Learning makes you hungry and stimulates your appetite for sweets. If it were up to our children, chocolate bars, candies, chips, gummy bears or other less healthy snacks would be just the thing. And it's understandable, because these unhealthy treats taste really delicious and so much better than boring vegetables. But as responsible parents, we obviously want to avoid this and prefer to send our children to school with something healthy and nutritious. But how do we turn healthy foods into delicious snacks that children can take to school and eat? With today's ideas for healthy snacks for school, you're guaranteed to succeed!
As we have already mentioned and as you as a mother or father probably know yourself, plain fruit and vegetables that are put in the lunch box are boring and are usually taken home again. That's why you have tothink of something elseand prepare food for school that not only looks visually appealing and child-friendly, but also healthyandis delicious. But there are also some things you should keep in mind when preparing nutritious alternatives for school:
- Balanced meals and snacks: The right combination ensures that your child is not only full, but also provided with everything important. Healthy lunch and snacks in between also serve to cheer you up and provide the child with enough energy to get through the school day well. The ideal composition is 55% carbohydrates and 15% proteins. Healthy fats make up the remaining 30% and should not be exceeded. Choose high-fiber, healthy school food with plenty of unsaturated fatty acids.
- Instead of buying, make it yourselfor at least pay attention to the ingredients in the finished product and preferably choose organic products.
- Several healthy snacks for school and small meals, instead of a few large portions: Many children and adults make the mistake of skipping a meal and then tucking in heavily for lunch or dinner. This is unhealthy, makes you sluggish and tired and should definitely be avoided. A quick, simple snack that you have prepared at home can prevent this, because then the child always has something to snack on when they are slightly hungry.
- Eat consciously: Teach your child to take time to eat and not to eat the first thing they come across whenever they feel hungry. People often confuse hunger with thirst. So it's better to drink a glass of water first. If you still feel hungry afterwards, you should listen to your body and grab a snack or snack. And you should take your time for this instead of just devouring the food. Because then you risk eating too much and feeling sluggish afterwards.
- Drink, drink, drink: Children in particular are usually very active during breaks. Drinking enough fluids is therefore very important, and not just in the hot summer days. It also prevents cravings.
- Don't be too strict: Don't be too strict with your child. Of course, all parents want their child to eat healthily and avoid sweets, which is why they resort to healthy snacks for school. However, this is not only unrealistic, but also unnecessary. A piece of chocolate, a few gummy bears or cookies will not harm your child and will also motivate you to eat the healthy food in the lunch box. If instead you watch the other children snacking on sweets, the craving for it will only increase and the effect will be exactly the opposite of what you actually want to achieve.
Peanut bars
- 55g peanuts
- 200 g raisins (soak them in water for 5 to 10 minutes beforehand) or 180 g Medjool dates
- 2 tbsp peanut butter
- 60 chocolate pieces
Homemade bars are popular healthy snacks for school. In a blender, chop the raisins (dates) and peanuts until a paste forms. Add the peanut butter and continue mixing until everything is well combined. Stir in the chocolate pieces and spread the mixture into a loaf pan that you have previously lined with cling film or baking paper. Press the mixture firmly. Then place the mold in the freezer and freeze the mixture for one to two hours. Then remove the frozen mass from the mold by simply lifting it out with the foil or baking paper. Now you can cut out individual bars. Package each peanut bar separately and store them in the refrigerator where they will last for about a week.
Cookies with sunflower seeds, chocolate chips and linseeds
- 140 g shelled sunflower seeds
- 28 g Coconut flour
- 3/4 TL Backsoda
- 1/4 tsp sea salt
- 100 g Coconut sugar
- 1 TL Vanilleextrakt
- 56g melted coconut oil
- 1 tbsp ground flaxseed, mixed with 3 tbsp cold water or with an egg
- 87g dark chocolate chips without milk
Preheat the oven to 180 degrees. Grind the sunflower seeds in a blender until you get a flour-like consistency. Place the coconut oil, coconut sugar, and vanilla extract in a large bowl. Mix the ground flax seeds with the egg or water, add them to the bowl and mix everything together well. Then add the remaining ingredients and stir into a dough that is crumbly but moist.
Take one to one and a half tablespoons of dough from the bowl and form balls, which you place on a baking tray lined with baking paper about 2.5 cm apart and press flat to form cookies. Bake for about 10 to 12 minutes or until the edges turn golden brown. Allow the cookies to cool.
Banana chips as nutritious break snacks
- 2 ripe, brown bananas
- lemon juice
- Water
- Kosher salt
In a bowl, mix 3/4 parts lemon juice with 1/4 part water. Cut the bananas into thin slices, spread them on a baking tray lined with baking paper and brush them with the lemon water. Sprinkle kosher salt on top. Bake in a preheated oven at 120 degrees for one and a half to two hours or until crispy on a baking sheet lined with baking paper, turning once about halfway through. When you take the banana chips out of the oven, they will still be soft. Only when they cool down do they become harder and crispy. The finished banana chips can be sprinkled with cinnamon.
Peanut butter balls with linseeds and dates without baking
- 12 Medjool dates
- 35g oat flakes
- 65g almonds
- 125 g peanut butter (without added sugar or fats)
- 3 THE Leinsamen
- 1 TL Vanilleextrakt
- 1 pinch of salt
Finger food makes eating particularly fun for children. These balls are therefore perfect healthy snacks for school. Remove the pits from the dates and soak them in hot water for a few minutes. Then pour away the water, keeping a small amount. Blend the dates, oats and almonds in a blender for about a minute. Add the remaining ingredients and continue mixing for another minute or two until a sticky dough forms that can be shaped. If it is too dry, add a little more water from the dates. Now form small balls with your hands and sprinkle them with a little salt.
Homemade cheese crackers as snack ideas
- 230g grated cheddar
- 120 g Butter
- 100 g Flour
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 2-3 tbsp milk
Instead of sweet treats, you can also prepare savory ones like these cheese crackers. Preheat the oven to 190 degrees and line a baking tray with baking paper. Put butter, flour, salt and cheese in a mixer and mix the ingredients in several short intervals until a crumbly dough is formed. Then gradually add the milk until a ball-shaped dough forms. Divide this dough into two balls and freeze for 15 minutes. Sprinkle some flour on a work surface and roll out one of the two balls to about 3 mm thick (the other one remains in the freezer).
Using a knife or pizza roller, cut out approximately 1-inch squares from this dough (sprinkling a little flour on the knife will prevent the dough from sticking). Of course you can also choose other shapes. Then use a toothpick or a kebab skewer to poke a hole in the middle of each cracker. Now spread the cheese crackers on the baking tray. Leave a gap of at least 5 mm between them.
Repeat steps with second dough ball. Bake the crackers in the center of the oven for 12 to 15 minutes. Allow them to cool, then store them in an airtight container for up to three days (if they haven't been eaten by then).
Apple pancakes with raisins
- 40g raisins
- 2 apples, diced into 0.5cm cubes
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 2 tsp coconut oil or butter
- 60g wholemeal flour
- 60g wheat flour
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 180 ml milk
- 1 No
As a breakfast for school or for snacking in between, you can also make pancakes yourself as a snack, quickly and easily. Put the raisins in hot water to soak. In the meantime, heat a pan with a teaspoon of coconut oil and add the apple pieces and cinnamon. Reduce heat and sauté until apples are soft, about 3 minutes. Take the pan off the stove.
Mix the flour with the baking powder in a bowl and the milk with the egg in a separate bowl. Add the milk-egg mixture to the flour mixture and mix relatively roughly. A few medium-sized lumps are not a problem, but you should not overdo the stirring. Drain the raisins and stir them into the dough along with the cinnamon apples.
Heat the pan again with a little coconut oil over medium heat and spread several small pancakes made from a tablespoon of batter each. As soon as bubbles appear in the dough, the pancakes can be turned.
Fruit leather as a healthy snack
- 570g strawberries
- optional: 2 tbsp honey
The preparation for fruit leather as healthy snacks for school and lunch ideas is extremely quick, but the baking time takes a lot of time, as you will see. Nevertheless, the recipe is very tasty and is very well received by children. Preheat the oven to 60 to 90 degrees. Puree the strawberries and honey with a blender. You can process the puree as it is, or remove the seeds by pressing it through a fine sieve or cloth.
Now spread the mixture evenly on a baking tray lined with baking paper and measuring approximately 21 x 31 cm. Use a spoon or a baking spatula to help. There should be a thin layer. Now put the baking tray in the oven for 6 hours to prepare healthy snacks for school. You can tell that the leather is ready because it can be easily removed from the baking paper. Allow the fruit leather to cool for at least 4 hours or overnight. Cut it into strips or pieces with scissors and baking paper, roll them up and the fruit snacks are ready as a healthy lunch snack, dessert or for in between.
Healthy snacks for school – recipe idea for lemon fruit gum
- 360 ml of Kombucha
- 2 lemons
- 2.5cm piece of ginger, grated
- 1 tbsp grated lemon zest
- 37 g gelatin powder (grass-fed)
- 6 THE Honig
- optional: 10 drops Trace Minerals and 1/2 tsp lemon extract
These lemon-flavored fruit gums are as fruity and delicious as the fruit leather and perfect for children's discerning tastes. Put the kombucha and gelatin in a saucepan, let the gelatin soak for a few minutes and then heat everything on the stove over medium heat, stirring constantly, until the gelatin has dissolved. The liquid should never get hot, just warm, otherwise the probiotics from the tea will be lost. If necessary, choose a lower level to be on the safe side.
Put the liquid into a blender along with the other ingredients (except lemon zest and ginger) and process into a puree. Then stir in the lemon zest and ginger, spread the mixture on a tray (approx. 22 x 22 cm) and put it in the fridge for a few hours. Then cut the fruit gum into bite-sized pieces and store them in the refrigerator. If you don't want any lemon and ginger pieces in the finished fruit gum, you can also puree the two ingredients together with the others. The other children will also enjoy eating fruit gums as healthy snacks for school.
Tipp:You can also pour the still liquid mass into a special mold for fruit gums and then get figures that are even more appealing to the children.
