Thursday, February 4, 2010

Healthy snacking

Snacks can either make or break our children.
There are too many snacks out there that are not great, but they are in pretty packages and easy to take on an outing........so we give in.

I have a rule with my kids. If they want a snack, they have to have REAL food. (Fruit, veggies, whole grains)
Very rarely do they get chips. I try to only buy chips if we are having a party or if another family is coming over. That way, we only get a little bit of them and there are usually not many leftovers to snack on.
I do let them have fruit snacks now and then.......but it is rare.

If I want my kids to snack on healthy things, I have to do the same. So setting that example not only keeps my kids healthy, it also keeps me from gaining a lot of unwanted weight. (Which can totally effect how we feel and act on a daily basis.)

I also let my kids have pretzels and soda crackers to go with their fruit and veggie snacks on occasion. Soda crackers don't have as many crazy ingredients or as much fat as a lot of other crackers out there..........and hey, they are cheap!

Popcorn is also a good snack.......if you pop it yourself. Most of the microwave popcorn brands have a lot of saturated fat and it turns into an unhealthy snack.
My kids love to pop the corn on our stove and eat it plain........no butter. Its a great snack to put in baggies and take in the car.......or wherever.

I also like creating healthy recipes. The kids and I made some muffins that are FABULOUS, low in saturated fat, packed with fiber, and SUPER healthy. Not only do my kids LOVE having them for breakfast and snacks, but my HUSBAND (who rarely likes my healthy recipe concoctions) said he really likes them.

So if you want to give it a try, here is the recipe.
I really don't know what to call them.............so I guess you will have to come up with your own name. I create recipes......not names. :)

This recipe will make 24, so if you don't want that many, cut it in half. I make that many because they REALLY go fast in our house.

2 eggs
1/2 C. flaxseed (whole or ground)
1 C. Oatmeal
2 C. Flour
1 tsp. Cinnamon
1 tsp. Salt
3 tsp. Baking powder
1 C. Applesauce
1 C. Milk
1/2 C. Raisins
1/4 C. Sugar

Mix all ingredients in large bowl and pour into greased muffin tins. Cook at 350 till light brown. (About 15-20 minutes)

Enjoy!!

1 comment:

Rebecca Hansen said...

ooooh good post... i need to work on getting my little munchkin eating healthier. looks like we're having, "Andrea's FlaxOatAppRaiSugaCinn Muffins" for snack this afternoon!
love ya!