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How to Make Homemade Snacks for School

Children are constantly growing and love to eat, particularly during a long day at school. It can be a challenge to figure out just what kind of snacks to pack for them so they won't load up on a junk food, but you can follow a few steps to consistently pack your kids' lunch boxes with healthy and tasty snacks that they will eat right up.

Things You'll Need

  • Low-sugar cereal
  • Pretzels
  • Popcorn
  • Unsalted nuts
  • Dried fruit
  • Sandwich bags
  • Assorted fruits and vegetables
  • Low-fat ranch dip
  • Bean dip
  • Hummus
  • Salsa
  • Yogurt
  • Apple sauce or caramel ice cream topping
  • 1/4 cup brown rice syrup
  • 1/4 cup honey
  • 2 tbsp. coconut oil
  • 1/4 cup nut butter
  • Large saucepan
  • 1 cup cereal flakes
  • 1 cup rolled oats
  • 3/4 cup dried fruit
  • 3/4 cup chopped nuts and seeds
  • 8-inch-by-8-inch pan
  • Plastic wrap
  • Low-fat cheese
  • Lunch meat
  • Crackers
  • Tomato sauce
  • Low-fat shredded mozzarella cheese
  • Assorted chopped vegetables
  • English muffins
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Instructions

    • 1

      Make them a homemade trail mix they can snack on throughout the day. Mix together some low-sugar cereal, pretzels, popcorn, unsalted nuts and dried fruit in a sandwich bag for a quick, no-mess snack option. You even can let them choose their own ingredients and help you make the trail mix the night before.

    • 2

      Pack them fruits and veggies with a healthy dip. Kids might choose to not eat anything at all if you pack nothing but a bunch of boring vegetables, but if you include a tasty dip, you'll have a better chance of getting them to eat healthful foods. Add a bag of carrots and celery sticks with a small tub of low-fat ranch dressing, hummus, bean dip or salsa. Pack fruit slices with a sweet and creamy dip such as yogurt, apple sauce or even caramel ice cream topping.

    • 3

      Create tasty and portable fruit and nut bars. Heat 1/4 cup of brown rice syrup, 1/4 cup of honey, 2 tbsp. of coconut oil and 1/4 cup of nut butter in a large saucepan until everything has melted. Stir in a cup of cereal flakes, a cup of rolled oats, 3/4 cup of dried fruit and 3/4 cup of chopped nuts and seeds. Pat the mixture into an 8-inch-by-8-inch pan and refrigerate for an hour before cutting into bars. Wrap them in plastic, and put one of them in your child's lunch box for a quick and easy treat.

    • 4

      Make mini-sandwiches and mini-pizzas. Pack some low-fat cheese and lunch meat with some crackers to let them build their own miniature sandwiches when they get hungry. Or put some tomato sauce, low-fat mozzarella cheese and chopped veggies on an English muffin, and heat it in the microwave before cutting into triangles and packing with a lunch.

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