Healthy Snacks Your Kids Will Love?
Snacking is an essential part of your child’s nutrition. They need to take at least 2-3 snacks between their meals.
Keeping in mind that, here are some healthy and fun snack ideas for you and your kids.
1) Thumb Ice Cream:
Thumb Ice cream is an excellent dessert idea for kids’ parties. To prepare this ice cream, crush the cookies/crackers into fine powder by using a rolling pin; pour milk or fruit juice in a bowl; add crushed crackers/cookies to it along with white sugar (or another sweetener of choice), black pepper, vanilla essence and whipped cream (optional). Mix all ingredients well so that there are no lumps left. Now chill it in the fridge for about half an hour.
Take out the ice cream from the fridge; get creative with small objects like wooden sticks, pens, or pencils to make cute thumbprint designs on ice cream molds. You can also use cupcakes liners instead of molds for this purpose. Pour the mixture into molds and stick in the freezer till it freezes properly. Pop them out after 10-15 minutes and serve your child as a fun dessert treat that they will love!
2) Fruity Carrot Cake:
Fruits are healthy nibbles for kids as they provide essential vitamins and minerals necessary for growth and development. Kids find fruits easy to eat because these come naturally peeled and sliced, although you need to be careful while choosing the fruit varieties as the juice stains clothes and carpets.
You can make a healthy cake with fruits and veggies as it is straightforward to make. All you need to do is mix cream, eggs, carrots, bananas, etc., together to form a paste-like consistency. Now place this paste in a baking dish and bake either in an electronic or microwave oven.
You will have to check from time to time whether the cake has been baked properly or not by inserting a toothpick/ fork inside it so that when you pull out these utensils, they come clean without any mixture sticking onto them. If the knives are clean, then your cake is ready!
3) Banana Pancakes:
Kids love pancakes but often complain about the lack of fluffiness in it. Here is an easy way to make your kids love pancakes even more. To prepare banana pancakes, you will need flour, baking powder, salt, sugar, and milk. Mix all these ingredients with a fork without any lumps remaining. Add one mashed ripe banana to this mixture and mix well until bananas are entirely mixed into the pancake batter.
Make a thick paste of this batter by adding extra flour if required (refer to packet instructions for proper measurements). Now heat a non-stick pan with little oil or butter on medium flame, then pour small spoonfuls of this mixture onto the pan and cook from both sides as regular pancakes would be cooked, i.e., golden brown color on both sides of the pancake.
4) Apple Chips:
Apple chips are easy to make yet very healthy for children as apples provide Vitamins A, B1, B2, B3, and C to our diet and a good amount of dietary fiber that helps digestion.
Apples also help in preventing many chronic diseases such as cancer. You need sour green apples, lemon juice, cinnamon powder, and Sugar (optional) to prepare apple chips.
Now slice these apples properly so that they resemble equal size chips as shown in the picture below:
After cutting all the apples, please place them in a bowl and sprinkle some lemon juice over them to avoid becoming brown due to oxidation. Now mix all these apple slices in cinnamon powder generously so that each portion is coated with it properly.
Place the apple chips on an oven tray carefully without overlapping, which helps to achieve uniform cooking of apples. Put this tray into the preheated oven for about 8-10 minutes or until your kitchen starts smelling good with the aroma of cinnamon! Please take out the baked apple chips, let them cool down, then pack them in serving bowls/containers for your kids as healthy snack ideas.
5) Gobi Cheese Balls:
Kids love cheese cubes along with their favorite chutney or sauce, but you cannot afford to give them cheese cubes often due to the high-calorie content in them. Here’s a healthy way to provide your child with cheese cubes without worrying much about their calories.
To prepare this recipe, you will need grated cauliflower, onion, garlic paste, boiled potatoes, powdered masala (optional), melted butter/olive oil, and cheese cubes/ shredded mozzarella cheese. First, grate or grind the cauliflower onion and garlic properly so that all these ingredients mix well together.
After the mixture has been prepared, take boiled potatoes and mash them properly to avoid lumps of potato remaining. Add this mashed potato to the previous cauliflower mix and mix everything thoroughly; then, place this mixture on a baking tray and bake for at least 15 minutes at 180 degrees Celsius.
6) Oats Pancakes:
Oats pancakes are very healthy as oats provide soluble fiber in our diet, which helps to reduce cholesterol levels. It also keeps blood sugar levels under control, preventing various chronic diseases such as diabetes. To prepare these yummy pancakes, you will need oats, flour, maida or all-purpose flour, salt, baking powder, and Sugar. Use equal amounts of both flours to prepare pancake batter by adding the required amount of salt and baking powder.
Now add two teaspoons of sugar to this mixture, then add milk slowly while mixing the batter until it becomes smooth without any lumps remaining in it. Keep the consistency slightly thicker than a regular pancake to not become soggy when cooled down.
Heat a non-stick pan with little oil/butter on medium flame, then pour small spoonfuls of this mixture onto the pan and cook from both sides as regular pancakes would be cooked, i.e., golden brown color on both sides of the pancake.
7) Mango Milk Shake:
Mangoes are rich in vitamin A, C, and D and dietary fiber, making this fruit healthy for us. Milk contains calcium which improves our bones’ health. Sugar provides energy to our brain, while milk lactic acid enhances bone growth. You can prepare a mango milkshake by blending one ripe mango with chilled milk and sugar as required. Now pour out this yummy drink in glasses for your kids as a refreshing beverage after their tiffin or lunch box.
8) Strawberry French Toast Roll-Ups:
Strawberries are low in calories yet provide dietary fiber, manganese, Vitamin C, etc., essential nutrients that keep us active throughout the day without feeling hungry frequently. To prepare French toast roll-ups, you will need bread slices, beaten eggs, strawberries, Sugar, and cinnamon powder for garnishing.
Take a bowl and add two beaten eggs to it, then add some sugar, followed by some chopped strawberries. Mix this mixture well together, then rub the mixture coated on each slice of bread thoroughly.
Now take a non-stick pan or griddle plate with a bit of butter/olive oil spread over it, then cook each side of the stuffed bread slice till it turns golden brown from both sides. Finally, sprinkle some cinnamon powder over these yummy rolls before serving them as healthy breakfast or tiffin box recipes for kids.