Kids and snacks, snacks and kids… some things just go together! My littles love food, and I’ve tried my best to nurture a love of REAL food in them by introducing and exposing them to allllll kinds of foods (in a no pressure way). Everything from squash to sardines to steamed broccoli and salmon. I want my babies to know and appreciate a variety of tastes, flavors, textures, cuisines… you get the picture!
And I also want them to see food as JOYFUL and FUN. Because it is! Food brings us together, creates a moment to slow down and savor something special with one another. It can be playful, creative and silly. But building an appreciation and openness to all kinds of food doesn’t happen by accident. It happens with thoughtful, intentional choices with what we put on their plates every day.
(Psst, hot tip: even if they don’t touch a certain food the first time you offer it, don’t count it as a loss! Many kids need to be exposed to a food 20+ times before wanting to try, and really enjoy, it. More on the process of feeding your little ones real food can be found in my famous Baby Food Guide!)
And their snacks can be a big part of introducing new flavors and foods (or getting them something healthy and tasty to hold them over until the next meal)! I loveeeee snack time with my babies. Now that Noah’s 3.5 years old, he helps me make a lot of our household snacks, which by the way, is a great way to encourage little ones to eat! Participation in cooking is a big motivator for them to try their yummy creations.
I wanted to share some of our go-to snacks on rotation over here— ones that my littles absolutely LOVE (and secret… so do I)! A few of these are especially great for warm summer days, but TBH, I’d make and serve any of them year round personally. No shame in a mid-winter popsicle!
I hope you enjoy trying some of these with your kiddos!
The 6 Best Healthy Homemade Snack Recipes for Kids
These are our snack staples on rotation all summer long!
1. Popsicles:
Love these popsicle molds! So much less sugar (and chemicals) when you make them from scratch. Also a fun idea for any extra smoothies you’ve made. A great snack in the bathtub or kiddie pool for mess. 🙂
Recipe pulled from the Cooking Club
- 1 cup whole milk greek yogurt
- 1/2 cup blueberries (frozen or fresh)
- 1 tsp maple syrup (or more if you have sweeter tastebuds)
Add yogurt, berries and maple syrup to the blender. Puree until smooth. If the yogurt gets too thick, add a splash of coconut water or water to help it blend (but not too much!). Pour mixture into popsicle molds and freeze until solid.
2. Smoothies:
I love these toddler smoothie cups with lids and straws! I have soooo many smoothie recipes on the blog, in my cookbooks, in the Cooking Club. We LOVE a smoothie around here. I always aim to include veggies, a healthy fat and/or protein, and something sweet like a little fruit. Here’s a favorite, the Lunchlady Powerhouse Smoothie:
- 1/2 banana (frozen)
- 3-4 leafy green kale leaves
- 8-10 blueberries (optional)
- 1 teaspoon organic gelatinized maca powder (like this one)
- 1 teaspoon organic spirulina or sun potion chlorella
- 1 scoop ancient nutrition bone broth protein powder (pure flavor)
- 1 splash of coconut milk (optional)
- 1 cup (or more) water
- 3 handfuls of ice
Add all ingredients (besides ice) to the blender and blend on high until smooth. Add ice. Pour into 2 large glass jars and go slay your day sister.
3. Noah’s “Cottonball” Snack Ball:
Recipe pulled from the Cooking Club
- 8 tbsp unsweetened coconut flakes
- 4 tbsp coconut oil (melted) or olive oil
- 2-3 tbsp maple syrup
- 2 tbsp chia seeds
- 2 tbsp flaxseed meal
- 2 tbsp hemp seeds
- 2 tbsp cocoa nibs
Mix all ingredients together in a medium mixing bowl. Let sit for 5-10 minutes as the chia seeds absorb the liquid. Roll into small balls, approximately yielding 8 balls total. Store in the fridge until ready to eat.
4. Blueberry Baby Cake:
See full recipe blog post here
- 2 cups gf oats
- 1 banana, mashed
- 1 can pumpkin (bpa free)
- 1 small bag frozen organic blueberries or raspberries
- 1 medium bag of frozen organic spinach
- 1/2 cup coconut milk (bpa free)
- 1/4 cup garbanzo bean flour
- 3 tablespoons flax seeds (or chia)
- 2 teaspoons cinnamon
Preheat oven to 375. Line a round cake pan with natural parchment paper. Combine all ingredients in a large mixing bowl and stir well to combine. Mix batter well then pour into cake pan. Bake for 45-50 minutes or until top is slightly brown and middle of cake is slightly firm to touch.
When ready to serve, slice cake into 4 segments, and warm the sections in the oven at 350 for 5 minutes. I like to place mine upside down on a baking sheet to warm the gooey side first.
5. Pumpkin Zucchini Muffins:
Recipe pulled from the Baby Food Guide
- 1 cup cooked quinoa (by cooking ½ cup dry quinoa + 1 cup water)
- 1 can pureed pumpkin or butternut squash
- 1 ripe banana, mashed
- 2 zucchini, shredded and excess liquid squeezed out
- 2 cups cooked cauliflower, blended or mashed
Preheat the oven to 375F. Line muffin tins with liners. Mix all ingredients together in a mixing bowl and scoop batter into muffin tins, spreading the batter evenly with the back of a spoon. Fill cups all the way up to make fewer muffins, or halfway for smaller ones. Bake for 35-40 minutes or until done.
6. Turkey Zucchini Meatballs:
Recipe pulled from the Baby Food Guide
- 2 lbs organic ground turkey
- 2 large zucchini, shredded and extra liquid squeezed out
- 1 cup quinoa, cooked
- 2 organic pastured egg yolks
- 2 tablespoons Italian seasoning
- 2 teaspoons sea salt and pepper
- 1 jar clean tomato sauce (no sugar added)
Preheat the oven to 375F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Mix all ingredients (except salt and tomato sauce) in a large mixing bowl to combine. Scoop ¼ cup sized balls of the meat and form into balls, placing them on the baking sheet.
Bake for 25-30 minutes or until meatballs begin to brown and are cooked through when you slice them open.
The Best Store-Bought Snacks for Toddlers
I love these for quicker options or when we’re on the go!
- Thrive Market paleo snack packs
- Lesser Evil popcorn
- Olives
- Beecher’s cheddar cheese sticks
- Mary’s Gone Crackers or Simple Mills Crackers
- Sliced apples/pears/grapes/apricots/plums (least messy ones for travel)
- Nut butter/sunflower butter rice cake sandwiches
- PB&J “tacos” (Siete Foods tortilla roll-ups with PB&J)
- Cucumbers/bell peppers dipped in pesto or hummus or white bean dip
- Pulp Chips (from Thrive Market)
Get 25% off your first Thrive order here!
The Best Baby Snacks
These are the snacks I feed June most often, who’s almost one!
- Blueberries
- Steamed cauliflower or steamed zucchini (both of these are less messy on the go/don’t stain)
- Soft pears or peaches
- Cucumber insides
- Hard boiled egg yolk
- Muffins (see recipe above!)
- Turkey meatballs (see recipe above!)
Snacking on The Move?!
For anyone taking their baby or toddler snacks on the go, here are a few of my favorite packing essentials to make snacking out and about SO much easier!
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Need to stock up on some yummy family snacks or pantry items?!
This post may contain affiliate links. Photos by Talitha Bullock.