Great Snacks for Kids

This past weekend my Music Man went on an eating frenzy. He ate all three of his meals and even asked for seconds on some of them. He ate oatmeal, home made pancakes, avocados, cheese quesadillas, chicken, meatballs, rice, sweet potatoes, hummus. strawberries, bananas, and kiwis. Still nothing green, but leaps and bounds above what he was eating less than two months ago. I had mentioned that we had laid down the hammer and told him he would be eating our food. The success has happened quicker than I thought it would. I finally have a few staples that he will eat and I'm going to move into the next phase of dishes (and preparing vegetables in a more tasty manner) over the next few months.

Something I did to make this transition smoother was to create some healthy snacks that I could use as "bait" to get him to eat my food. Once I found some that he liked, I could tell him he could have these snacks if he ate some avocado (or chicken, whatever). Sometimes he still needs the incentive, but in the beginning I really needed these to get the ball rolling. I know some parents don't believe in bribing a kid to eat food with other food, but I figured since I was bribing with items I thought were good for him (fruit or these snacks) that it wasn't too bad.

Here are the links to some snacks I have prepared (all can be made in big batches and frozen)

Energy Balls

He loves these. Will eat about anything to get them. They are basically nuts and dried fruit. All things I am fine with him eating. Super simple to make.


Super Bars

I actually haven't tried these in awhile. He liked them a lot in the beginning but then lost a little interest. But again, oats, dried fruit, nuts. I think I replaced the brown sugar with either honey or Sucanat (a sweetener made from whole cane sugar that still has all of the natural molasses. Nothing added, nothing taken out).


PB & J Bars

These are a grain-free version of a classic. He used to love these but I have to negotiate a little these days. Which I cannot understand for the life of me. They are delicious.

All of these snacks are grain-free and made with natural sweeteners. They do take a little time, but like I said, you can make big batches and freeze. And they all travel well and can be put in kids' lunch boxes.