It's hard to come up with easy, real food snacks for toddlers. So I thought I'd share with you some of our toddler's favorite healthy snacks. Next time you're tempted to reach for the cheerios or fruit snacks, try one of these instead!
Nine Great Snacks for Toddlers
1. Olives (he likes the garlic stuffed green ones the best)2. Frozen Peas (frozen, right out of the bag)
3. Plain, whole milk yogurt (with fruit or homemade jam stirred in)
4. Fruit Smoothies (made with frozen fruit, yogurt and raw milk, with the immersion blender for easier clean-up)
5. Cottage Cheese
6. Apples or bananas with peanut butter
7. Raisins and cashews (or any dried fruit and any easy-to-chew nuts)
8. Avocado, sliced and salted
9. Hard boiled eggs
We have found that having easy snacks available makes a day with a two-and-a-half year old go much more smoothly! These all require little-to-no preparation, and many of them are portable (especially nuts and dried fruit, and smoothies in a sippy cup). Of course, these snacks work for anyone, not just toddlers. :)
All of my 5 kids liked different things, especially as we moved towards a real food diet. Fruit has always been a big hit, and I love it because it doesn't require much if any preparation.
ReplyDeleteYes, fruit is super easy. My problem is that my toddler would eat fruit and nothing but fruit if I let him! So I always offer something else first. :)
DeleteI don't know if this would be helpful, but I did a mash of sweet potatoes, blueberries and a little vanilla almond milk with nutmeg for dinner for my little guy tonight. It was a big hit! He was getting a little tired of regular sweet potatoes and the blueberries help make them extra sweet.
DeleteBethany, that sounds so good I might have to try it for myself! :)
DeleteWe do humus and Akmak crackers too--easy to dip, snap, and eat for our little guy. Great list. I never would have thought of peas straight from the bag!
ReplyDeleteYes, we love Akmak crackers for their simple ingredient list. May not be soaked or sprouted, but they seem to be one of the healthiest crackers you can buy!
DeleteWhere do you find good cottage cheese? Or do you make your own? I was looking at the ingredients in CC at our local supermarket, and I thought there has to be a better cottage cheese not full of so many additives. Thanks :-)
ReplyDeleteWe buy Daisy brand cottage cheese. The only ingredients are "Cultured skim milk, cream, salt." Not organic, but they don't use rBST.
Deletegreat ideas! I never thought of offering olives, and the immersion blender would make our smoothies much easier!
ReplyDeleteThanks Erin! I just use the cup that came with the immersion blender, and then drink my part of the smoothie out of that, and pour some into a sippy cup for my son. No blender parts to wash! :)
DeleteFrozen blueberries, homemade hummus, any fresh fruit, and homemade fruit leather. Any tips on getting them to eat the yolks of hard boiled eggs?
ReplyDeleteMegan, sometimes we save the fruit for after he's finished something more nutrient-dense, and say that he can have it when he's eaten what's on his plate. I guess it's a bribe, but for something healthy like a banana or strawberries. :) Or pull the "egg yolks make you grow up big and strong" trick. And if that fails, try scrambled eggs. :)
Delete