Snacks and Lunches

One of the struggles most moms face is the constant, unrelenting appetites of their children. Snacks and meals, meals and snacks.  Once one meal is done, it is time to start the next one!  When my kids were little, there were days my husband would come home and I would remark, “All I did today was cook food and change diapers!”  Now that my kids are older, I no longer have to change diapers but I sometimes feel like I live in the kitchen, especially when one of the kids is going through a growth spurt.

When you combine the large volume of food that growing children need with the workload that is needed to produce some traditional foods, you can quickly find yourself overloaded and not knowing what to fix.  Variety is the key to happy kids.  I can fix a favorite meal and it will be received with cheers, but if I serve it for three days in a row, I hear disappointment on day two and complaints by day three.  So to accomplish having a variety on hand, I recommend you batch cook and freeze meals and a large variety of snacks, then rotate through them so your children do not become bored with what is offered to them.

This is a list of snack ideas.  Not all of these are freezable, but if you put this list on your fridge, when you’re having a busy day or in a fog, it will help you quickly throw together some snacks to keep the kiddies happy.  This combination, grazing approach can also revive the tired lunch box or provide you with a kid-friendly meal when you’re sick or too tired.

I serve these snacks in a snack tray, so my kids have a little of each of a wide variety of foods. The trays has a center well for dipping and six wells around the outside. These types of trays are easy to find in stores like Target during the Summer. Tupperware also sells a very large version. They’re really great if you have a child who prefers to graze through snack time. I try to do two fats, one protein, one veggie, one fruit, one carb and one dip each time I put the trays together.

Fats and Proteins

Cheese cubes
Crispy sunflower seeds
Crispy pumpkin seeds
Crispy or sprouted nuts or peanuts
Nori strips
Mini meatballs
‘Crocodile’ Nuggets
Roasted vegetables
Hard boiled egg pieces
Lara bars
French Fries
Coconut flour brownie bites
Coconut flour baked goods
Mrs. Mays
Crispy nuts
Sushi rolls
Chicken nuggets
Fish sticks
Stuffed grape leaves
Trail mix
Bean Fudge- chocolate, peanut butter or pumpkin
Cubed meat
Lunch meat rolls
Pinwheel rolls (lunch meat rolled into tortillas)
Pemmican
Bacon
Nutbutter balls
Taquitos
Coconut oil candy squares
Beef jerky bites
Sausage wheels
Sliced sausage
Cold meatloaf cut into cubes or strips
Coconut milk jello gigglers
Sliced hot dogs
Meat kebabs
Mini black bean cakes
Mini almond macaroons
Wellshire turkey sticks
Salmon rolls
Rumaki
Stuffed mushrooms
Mini quiche cups
Rumaki
Cucumber and Chickpea Salad

Carbs

Homemade or whole grain crackers
Olives
Carob chips
Chocolate chips
Homemade granola
Cereal
Rice patties
Cooked pasta shapes
Crackers
Plain or seasoned popcorn
Macaroons
Mini muffins
Silver-dollar pancakes
Waffle sticks
Mini-sandwiches
Mini-cookies
Cut up, homemade cereal bars
Boiled peanuts
Blue corn chips
Popovers
Homemade jello gigglers
Pita Chips
Homemade Tortilla crisps
Banana or Zucchini bread
Fried Oatmeal

Fruits

Red seedless grapes
Peaches
Pineapple
Pear
Dried fruit
Raisins
Dates
Apple
Goji berries
Orange sections
Fruit leather
Strawberries
Raspberries
Blackberries
Diced watermelon
Prunes
Blueberries
Banana chips fried in coconut oil
Apple chips
Cantaloupe
Melons
Grapefruit
Pear slices
Sultanas
Banana dipped in carob or chocolate sauce
Banana slices fried in lard or bacon fat
Banana Tacos

Veggies

Baby carrots
Lima beans
Baby spinach leaves
Cucumber slices
Julienned cucumber
Cherry tomatoes
Sugar snap peas
Cucumber and Chickpea Salad
Carrot chips
Sweet potato chips
Steamed green beans
Freeze-dried veggies
English peas
Crystallized ginger
Celery
Bell pepper strips
Homemade tater tots
Roasted veggie cubes
Steamed sweet potato cubes
‘Crocodile’ Nuggets
Avocado slices
Cauliflower
Broccoli
Sauerkraut
Stuffed Tomatoes
Lacto-fermented pickles
Asparagus tips
Roasted chickpeas
Beans

Dips

Applesauce
Peanut butter
Nut butter
Hummus
Chicken liver pate
Cashew cream
Miso
Ranch Dressing
Salad dressing
Baba ganoush
Mayo