How to Stock Your Kitchen for Healthy Free-Range Snacking

Got a herd of free-range snackers in the house? Here’s how you can help them eat healthy, especially when you’re not around to guide their grazing.

Healthy Snacking for Free-Range Kids

Trail Mix

Photo by Meredith

How To: Fill an airtight container with a crunchy, chewy combo of nuts, seeds, and dried fruit for a quick and easy snack packed with protein and complex carbs. Kids can eat it by the handful, but you can also show them how to stir it into yogurt and sprinkle it on sandwich fillings.

Tip: Instead of spending on packaged trail mix, buy separate ingredients in bulk and customize the mix to suit your eaters. Making your own means you get to control all the ingredients and leave out the junk fillers and empty calories so many packaged mixes contain. Make enough to last a week; extra nuts and seeds can be stored in the freezer to keep them fresh.

More: Try these healthy, crunchy snack ideas.
Roasted Chickpeas
Delicious Baked Corn Chips
Microwave Sweet Potato Chips

Hummus

Photo by Snacking in the Kitchen

Recipe shown: Extra Easy Hummus

How To: If you can operate a can opener and a blender, you can make a big tub of savory hummus for a fraction of the cost of ready-made. Kids can use this hearty, protein-rich food as a dip with cut up vegetables or baked tortilla chips.

Tip: You know your eaters best, so adjust recipes to suit their tolerance for garlic or spices. You can store freshly made hummus in the fridge for up to a week.

More: Get the secrets to making better hummus, and check out all the different kinds of hummus recipes you can play with.

Fruit Dips

Photo by sueb

Recipe shown: Healthy Peanut Butter Fruit Dip

How To: Somewhere there exists scientific evidence that letting kids dip their food gets them to eat more of what you want them to eat. Which brings me to this fruit dip. Keep a tub of it next to a bag of sliced fruit and see if it doesn’t disappear within a week. Made with yogurt, peanut butter (or any other nut butter you like), cinnamon, and optional chia seeds, this dip is nutrition in disguise. The recipe calls for vanilla yogurt, but try using plain yogurt to cut down on added sugar.

Tip: To keep sliced apples, pears, and bananas from going brown, toss them with the juice of a lemon and store them in an airtight bag or container. Note that the firmer the fruit, the longer the slices will stay fresh and crisp. You can store sliced apples for up to a week, while softer fruits like bananas and peaches might start to get mushy after a couple of days.

Power Bars and Bites

Photo by APR

Recipe shown: No-Bake Energy Bites

How To: Double the batch because these disappear quickly. Use a mini cookie scoop to speed up the production line, and store half in the freezer.

Tip: Modify the basic recipe any way you want. You can leave out the chocolate chips and add shredded coconut, for example.

More: Get recipes for homemade granola bars.

Mighty Muffins

Photo by Allrecipes Magazine

Recipe shown: Morning Glory Muffins I

How To: Bake them large or small, depending on the size and needs of your little nippers. You can keep a few ready to eat, and wrap and freeze the rest. If your kids can operate the microwave, they can unwrap and zap frozen muffins until they defrost.

Tip: Muffins are notorious fat and calorie bombs, so read the nutrition info we include with the recipes to find the ones that are right for you.

More: Try these healthier muffin recipes.

Zucchini Yogurt Multigrain Muffins
Addictive Pumpkin Muffins
Whole Wheat Blueberry Muffins

Pasta Salad

Photo by bd.weld

Recipe shown: Chicken and Vegetable Pasta Salad

How To: If you have kids who play sports or endlessly hungry teenagers, you might find you need more hearty snacks for them. Keep a big bowl of pasta and protein salad in the fridge so they can quickly help themselves. But will they still be hungry for dinner? The answer is always yes.

Tips: Pasta salad can tend to dry out over time, so reserve a little dressing to toss in as needed.

More: Explore our entire collection of pasta salad recipes.

Pantry List

Use this as a starting point for ingredients you can keep in your fridge, freezer, and cupboards for healthy free-range snacking.

Cut vegetables
Cut fruit
Yogurt
Dips
Pasta salad
Fresh juices
Sliced lunch meats
Cheese (sliced, shredded, or minis)
Nuts and seeds
Preserves
Whole grain tortillas
Baked chips
Wheat crackers
Rice crackers
Dried fruit
Canned chickpeas for hummus and roasting
Canned tuna
Nut butters
Preserves

Related

Get recipes and inspiration for back-to-school breakfasts, lunches, dinners, and snacks.

Try these grab-and-go bus stop breakfasts for your busiest mornings.

When you’re packing school lunches, go on and give lunchbox classics a healthy makeover.

Need more ideas for healthy after-school snacks? We’ve got you covered.

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The post How to Stock Your Kitchen for Healthy Free-Range Snacking appeared first on Allrecipes Dish.

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