Solve Hunger Pangs Without Fast Food: Easy Healthy Snacks to Make for Kids That Won't Bore Them(2020)

• Improves the intake of healthy food: Kids have a smaller capacity - they fill up fast and burn through faster too. In between regular meals, small snacks give them nutrients and hydration, which is equally important. Younger children need morning and afternoon snacks, but older ones can have snacks between their breakfast and lunch or after school. Due to less time, it is quite easy for parents to reach for junk foods when kids are hungry. This problem can be solved by cutting the veggies night before for the next day. It ensures that suitable options are always on hand, and the kids take healthy, cooked snacks.


• Sustain energy: Children demand higher nutrients than adults, and it is necessary to support their healthy bones and the development of the brain. Healthy meals are an essential part of their diet. Foods like nut butter, hard-boiled eggs, low-fat cheese, hummus, and yoghurt are full of protein and give immense energy to the kids. These high energy snacks will offer them an extra boost in their regular activities. The vitamin and protein-rich snacks between meals are needed for all age groups of kids, but the proportion might differ according to age.


• Promotes healthy eating: Healthy snacks and beverages are important for kids for their overall development. Nutrient-dense food for kids is essential for the best nutrition intake. Offer them tasty and healthy snacks like fruits, juices without sugar, ripe whole fruits, and veggie treats like carrots, broccoli near each so that they can go for those instead of junk foods when hungry. Use trail mix like a mixture of dried fruits, nuts, whole-grain pretzels, etc. for giving single serves while hungry in between meals. You can also try granola bars and shakes, crackers with string cheese, etc. for those small cravings of your kids.


• Helps in healthy growth and development: The development of both the mental and physical needs of a child is equally important. Always choose healthy snack ideas as these timely-given, and small snacks help reduce unwanted weight and cravings of the kids. The brain and body both grow at the same pace when you provide the right nutrients. As each bite of healthy snacks promises for a healthy intake of food, it boosts the well-being of the physical as well as mental health of the kids.


• Improves mood boosting: Missing out of healthy snacks can negatively affect the kids' minds. They can be academically inefficient, as the brain wouldn't be getting the needed nutrients at the right time. Healthy snacks like fruit mixes are essential in between meals. It is an easy and best way to nibble at school breaks. It boosts happiness and makes the child grow faster and healthier.


• Improves concentration: There are several foods and beverages, which help directly in boosting the concentration of the kids, which is a vital concern of their parents. To improve the concentration level, you can provide berries, leafy green vegetables, fatty fish, dark chocolate, nuts, flax seeds, etc. along with beverages like water, green tea, and milkshakes for them. These will increase both their concentration and energy levels simultaneously.

You will need

• Thinly sliced peeled apples
• Lemon juice
• Vanilla extract
• Apple pie spice
• Light brown sugar
• Flour
• Oats
• Cinnamon
• Butter

How to make it

• Preheat oven at 150 C.
• Core the apple and make thin slices 1-2 mm thick.
• You can add all or some of the ingredients as per your taste.
• Dust with cinnamon and lay flat on a baking sheet.
• Cook for an hour until the apple is dried out.
• Cooldown and keep in an air-tight container.

What you need

• Confectioner sugar
• Kosher salt
• Paprika
• Coconut oil
• ground cumin
• cayenne powder
• Freshly popped popcorn

How to make

• Stir well all the ingredients except popcorn in a bowl.
• Heat coconut oil in a large pot and add popcorn with half of the spices.
• Shake well to coat and then add remaining half.
• Serve immediately!

What you need

• Peeled and finely shredded carrot
• Raw walnut
• Pitted dates
• Vanilla extract
• Ground ginger
• Ground nutmeg

How to make

• Grate the carrot and add pitted dates, walnut, salt, spices and vanilla, and mix them all well.
• Do not over blend as you need to make a dough.
• Add coconut flour and raisins.
• Scoop out the dough using a cookie scooper and give shape with hand.
• Roll in finely shredded coconut and refrigerate till firm.
• For toppings, you can use fresh coconut butter.

What you need

• Crumbled paneer
• Onion
• Red chilli powder
• Cumin
• Garam masala
• Ginger garlic paste
• Chopped coriander
• Butter
• Salt
• Bread

How to make

• Put the crumbled paneer in a wide bowl.
• Mix red chilli powder, garam masala, chopped coriander, chopped onion, cumin, and salt to this. Mix it lightly.
• Add ketchup and the ginger garlic paste. Blend again with fingertips and set aside while you prepare the bread.
• Remove the crusts from your bread. Roll out each slice as thin as you can.
• Put 1 tsp of filling on one end of the rolled out bread slice. Roll in from one end, making sure that the filling stays well within the first turn of the roll.
• Toast the roll in a pan until all sides are browned.

What you need

• Boiled and peeled potatoes
• Poha
• Ginger
• Cornstarch

How to make

• Boil potatoes, peel and let them cool and then mash up.
• Keep the rice flakes or poha in water for a few minutes.
• Mix all the ingredients until combined well.
• Add crumbled paneer to it and mix.
• Cook all the ingredients for one minute and set aside.
• Now take the potato balls and flatten it to put the paneer fill-ins.
• Heat oil and fry the tikkis.
• Cool it down and serve.

What you need

• Corn flakes
• Chopped onion
• Chopped tomato
• Boiled potato
• Aloo bhujia
• Green chillies (If needed)
• Coriander leaves or cilantro
• Black salt

How to make

• Take a bowl and make small pieces of boiled potatoes.
• Put cornflakes, onion and tomatoes slices and mix all the ingredients.
• Add aloo bhujia, lemon juice and coriander leaves.
• Decorate with coriander leaves and bhujia on the top.

What you need

• Chopped onion
• Ginger
• Cumin seed
• Curry leaves
• Cilantro
• chilli powder
• Salt
• Lemon juice
• Oil

How to make

• In moderate flame saute cumin seed and curry leaves for a second.
• Put grated ginger, chopped onion, green peas and cilantro.
• Add turmeric powder saute and turn off the gas.
• Wash puffed rice in water.
• In a pan with the veggies, you cooked earlier squeeze and add the puffed rice.
• Saute well add cilantro again with lemon juice and serve hot.

What you need

• Eggs
• Bread
• Grated ginger
• Oil
• Cumin
• Salt
• Lemon juice
• Carrots
• Cabbage
• Coriander

How to make

• Break eggs in a bowl and trim the edges of the bread.
• Toast the bread in a crusty way and make scramble from eggs.
• Add oil in a pan and put cumin seeds, ginger, salt, pepper powder.
• Transfer egg bhurji to the bread and out onions and other veggies you prefer.
• Place another bread on the top to cover the filling and serve hot.

What you need

• Eggs
• Oats
• Milk
• Veggies like chopped onion, grated carrots, capsicum, tomatoes and cilantro
• Turmeric
• Oregano
• Salt
• Pepper
• Butter

How to make

• Mix oat, flour, turmeric, salt, pepper, oregano in a bowl.
• Pour milk and make a batter with eggs.
• Heat a pan and pour the mixture.
• Add veggies and flip the side when done, serve when done.

• Get kids involved in cooking: When you cook, you can ask for small help from them while making some healthy food. They will be encouraged to eat afterward as they were the cook themselves.


• Be a role model first: You will need to first be a health-conscious parent if you want your kids to eat healthily. If you don't eat veggies, and nibble potato chips, kids will prefer that too. So be a role model for the first, and they will gradually follow you.


• Be creative and have fun: If you garnish the healthy dish which might look blunt, with some funky shapes, kids will be very happy to eat them. They will forget that it might not contain their favourite ingredients. So make an effort to put something at the top that they will love.