Real Clever Moms

It’s no secret that toddlers love to snack. In fact, left to their own devices, a lot of kids would rather snack all day than sit down to full meals. With so many snack times, how do you keep snacks exciting and fun? Here are a few healthy and fun ideas:

Fruit on a Stick – Cut up a bunch of different fruits such as apples, bananas, kiwis, mango, and grapes. Thread them onto a skewer for a delicious summertime treat. To make it a little more special, add a few pieces of marshmallows between the fruit.

Quick Banana Ice - Take a few bananas and mash them in a bowl. Cover and place in the freezer for about 30 minutes. Remove from freezer and fluff up with a fork for a healthy, ice cream-like treat.

Pita Pizza – Spread a little tomato sauce on a pita bread and cut into small triangular pieces. Top with grated cheese and place in a moderately heated oven for about 5 to 10 minutes until the cheese melts and starts to bubble.

Sweet Tortilla Shapes – Using small shaped cookie cutters, cut fun shapes out of a tortilla or wrap. Place on a nonstick cookie sheet and brush lightly with a little butter. Sprinkle with a mixture of 1 part cinnamon and 3 parts brown sugar (you only need a little) and bake in a moderately hot oven for 10 minutes for a sweet and crispy treat.

Frozen Mandarin Wedges – Peel a few mandarin slices and cover in plastic wrap. Place in the freezer for about an hour for a thirst- quenching treat.

Banana Wheels – Place a cup or so of Cheerios in a plastic bag and using the back of your hand or a rolling pin, flatten until the mixture resembles fine crumbs. Slice a banana into rounds and place a few at a time in the plastic bag. Shake lightly to cover the banana pieces (banana wheels) with the Cheerios mixture.

Mini Wraps – Lightly spread a tortilla with a little cream cheese and place one or two slices of thin ham or turkey over the cream cheese. Roll tightly and cut into small rounds.

Jiggly Fruit – Make a portion of strawberry flavored Jello according to the package instructions and place in the fridge for about 30 minutes. Open and drain a can of fruit cocktail, add to the Jello, and mix. Place back in the fridge until the Jello is fully set.

Ants on Boats – Cut a few apple wedges and spread thinly with peanut butter. Add a few raisins over the peanut butter and enjoy. You can also use cream cheese instead of peanut butter. If you use mini carrot sticks, it’s Ants on a Log.

Pick and Mix – Toddlers seem to really enjoy finger foods rather than eating too much of one thing. A great snack is to place a selection of finger foods on a serving plate and let the child choose. You can serve a combination of foods like carrot sticks, cucumber rounds, cherry tomatoes, pretzels or pretzel sticks, small savory crackers, bread sticks, little cubes or slices of cheese, small slices of ham or turkey, grapes and other pieces of cut up fruit, mini muffins, and dried fruit such as raisins or apricots.