Did you know that just 42.5% of European children consume fresh fruit every day. What’s even more shocking, only 22.6% of these children eat vegetables at least once a day. These figures come from a study by WHO/Europe, which aimed to identify how healthy our children’s diets really are. 

In a similar report by UNICEF, it was warned that 1 out of 3 children in the UK are either overweight or obese when they finish school.

Healthy eating is an invaluable practice, for so many reasons. 

By eating better, we can help ourselves and our families to live happier. Nutritious food means happier days, being physically fitter, having more energy for our favourite activities, an appreciation of nature and the environment, new taste sensations and a longer, healthier life - just to name a handful of the benefits. 

We get it - during a super busy day, where the kids are running us ragged, it’s sometimes easier to just grab a quick bit of junk food for them to eat. 

However, although grabbing a bag of crisps may be convenient, this should only ever be a special treat. 

To remove the temptation of junk food snacks, we’ve dedicated this blog post to recommending snack ideas that are just as easy, but a whole lot healthier. 

By making these in advance (when you’ve got a few minutes spare), you can have a stock of delicious, fresh and nutritious snacks on hand, ready to treat your little ones. 

Read on to find our favourite quick, easy and healthy kids snack ideas. You’ll never need to raid the crisp cupboard again. 

 

Pears and cheese 

Simply slice a pear, then spread ricotta cheese on top of each slice. 

This snack is a refreshing, sweet and salty treat, which is a great source of fibre, protein and calcium, and it’s also one of their 5 a day. 

Fresh fruit smoothie 

In just one smoothie, you can enjoy a huge boost of fresh fruit, tasty veg and key nutrients. Plus, it’s such a versatile snack. You can adapt the recipe to use up whatever you’ve got left in your fridge. 

Top tip: don’t use fruit juices in your smoothies, because these have a lot of sugar in them. 

For our go-to smoothie recipe, we blend together: 

• 1 banana 
• A handful of red berries
• Half a handful of spinach 
• 200 ml of plain yoghurt (you can also use a plant-based alternative). 
  
  

Oat & banana cookies  

These scrummy cookies make a great, super-filling snack. The oats provide a long-lasting source of energy, while the branana adds one of their 5 a day. Plus, thanks to banana’s natural sweetness, there’s no added sugar in sight. 

They’re so easy to make, all you need to do is: 

1. Mash 3 ripe bananas, then add into a mixing bowl. 
2. Add in 80 ml of coconut oil, 160g of oats, 40g of raisins and 1 tsp of vanilla extract. 
3. Mix well, roll into little balls and bake in the oven for 18 minutes at 175°C.

Turkey and avo roll

This healthy snack is remarkably easy to make. Plus, it’s full of all-body health benefits. Turkey is rich in protein, and avocado is a great source of healthy fats, heart-helping nutrients, antioxidants and vitamins. 

Simply squeeze some lime juice over avocado slices, then roll each one up in a neat parcel using turkey slices. 

Sweet potato fries

Chips? Trust us on this one. Instead of frying these chips, you can bake them in the oven. This makes them WAY healthier. 

Using sweet potato fries (instead of regular potatoes) also makes this snack a great source of beta-carotene. This key nutrient helps to keep the body healthy, particularly your skin and eyes. 

All you need to do is chop a sweet potato into thin strips, cover with a drizzle of olive oil and a pinch of salt, then bake in the oven at 220°C for 20-25 minutes.

Kale crisps

Ok, so we’ve already had alternative chips… but how can you make crisps healthy? Well, believe it or not, kale can actually be used to make delicious crispy crisps, which are loads better for you. 

In just 65g of kale, your little one can access all of the vitamins A, C and K that they need for the whole day.

To make your own kale crisps at home: 

1. Wash a handful of kale, then tear it into pieces. Dry it with kitchen towel. 
2. Add it to a bowl with a tablespoon of olive oil, a teaspoon of garlic powder and a pinch of salt. 
3. Bake in the oven at 175°C for 10 minutes, until nice and crispy. 

 

Chia and almond energy balls

Energy balls taste just like creamy cookie dough, but these versions are filled with nutrients, vitamins, minerals and health-kicking ingredients, with no artificial ingredients in sight. 

Here’s our favourite easy energy ball recipe: 

Ingredients: 

• Oats, 80g
• Unfiltered honey, 100g
• Almond butter, 130g
• Chia seeds, 100 grams
• Vanilla extract, 1 tsp 
• Dried fruit, 80g

Method

1. Mix everything together in one bowl. 
2. Scoop a tablespoon-sized ball of the mixture, then roll in your hands until its round. Repeat until all of the mixture is used up. 
3. Pop in the fridge to chill. 

Helpful healthy eating resources: 

To help you keep on track with your new healthy eating ethos, we wanted to share some helpful online resources, which are designed to give actionable advice for families. 

We’d recommend that you check out the following links: 

• Change4Life
• HealthyKidsHealthyFuture
• The Nourished Child
• The WSLHD Family Resources 

Now, when your kids inevitably say, ‘Mum, Dad, I’m hungry!’, you’ll have a snack on-hand that’s as tasty as it is healthy. 

With all this fresh food coming in, it’s important that you keep a close eye on your fridge stocks. With the help of the FridgeCam, you can gain a much clearer knowledge of what’s in your fridge. 

With this handy kitchen device, you can monitor your food’s use-by dates, reduce food waste, stop double-buying ingredients, and create your very own smart kitchen. 

All in all, it’ll be easier than ever to prepare and keep fresh, healthy snacks. 

To find out more about the FridgeCam, or to order yours ready for the start of the Back to School season, head over to the Smarter online shop. 

 

Written by Josephine Walbank