One of the best ways to improve healthy eating is to eat healthy snacks. In our world today, a lot of kids have busy schedules after school. While it might be easy to grab a bag of chips, it is just as easy to grab a bag of nuts. Probably the best thing you can do is plan your snacks ahead of time. If you are involved in lessons or sports after school it is a good idea to pack a snack to take with you so it is there when you get hungry and need some energy.

Snacks are also a great way to get the minimum requirements of fruits and vegetables you need everyday. If you need a snack for when you are not at home, I think the best thing to do is start out with a “fruit” or “vegetable” to build your snack and then add something interesting. An “apple” alone may not sound intriguing, but if you add nuts or a side of peanut butter, you have a delicious power snack. If “carrots” alone doesn’t fascinate you, add some hummus dip or some plain yogurt mixed with herbs and you have an “appetizer.”

You can be more creative with snacking when you are home. An easy snack to make is to pop a baked potato in the microwave and top it with some low-fat yogurt or 1% cottage cheese. One of my favorites is to steam some baby carrots and toss with a little orange juice and honey. Or, bake some veggies in the oven. Broccoli, cauliflower, red and green peppers are just some suggestions. Just cut the veggies in bite size pieces and toss with a little olive oil and bake in oven for about 20 minutes. Also, you can sprinkle some herbs on the veggies for some additional flavor. Let us hear what great snack ideas you have by commenting on this post below!

<3 Remmi

Photos: nuts , apple, potato