofu slices (you can make your own or buy it - flavorful and most kids seem to like it)

Small sandwich (I like to use a cookie cutter to cut the snack one into a fun shape)

Little toothpick skewers with cubes of cheese, veggies, tofu, meat, beans, etc. (doesn't require a separate utensil that can be lost, so it might work for their no-utensil rule) - I find that kids find everything more appealing when it's on a stick

Pancake - I sometimes make a batch with a little extra sugar and some cinnamon in them so they're yummy even without syrup - or spread jelly or honey on one and make a pancake sandwich

Waffle

Smoothie in a Thermos

[luv-my-boys]

dry cereal

[WC_hapamama]

My kids favorite morning snack at school are pretzels. They're not messy or sticky, don't need refrigeration, and don't attract yellowjackets (a problem at our school).

I would recommend sticking with things that your children need minimal help opening to eat.

[RainbowTurtle]

Try making your own nut-free trail mix.

DD loves
- sunflower seeds
- pumpkin seeds
- dried peas
- dried cranberries
- raisins
- dried soy beans

[Drummer's Wife]

Great ideas! I needed this b/c I will have 3 kids to send snacks for this year. Luckily, the 2 in Montessori will have a food prep area where they can cut up fruit/veggies, spread, assemble, etc. so I don't have to have everything in ready-to-eat form the night before.

[suabel]

I'm guessing the no-utensil rule is due to the nature of where/when snacks are served. My kids often had snack on the playground or other years snack has been eaten while the kids are working on seatwork in the classroom. On the playground, utensils might be lost and in the classroom a messy snack like yogurt might wreak havoc on a first grader's paper, kwim?

With those factors in mind, I tend to send mid-day snacks with as little mess factor as possible. This year it will only be my first grader as my older girls are both in middle school (where they don't eat except at lunch, a pet peeve worthy of it's own thread). E's favorite snacks are pieces of whole fruit such as a banana or a peach, string cheese, a box of raisins, or a granola bar.

[beanma]

Looks like a great list. I'd throw in a mini bagel (or half a big bagel) with cream cheese or sun-butter or hummus, too. If the snack is mid-morning I think the cream cheese would be fine unrefrigerated until then. You could try the tofu-based cream cheese for the lactose intolerant.