Not Just For Kids

After-School Snacks

Did you know that most children need to eat every three or four hours to recharge their bodies? Growing, active children use a lot of energy, and snacks are a good way to provide a steady energy supply. An after-school snack is also a necessary component of a school-age child's overall nutrition intake.

While after-school snacks fall into a vast food group that includes everything from carrot sticks to candy bars, fats and sugars should be limited as much as possible. Wise snack food choices should provide essential nutrients while replenishing energy stores, and not just contain empty calories. If children aren't getting the recommended daily servings of a food group or groups, concentrate on providing them in afternoon snacks. Fruits and vegetables make fast, easy snacks that are packed with vitamins, minerals and fiber.

Lifelong eating habits are formed during childhood, so this is a good time to instill a balanced approach to snacking. For example, unconscious over-eating patterns often originate from eating while engaged in other activities such as watching TV. To help make snacking a purposeful experience, limit snacking to certain locations such as the breakfast nook, kitchen or dining room. Designate a "snack spot" to make it easy for children to find after-school snacks. It can be on the kitchen counter, refrigerator, cupboard or pantry.

Let children help choose foods for their snacks. When children are old enough, encourage them to prepare their own snacks. Many children enjoy selecting and making snacks and often show more interest in eating these foods. Keep in mind that the ultimate delectable treat for a young child may simply involve combining two favorite ingredients, such as peanut butter and apple or banana slices. Remember to give children the freedom to indulge their own tastes. With minimal assistance, kids are quick to develop variations of their favorite foods. Even preschoolers can experiment with their own snack creations. Invention tends to make everything taste better.

Whatever snack foods your family settles on, the winning treats should meet several criteria: 1. They should be foods that kids enjoy. 2. They should be simple enough for kids to prepare by themselves. 3. They should be made with basic, readily available ingredients. 4. They should be easy-to-eat finger foods. 5. They should not take longer to make than they take to eat. (Exceptions to this rule would be foods such as baked goods that can be made ahead in batches and stored.)

For those days when even a few minutes is too long to wait, keep a supply of nutritious instant snacks on hand--fresh fruits, canned fruit, raisins, peanut butter and crackers, chips and salsa, dry cereal and milk, granola bars, muffins, graham crackers, pretzels, bagels, and yogurt. And if you don't want your kids munching on candy or sweets, just don't keep any in the house.

Avoiding hunger-induced conflicts between sweet-loving kids and health-conscious parents is a matter of creative planning and compromise. As the school year gets underway, sit down with your kids and try to agree on some snack options, mostly nutritious, with a few sweet treats thrown in for good measure.

On this page you will find suggestions for snacks that meet the above criteria, and they can all be prepared by school-age kids with little supervision. One or two of these treats might even tempt Mom or Dad to have some fun making and eating them, too.

Inside-Out Pizza

Part pizza, part quesadilla, this snack sandwiches cheese, sauce, and toppings between two flour tortillas. Kids can cut it into slices just like a traditional pizza.

2 flour tortillas (6 inch)
¼ cup grated cheddar cheese
¼ cup grated mozzarella cheese
1 tablespoon pizza or pasta sauce
Optional toppings: sliced tomatoes, black olives, pineapple, ham, etc.

Sprinkle half of each type of cheese on a tortilla. Cover with a tablespoon of sauce. Add toppings if desired. Sprinkle with the remaining cheese and cover with the other tortilla. Bake on a tray in a toaster oven until the cheese is melted, or set on a microwave-safe plate, cover with a sheet of wax paper, and microwave on high for one-and-a-half minutes. Let cool for two minutes, then cut into wedges. Serves 2.

Kringlers

These sweet treats are made by twisting up cinnamon and sugar inside a flour tortilla. When heated, the filling oozes into the dough, creating a comforting snack that is best when accompanied by a glass of cold milk.

1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 tablespoon sugar
2 flour tortillas (6 inch)
2 tablespoons melted butter

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Combine the cinnamon and sugar in a small bowl. Spread out the tortillas on a flat surface and brush the tops with melted butter. Sprinkle half of the cinnamon and sugar mixture over each. Roll up the tortillas in jellyroll fashion and set them seamside down in a small baking pan that has been brushed with melted butter. Brush the tops and sides of the tortillas with butter. Bake for 8-10 minutes. Let the tortilla rolls cool and then slice them into ½ inch pieces. Serves 2. (An even easier variation on this recipe would be to simply brush a flour tortilla lightly with vegetable oil, sprinkle with cinnamon and sugar, and bake briefly to warm.)

Peanut Butter Balls

Making these no-cook peanut butter balls gives kids a legitimate excuse to play with their food. For a deluxe version, roll the finished balls in shredded coconut, chocolate chips, and/or chopped peanuts and call them "meteorites."

1 cup creamy or chunky peanut butter
1 cup powdered milk
1¼ cup confectioner's sugar
1 cup honey

In a medium bowl, combine all of the ingredients. Roll the batter into 1-inch balls and set on waxed paper. Refrigerate until firm, or roll in shredded coconut or chopped nuts before chilling. Makes 24-30 balls.

Turkey Twirl

After a long day, kids need some brain food before they tackle their homework. Wake up your brain and your taste buds by transforming a few ordinary ingredients into a brand-new treat.

1 10-inch flour tortilla
1 to 2 tablespoons mayonnaise or ranch salad dressing
3 ounces thinly sliced cooked turkey
2 tablespoons shredded cheddar or 3 ounces thinly sliced cheese
Spread mayonnaise or salad dressing on tortilla. Layer turkey and cheese on top of tortilla, and roll up.

Crazy Mixed-up Juice

This salty-sweet combination is a quick and easy way to get a serving of fruits and vegetables all in one glass.

Mix together 1/2 cup tomato juice with 1/2 cup pineapple juice, apple juice, or pear juice.

Tropical Treats

These nutrient-rich snacks are a delicious source of important vitamins and minerals.

1. Combine equal amounts of nonfat plain yogurt and thawed frozen orange juice concentrate or frozen pineapple-orange-apple juice concentrate. Freeze the mixture in ice cube trays. Plop several of the cubes into a tall glassful of calcium-fortified orange juice. Let juice stand for a minute, then crush the yogurt cubes with a spoon for a slushy refresher.

2. Blend together your favorite fruit(s) and/or yogurt with fat-free milk or pineapple juice.

3. Blend together 1 banana (may be frozen), 3 tablespoons peanut butter (chunky or smooth), 2 tablespoons chocolate syrup, and 1 cup milk.

Websites

www.seedsofknowledge.com/schoolsnacks.html (Recipes for after-school snacks named after characters in the "Arthur" TV show.)

www.allrecipes.com/cb/w2m/forkids/energy/default.asp (After-school energy boosters and kid-made treats.)

These pages are a continuous work in progress.
Copyright © 2000- by Teri Ann Berg Olsen
All rights reserved.

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