Healthy Snacks Kids Can Make Themselves

As soon as my daughter could hold a spoon, I began to think of different healthy snacks kids can make.
As children grow, parents journey with them on the road to proper nutrition. Grocery stores assault parents with unhealthy, highly processed foods that have promises of easy preparation.
Having children involved in making their own snacks is a terrific way to getting them on the road to eating well. The rewards our children will have by learning to create their own healthy snacks will be lasting.
Talk to your children about what foods you are buying and have them help during the shopping trip. Take time to pre-cut any veggies or fruit and have them accessible. I also made sure the kids could access their own snacks by placing the food on lower shelves and cupboards. The best part about coming up with ideas of what types of snacks kids can make is that it is fun.
We all remember Ants on a Log (raisins on celery sticks with peanut butter), which is still a staple for anyone with a preschooler, but there is so much more children can learn and enjoy. Stock your kitchen with fun items like paper cups, popsicle sticks, shish kabobs, a slushy maker and prep foods so your child can be as independent. Make sure that you choose food projects that are age-appropriate snacks kids can make.
Construct a fruit kabob by poking a wooden shish kabob through chunked fruit such as pineapple, orange, apple or banana slices. Yogurt or honey-sweetened sour cream is a yummy dip for your munchkin to dunk their kabob.
Cracker sandwiches are fun, and the possibilities are endless. Peanut butter, hummus, deli meats, and cheese are great fillers. Think outside the box and use different types of crackers such as animal crackers.
Frozen pops have many different possibilities and ingredients. Paper cups are an excellent mould for the pops, and a plastic spoon is a perfect handle. Ingredients to put in pops can be juice, pudding and yogurt. Pour the liquid medium in a smaller cup so your child can measure out each pop.
Kids can make their own slushie frozen drinks with a slushy maker and any juice, fruit, yogurt or milk - almost any smoothie recipe can be used to make a slushy. Set out ingredients and let them experiment.
My daughter had perfected her own smoothie recipe by the time she was eight. Her basics are orange juice and frozen fruit. The concoctions she has put together are endless, and it is fun to see what new recipe she has created. She has experimented with yogurt, low-fat ice cream, milk, fresh fruits and even cinnamon.
My daughter is twelve now and has become a fantastic cook. She fears no appliance and takes on recipes and grocery lists with confidence. The rewards of teaching your child about food and healthy nutrition are priceless.