If you’re tired of the same old snacks, or want to make healthy changes to your snack routine, this super awesome list of healthy snack ideas is for you! Get fresh inspiration, and easy-to-make recipes!
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When I began planning this Healthy Resolutions for the Everyday Family series for the blog, I asked on Facebook and Instagram what kind of changes you were most interested in making and learning about. I heard again and again that figuring out healthy snacks was a big priority for so many.
While breakfast and lunch can be predictable and we can plan for dinners, the times in between often goes unplanned for or is just at the mercy of convenience foods.
Don’t get me wrong, I love convenience foods and we eat our share of packaged snacks.
But snacks don’t have to be just empty calories or foods we unwrap because we don’t know what else to do.
A snack in between meals should fuel our bodies and provide nutrients, ideally still with minimal effort because we all have other things to do.
In our house, we have a rule about afternoon snacks that before any other snacks are made, the kids need to eat a piece of fresh fruit.
The purpose of this is twofold. First, it’s just healthier to eat an apple or orange or banana, and the fiber and natural sugars will often fill them up so they don’t need anything else. Secondly though, a piece of fresh fruit is just so stinkin’ easy. It requires no prep and my kids can do it all completely themselves. Mom is off the hook.
There are times, though, that the fruit isn’t enough and a second snack is helpful.
I created a printable (you can download for free below) that helps everyone (kids and adults) to remember to grab the fresh fruit or veggies first, before moving on to something else.
Super Awesome List of Healthy Snack Ideas
One thing that has helped me tremendously when menu planning and simply deciding what to eat is my master dinner and lunch lists. No matter how good of a cook you are, it can still be difficult to pick what to eat!
A big master list helps to jog your memory and can keep you from eating the same things again and again (unless that’s what you want to do, which would be fine too).
(If you feel like you are in a lunch rut and need fresh inspiration for midday meals, you can check out this huge list of lunch ideas and printable guide to help you break out of your rut).
To help all of us remember our snacking options, I put together this list of healthy snack ideas. There are snacks that require no prep at all, snacks you can buy at the store, snacks that will give you that protein boost you need, snacks you can prep ahead of time on the weekend, and so on.
You get the picture.
Keep scrolling to see everything on the list, and to get links to recipes whenever relevant. At the end of the list is a printable version of the Super Awesome List of Healthy Snack Ideas. Print it out and laminate it. Hang it in your kitchen, tuck it in your planner, whatever you need to do.
Keepin’ It Fresh ::
- Apples
- Bananas
- Clementines
- Plums
- Grapes
- Peaches
- Pears
- Carrot sticks
- Celery sticks
- Broccoli florets
- Cucumber slices
- Bell pepper spears
- Cherry tomatoes
Optional Dips ::
- Peanut butter
- Honey cream cheese (Mix together 1 part honey and 3 parts cream cheese with a pinch of cinnamon)
- Best (EVER) ranch dressing
- Creamy hummus (Instant Pot recipe in my cookbook)
Protein Packed ::
- Hard boiled eggs (5 minutes high pressure in the Instant Pot, quick release then immediate ice bath– more detailed instructions here)
- Yogurt & chia seed jam (make ahead and keep in small mason jars)
- Green pea hummus & crackers/pita chips/tortilla chips
- Cheese sticks
- Energy balls
- Nuts & seeds
- Roasted chickpeas
- Jerky
Kids Can Prep ::
- Peanut butter rice cakes
- Fruit sorbet
- Trail mix
- Smoothies
- Hummus & veggies (prep the veggies ahead of time)
- Deli meat & cheese roll-ups
- Peanut butter apple sandwiches
- Pickles
- Tortilla chips & 1-minute guacamole
- Salad
Make Ahead ::
- Real fruit & veg strips/leather
- Muffins (carrot raisin, chocolate zucchini, oatmeal date apple, raisin date walnut, strawberries & cream, nutty blueberry)
- Applesauce
- Granola bars
- Dark chocolate super grain bars
- Pudding cups (dairy-free chocolate pudding, easy pumpkin pudding cups)
- Kale chips
- Fruit gummies
- Chips and salsa (amazing fresh salsa, restaurant-style salsa with lime & chiles)
- Healthy cookies (whole wheat peanut butter sugar cookies, double dark chocolate pumpkin cookies)
- Popcorn
- Fruit & veggie pouches
- Dried fruit
Print the Healthy Snack Ideas List
Print the Snack Options “First this… Then this” List
What are some of your family’s favorite healthy snacks? How do you keep snack routine healthy and simple? Share your ideas with everyone in the comments!
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