12 Easy Afternoon Snack Ideas

It’s well past lunch, but not quite yet time for dinner and the little ones are singing a chorus of, “I’m hungry!” Now what? Mom, we’ve got you covered. Here are 12 snacks of varying levels of “healthy” that kids are going to love making just as much as eating.

Banana Lollipops – Cut bananas in half, stick a lollipop or popsicle stick in the middle. Dip in peanut butter or almond butter. Cover in slivered almonds, crushed M&M’s, chocolate chips or graham crackers.
Banilla Bites – Take 2 Nilla Wafers and spread a small amount of peanut butter or almond butter on one wafer. Place a sliced banana on top and top with a 2nd Nilla wafer.
Popcorn Balls – These would be so cute for Halloween!
For drinks, forego the extra sweet and sugary juices. Try out Drazil Kids Tea,a caffeine-free tea for kids that tastes like juice. It has less sugar and tons of antioxidants.
Veggie Cups – Place Ranch dressing or Greek yogurt in the bottom of a cup. Place different sticks of veggies into the dip. It’s easy to carry and kids love dippable items!
Have a pudding bar! How fun would this be? Have bowls of different pudding flavors and toppings for the sides – M&M’s, whipped cream, graham cracker, marshmallows, different fruits etc.
Veggie Straws – I’ve noticed that Kroger’s Simple Truth brand are less salty than most brands.
Dark Chocolate Trail Mix Balls – Thanks to the Zesty Cook for the recipe!
Healthy Peanut Butter Oatmeal Cookies– Found at The Skinny Fork.
Chocolately Protein Balls-Recipe coming to The Pinning Mama soon!
Homemade Granola or Trail Mix
Sliced Apples with Peanut Butter or Almond Butter

I learned so much from a nutritionist who came to speak at aMOPS meeting a couple years back. One thing that stuck out is that snacks shouldn’t be more than 100-200 calories,drink included. Wow!

I learned to think about my role as my kids’ teacher of health in a whole different way.

What’s your go-to snack when the afternoon hungries come around? Do you have any healthy snack ideas that your kids love?

Ashley is one of the two girls behind The Pinning Mama. Blogging has become her creative outlet where she can share her creativity, thoughts and “pin tests.” Make sure that you follow them on Pinterest and Facebook to hear about their newest crafts, recipes and exclusives free printables; come over and play!