Healthy school snack ideas for children

Children eat better when given creatively prepared and presented food. Whereas there are a lot of kid-friendly menu options, choosing to prepare some of your own ensures you pack all the nutrients they need.

Below are some of the snacks that your kids will love.

1. Roasted chickpeas

These easy to make snacks are packed with protein. Eating chickpeas is better than eating meat as it gives a better plant protein. Toss them with salt, butter and a little black pepper and roast in the oven for eight minutes. Their golden color will definitely attract the children.

2. Fruit cuts in a stick

Getting your little ones to eat fruits can be a battle. You can make it attractive by looking for skewers, cut the fruit into bite size piece and then stack them on the skewer. Play around with colors of the fruit making your skewers even more appetizing. If you want them to have fruits like bananas and apples, pack them whole as they may oxidize and look unpleasant by break time.

3. Fruit smoothies

Smoothies give you the liberty to 'hide' the vegetables and fruits your kids dislike. Add some yogurt or almond milk for the lactose intolerant so as to give it a creamy appearance and taste. Play around with what your child loves offering blended fruit, vegetables and nut variations.

4. Sandwiches

These are very easy to make as all you will need are two slices of bread and fillings for instance, lettuce, tomatoes, sautéed onions, ham and some grilled cheese can be your signature sandwich. Ask your babies what they like and toss it in the sandwich too.

5. Mini vegie-pies

These are like the common samosa, only that they are baked rather than fried. Use precooked peas, carrots, mashed potatoes and salt as the filling. Fill the pie casing up and bake. Your children will be hooked to them. The mini size is easy to handle and less messy.

6. Nut mix

Mix up roasted macadamia, peanuts and cashew nuts. To flavour them more before the roasting, coat them with butter, black pepper and salt. They will offer your kids energy for hours.