Thursday, October 15, 2015

Snacks

This is really just a place for me to keep my ideas, but you're welcome to steal them if you'd like.  CJ thinks about snacks probably 80% of the time, Daddy 10% of the time, and Bubby & Lyna the other 10% of the time.  I try to have snack time at 10 a.m. and then shortly after he gets up from his nap around 3 p.m.  If he is asking for a snack early, I have started setting a timer and telling him that when the timer goes off, he can have a snack.  I bought the timer on Amazon a month or so ago, and I am finding it to be so handy!  I'll set it for snack time, potty time, nap time, bed time, and time until he can get down from the table during a meal.  Who knows what we'll be counting down to in the future.  I read about the idea and liked that it was something that a kid can't argue with.  They could argue with you about whether or not they want to go to bed, but they can't argue with a timer.  What the timer says goes.

Anyway, I'm coming up with a list of "healthy" snack ideas that I think CJ will actually eat. At this point, he's mostly just eating trail mix granola or fiber bars and raisins for snacks, but I think I might hide these and only have the better options available.  Eating just fruits and vegetables never sounds appealing to him unfortunately, but I'll put them on the list in case I can convince him that carrot sticks are yummy.  So if you have ideas, feel free to share & I'll add them to the list.

-whole-grain crackers, bread (with peanut butter [PB])
-plain yogurt (with fruit, granola, flax seeds, etc.)
-cheese
-apples & PB
-carrots & low-fat ranch
-celery & PB/raisins
-raisins
-fiber bars
-nuts (I think he'd be able to eat these without choking at this point? Maybe might need to wait, I'm not sure.)
-rolled up cold cuts
-cubed ham
-cut up grapes, bananas
-broccoli and ranch (a big reach, but maybe one day!)
-mandarin oranges
-oranges
-beans
-cottage cheese
-plain popcorn (watch for choking)
-berries
-crackers or pretzels & hummus (never offered him this, but I love it so maybe he would to?)
-low-fat oatmeal cookie (just one, not the whole batch)
-prunes, cranberries
-dried apricots
-Graham crackers
-hard boiled eggs
-smoothies (My basic recipe in this order which is more than a toddler serving: 1/2 cup frozen fruit, 1/4-1/2 cup plain yogurt, handful of kale/spinach/leftover veggies, and milk or juice to the top of the frozen fruit on bottom.  Sometimes a dash of honey is necessary.)
-string cheese
-dry cereal
-bread with veggies baked in
-veggie/fruit pouches
-green peppers
-leftover pancakes with cheese on top baked under the broiler  (Is that even proper english? haha)
(These next few are stolen really good ideas.)
-apple and celery puree (never heard of that one!)
-Mini-pizzas: halved English muffins topped with tomato, grated carrot and cheese, and grilled
-Honeydew melon, mint and ice blended together - a summer sensation!
-Crackers with cheese and vegemite
-Berries and orange juice in a high-speed blender make a fun sorbet
-Fruit & yoghurt pops (mix bananas or strawberries together with yoghurt & freeze)
-Frozen seedless grapes are a cool treat (cut in half first as whole grapes could be a choking hazard)
-Baked beans on 'boats' (the boats are halved boiled eggs with the yolk taken out.)
-Fruit skewer: pineapple pieces, strawberries, orange slices and all kinds of fruit on a skewer (let them do it themselves - supervise carefully!)
-Cooked chickpeas and sweet potato blended together makes a yummy dip for crackers
-Bubble and squeak: leftover mashed potato, eggs and whatever else is handy cooked into patties. Just don't tell your toddler it's called 'bubble and squeak' or he or she may be expecting it to be a whole lot more exciting!-bagels & cream cheese
-pickle
-cucumber
-rice cakes
-sesame sticks
-. . . .



1 comment:

  1. I think he would be just fine with nuts. They are no more crunchy than pretzels are. I think the girls were eating them at 2.
    I used to cut apples into little thin sticks to make eating them more fun (and easier) for a toddler, so maybe he'd like that? Feeding toddlers is so tough.

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