If your kid comes home from school absolutely ravenous—you are SO not alone. Your growing child has been flexing his or her brain muscle all day long in addition to hiking from classroom to classroom and engaging in active play at recess or gym class. Their metabolisms are fired up and their tummies are growling!
While they’re due for a snack, you don’t want to spoil their appetite for dinner. So what’s a parent to do? Have no fear. Not only have we compiled our favorite, light, easy-to-make snack recipes, but we’ve provided fun pairing options as well!
Now that you’re fully equipped with ample nibble ideas for your post-school snack arsenal, you can get to prepping. Simple enough for a child and gourmet enough for adults, here are the top 10 afterschool snack recipes you need to make this year:
1. 5-Minute Chocolate Peanut Butter Balls
If you’re home before the kiddos, prep these bite-sized treats while you wait. Or, if you’re on pick-up duty, simply roll ‘em up when you get home! All you need is a bowl, a set of hands and just five minutes of your time.
Have an extra minute to spare? Dust each chocolaty peanut butter ball in a sweet crumb topping made from rolled oats, golden flax seeds and coconut sugar.
Make it for you and your nutty buddy ->
2. Vegan Cauliflower Tater Tots
Probably the most sophisticated item on this list, these tots are going to win over your little guy’s or gal’s taste buds. More of a light appetizer, this recipe is way easier to make than it seems. Pair it with cultured homemade ketchup and you’ve got a healthy, well-balanced snack enhanced with probiotics.
The best part? This recipe makes 20 tots, which means it’s the perfect snack to prep for you and your kiddo to share or to serve for post-school play dates and study sessions.
![Homemade Chocolate Chip Coconut Oat Bars | Vitacost.com/Blog]( "10 Easy & Healthy Snack Ideas for Kids")
3. Coconut & Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Bars
As traditional as granola bars are when it comes to snacking, they really never get old. So forget about packaged versions that come with a lengthy list of unfamiliar ingredients and try this well-rounded, homemade recipe come snack time.
And for parents, these bars are great for when you’re out and about. Bring an extra one for your hungry kids, as you scoop them up on the way home from the office, gym or running errands.
Raise the bar & refuel together ->
4. Roasted Sunflower Seed Butter
Whether your child has a peanut sensitivity or you’re just looking to keep him or her full a little bit longer than usual, homemade seed butter is sure to do the job! Either slice up some apples for dipping or spread a thin layer on a cinnamon toast rice cake.
You could also blend a tablespoon of sunflower seed butter with banana, leafy greens, hemp seeds and coconut to keep your kiddo satiated until dinner time. Click here for our favorite banana-coconut smoothie recipe.
5. Homemade Fruit Roll-Up
Your kid begs and pleads for those conventional “fruit” snacks—the ones that contain excess amounts of sugar, artificial flavors and colors and zero actual fruit. But you mastered healthy back-to-school shopping this year and stocked up on the ingredients needed to make these real-food-based fruit leathers. Kid- and parent-approved, these snacks will bring about the truce you’ve been hoping for.
![Watermelon Pizza with Bananas, Blueberries and Dairy-Free Yogurt on Serving Board | Vitacost.com/Blog]( "10 Easy & Healthy Snack Ideas for Kids")
6. Watermelon Pizza
Sometimes, it’s all in the presentation. So instead of serving up a boring bowl of fruit (OK, we know that fruit is never boring—but we’re talking about kids here!), offer your kids this colorful, antioxidant-rich watermelon pizza pie. Top it with their favorite fruits, dairy-free yogurt and nut mix.
Make it a pizza-themed night by following up with an oil- & gluten-free vegan pizza for dinner.
7. Stovetop Popcorn with Cheesy Vegan Seasoning
Popcorn is a light, airy snack perfect for grazing on in between meals. Instead of dousing this snack in butter and salt to please younger palates, sprinkle on some nutritional yeast and other flavorful spices. For just a little bit more, lightly drizzle some vegan cheese sauce on top of your shareable stovetop popcorn.
8. Cinnamon Parsnip Crisps
Kids crazy for crunchy snacks? Look no further than this recipe for tasty veggie chips. If you served a healthy breakfast, packed a nutritious lunch and have a wholesome meal for dinner planned, then this snack is fit for your family.
Ditch the noisy bag and bake these cinnamon- and parsley-coated chips. Your kids will love dunking them in various spreads. We suggest organic hummus and homemade cinnamon tahini dip.
9. Gluten-Free Sunflower Crackers & Creamy Vegan Avocado Dip
If your child is more famished than usual when it comes time for munching, he or she may be more willing to explore new cuisines. If that’s the case, opt for creamy avocado dip and gluten-free sunflower crackers.
This recipe requires a little more prep time than typical snacks if you choose to make the crackers from scratch. Otherwise, simply make the dip in minutes and spread the fun, green dip onto healthy seed crackers.
10. Pili Nut Superfood Granola
Finally… here’s the best snack to bake in bulk: Granola! Sure, you can purchase your own bagged granola, and even healthier versions like Purely Elizabeth Gluten-Free Ancient Grain Granola exist, but where’s the sense of achievement in that? Make granola fun again by tossing together this simple snack made from buckwheat groats, pili nuts and seeds.
Use it as a topping for watermelon pizza, smoothies or just have ‘em eat it by the handful.