Snack ideas to keep the kids happy through the Christmas holiday

Snack ideas for kids

With the kids off school for the next couple of weeks and the cold, wet weather keeping us indoors for much of the time, it can begin to feel that our children are constantly saying things like ‘I’m hungry/starving/dying’, ‘what’s for lunch/dinner/food?’, ‘what can I eat?’ and similar requests for food!

And as parents, we can very quickly run out of snack ideas for what to feed our children – particularly when trying to balance what they will accept with what is healthy.

We feel your pain and thought we’d compile a list of ideas that can help us and you survive through this period without too much effort and/or guilt.

1. Fruit, fruit and more fruit – tangerines, satsumas, oranges, apples, bananas, berries, pears, plums, grapes, you get the message.
2. Fruit skewers – thread strawberries, kiwi, pineapple and melon chunks onto skewers to liven up the fruit option.
3. Fruit salad – with some full-fat Greek yoghurt for added protein.
4. Chopped up vegetables (carrots, peppers, cucumber, sugar snap peas) with hummus, guacamole, tzatziki or other dips – add some pitta slices if they need something more substantial.
5. Sticks of celery with cream cheese.
6. Pizza toast – toast slices of bread, add tomato sauce, toppings, and cheese and cook under the grill for a few minutes.
7. Home-made flapjacks with seeds (whole or ground) for added protein – use honey or coconut sugar in place of real sugar – super-quick and easy to make.
8. Sausages – cook a batch and let them eat them cold – chicken sausages are a real hit in our house.
9. Chunks of cheese with grapes, apple or other fruit.
10. Nuts and seeds – make your own trail mix with nuts, seeds, and dried fruit.
11. Whizz together some ground nuts and seeds with some dates, roll into a ball and roll in melted chocolate then leave to set in the fridge – your own homemade chocolate protein balls.
12. Nut butter on wholegrain crackers or bread – peanut butter spread on apple slices is lovely, although my children think I’m a bit strange for liking this!
13. Home-made cookies or cakes – there are some ideas in the links at the end of the article and these are also something that the kids can make for themselves.
14. Boiled eggs with cherry tomatoes.
15. Shop bought protein bars – just check the sugar content.
16. And, of course… the odd chocolate or mince-pie.

Hopefully, this range of snack ideas for kids will appeal not just to you from a nutritional point of view, but also to the little ones taste buds too. Aimed at providing a healthy alternative to sweets and chocolates whilst interesting enough for your kids to want to try them again and again.

Make the most of the festive period and the delicious range of foods that we all indulge in at this time of year. Enjoy.

And whilst we know our gut stuff at ProVen, we are no chefs or food-prep experts, so we’ve included some links below to help Christmas-ise the above list if you would like to:

Check out this link for some amazing fruit-based Christmas ideas: https://www.healthylittlefoodies.com/18-healthy-christmas-snacks/

And this link for some vegetable ideas: https://www.superhealthykids.com/recipes/25-healthy-christmas-snacks-party-foods/

This link has a fabulous range of ideas, that the kids can make for themselves or help you to make depending on their age: https://www.healthymummy.com/20-healthy-christmas-snacks-kids/

Want to know more?

Pro-Ven Probiotics aim to provide the best support for both you and your health. If you wish to know more about gut health and staying healthy with snack ideas please do not hesitate to call us on 01639 825107 or alternatively, learn more via our blogs or in-depth proven research.

ProVen Probiotics, Unit 2 Christchurch Road, Baglan Industrial Park, Port Talbot, SA12 7DJ. Tel: 01639 825107