Sophie Guidolin and husband at the beach with kids|Evie and Aria with their brothers sitting on stairs||||

My Top 5 Healthy Snacks For Kids

These are my top 5 healthy snacks for kids. What are you top 5?

Your kids eat a significant amount of their meals at school, so it makes sense to give them healthy, delicious meals that provide them with energy throughout the day, right? Even the so-called 'healthy' options at the tuckshop can be loaded with sugar or preservatives, which is why I prefer to make my own for the boys' lunchboxes. My recently relaunched printed version of My Kids Eat has over 5 chapters and 120+ recipes to give you and your kids clean-eating inspo for the whole school year. Your lifestyle and eating habits directly transfer onto your little ones. That goes for what you keep in the pantry, prepare at home and send them off to school with. Making your children healthy meals from My Kids Eat is one of the first steps you can take in providing them with the best start to their lives. This one's for all you mamas taking it one day at a time and being an incredible influence on your kids! What we instil in our children from a young age stays with them for life. You might get looks for serving something gluten-free, you may get second glances for making a 'healthy version' of a treat, you may even receive backlash for what you pack for lunch. Whatever you do - remember why you started, and rather than dwell on the negative, spend your energy sharing knowledge and educating others.

Here are a few of my favourite healthy snacks for kids  - classics with a twist but equally as delicious.

Sausage Rolls

What you'll need:
  • 2 rye flat breads
  • 250g good quality chicken or steak
  • 1/4 onion, diced
  • 1 teaspoon mixed/dried herbs
  • 1 egg
  • 1/4 cup coriander, finely chopped
Method:
  1. Pre-heat the oven to 180°C.
  2. Mince the meat in a food processor.
  3. Add in the onion and stir to combine.
  4. Knead the mixture with the herbs, coriander and egg in a bowl.
  5. Wrap your sausage rolls up and bake them in the oven for 15-20 minutes or until brown!
 

Muesli Bars

These are versatile because you can mix in whichever nuts, seeds, fruits and superfoods you like. You can also freeze these to keep them fresh and ready to go when you need them. Just be mindful of your school's nut policy, and if choosing to add nuts perhaps save these for an afternoon treat to give the kids energy till dinnertime! What you'll need:
  • 1 cup medjool dates, pitted and soaked for 4-6 hours
  • 1/2 cup almonds
  • 1/4 cup chia seeds
  • 1/2 cup pepitas
  • 1/4 cup dessicated coconut
  • 1/2 cup walnuts
  • 1/2 cup rolled oats
  • 1 teaspoon cacao powder
  • 1/2 cup brazil nuts
  • 1 teaspoon honey
  • 2 eggs, lightly beaten
  • pinch of cinnamon
  • pinch of nutmeg
Method:
  1. Pre-heat the oven to 180°C and line a rectangle cake tin with baking paper.
  2. Add the dates, nuts, pepitas, cinnamon, nutmeg and cacao powder to the food processor and blend until combined, but still rough.
  3. Mix through the chia seeds, coconut, honey, eggs and oats.
  4. Push the mixture into the tin. Make sure it is compacted and evenly distributed.
  5. Bake for 15 minutes. Once baked, leave to cool before removing and slicing into bars.
 

Quinoa Popcorn Chicken 

What you'll need:
  • 1/2 cup quinoa
  • 1 cup stock (salt-reduced or homemade)
  • 500g chicken tenderloins
  • 3 tablespoons wholewheat flour
  • 1 teaspoon onion powder
  • 1 large egg, lightly beaten
  Method:
  1. Pre-heat the oven to 180°C and line a baking tray with baking paper.
  2. Place the quinoa and stock into a rice cooker and prepare according to your machine.
  3. Allow the quinoa to sit for five minutes before fluffing up with a fork and set aside to cool.
  4. Cut chicken into 2cm cubes.
  5. Combine flour and onion powder together in a bag, add chicken and shake to cover.
  6. Add chicken to beaten egg to cover, then transfer to quinoa.
  7. Roll chicken in quinoa and place on prepared baking tray.
  8. Bake for 15 minutes until cooked and the quinoa crust is crispy.
 

Homemade Yoghurt Pops

Flavoured yoghurt is one of the biggest culprits of pretending to be 'healthy'. I avoid the risk of purchasing a sugar laden yoghurt by going for a completely natural one and adding in my own fruit and sweetener. You can't beat a frozen yoghurt pop sweetened with honey!  

Pikelets

Hands down, a favourite of the boys - and only 5 INGREDIENTS This recipe is SO easy and you can serve it alongside anything. You can make these pikelets savoury or turn them into a lunchbox treat with refined sugar-free jam.   Pile of pancakes with berries in the white plate on the wooden table Let me know what you think of these recipes on Instagram! My Kids Eat is my recipe book dedicated to pleasing the tastebuds of ALL fussy eaters. Over 120 delicious recipes - sugar, preservative, chemical and additive free. Sophie x

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