Replacing "Convenience" Snack Foods?

[chely7425]

So... I am on a mission to improve my family's eating habits and diet. The problem I am currently trying to tackle is replacing snack type items. My husband needs quick things for breakfast/lunch and he likes to have easy to snack on items, more than just fruits and veggies. My kids also like snacks like granola bars and that sort of thing. We don't have Trader Joes or anything like it anywhere near here, and I think ordering organic/healthier snack foods online is probably really expensive? So... recipes? ideas? anywhere to order stuff from?

[77sugaree]

Here are some of my kids favorite snacks:

Raisins
Cashews
Raisins mixed with cashews
Amy's brand cheddar bunnies (not super healthy but better than goldfish)
Cubes of cheese
Cubes of chicken
Cubes of avocado
Apple slices with peanut butter
Spoonfull of peanut butter

Hope that helps!

[homemademom]

Here's a yummy and versatile oatmeal bar. My kids love them. http://www.canadianfamily.ca/article...-oatmeal-bars/

Other ideas we like:

homemade muffins
apples and peanut butter
yogurt and granola
sliced cheese with crackers
cinnamon toast

[LaughingHyena]

I have a few small plastic tubs which (when I'm organised!) I keep handy with single servings of nuts, dried fruit etc. It's nice to be able to grab then when we are going out. We save buying a lot of snacks out that way.

for more hearty snacks how about hard boiled eggs, chicken drumsticks or having some ready prepared sandwiches in the fridge.

[chely7425]

Those oatmeal bars look tasty!! I think I will have to try making them I need to go grocery shopping this week so I should be able to pick up the stuff for them. Good idea on the nuts and drier fruit too... maybe if I put them in serving size containers DH wouldn't eat the whole bag in one sitting.

[damona]

i make my own tortilla chips. i buy one of those huge bags of corn tortillas and use a pizza wheel to cut each one into 6 or 8 triangles. then i line them up on a cookie sheet, spray lightly with olive oil, sprinkle with sea salt, garlic salt, or cinnamon and sugar, and bake at about 250F until they're crunchy (20-30 min, usually)

my kids go through these like crazy, and they don't take much time at all.

sometimes i'll make a big plate of finger sandwiches of various kinds for everyone to pick at as they feel like it. stuff like peanut butter with swiss cheese (it's yummy, i swear), turkey and cheese with a smidge of mayo, cream cheese and peanut butter, cream cheese with sliced roast beef, and of course, pb&j. i cut each one into small squares or "sticks" and stack them on a platter and cover them and put them in the fridge.

[Bellabaz]

home made trail mixes
cheese cubes with apples
apples with pb
ham and cheese rollups
homemade granola bars
homemade compote that i put in baby food jars for when we are out
my kids love rice cakes but these are not very filling so I put pb or almond butter in small plastic containers for when we are out
homemade hummus, guacamole, or white bean dip (even my 9 month old eats these)

[audsma]

Good ideas! I love the sandwich fingers in the fridge idea. I do this when we go out, but having them on hand for around the house would alleviate so much frustration.

I'd like to add that I make a bunch of quick breads as fruits are in season, and as I run out, and have a loaf of bread always available. Right now I have strawberry pecan bread and cherry amaretto bread with walnuts in the fridge. I have strawberries, blueberries, pineapple, pumpkin, and brown bananas in the freezer waiting to become bread if I feel the need to bake more.

Also, on pizza and movie night I make an extra homemade pizza and we tend to finish it by the next Friday. It's essential for us because DH gets shaky from low blood sugar and really needs the instant pick me up available to him.

[dimibella]

I just found a website that has really great recipes for homemade "goldfish", graham crackers, "wheat thin" type crackers, plus a ton of other great stuff. I believe it is called savory seasonings, it's a blog really but I found it just by googling

[pixiepunk]

the blog Kitchen Stewardship has a good ebook about healthy snacks - lots of good recipes: http://www.kitchenstewardship.com/20...k-now-on-sale/

and there are zillions of blogs out there with free recipes. i subscribe to several blogs (mostly TF) and it's great, fun recipes just pop up in my inbox

like others have said, things like hard boiled eggs, nuts and cheese are great for quick snacks and easy for kids to help themselves to.

[chely7425]

Thank you so much for all the great ideas!! Lots of new things for me to try

[blumooned]

These are all great ideas! I'll be trying a few of these. Thanks for sharing.