Best After School Snacks

The traditional image of the post-school hour is children skipping home to enjoy a glass of cold milk and some fresh-from-the-oven cookies. The reality is, most of us moms spend our days working at a job, running errands, or volunteering at our kids’ schools. The kids don’t walk or skip home – we pick them up or they go to an after-care program. And unless you just enjoy baking, your kids may only have fresh-from-the-oven cookies after you buy frozen cookie dough from the latest school fundraiser.

Does this change in lifestyle mean kids don’t need or want after-school snacks anymore? Absolutely not! Children need to eat every three to four hours to replenish their energy stores. With school lunch hours starting as early as 10:30 in some schools, your kids are likely to be famished by the time they get home from school.

Here are some ideas for easy, healthy after-school snacks for millennial moms:

• Mini-pizzas made on English muffins or bagels. Your kids will even enjoy making this snack themselves.
• Yogurt
• A bowl of cereal
• Fruit or fruit smoothies
• Fresh veggies
• Trail mix
• String cheese or cheese cubes
• Tortilla chips and salsa
• Popcorn
• Hard-boiled eggs
• Cheese quesadilla
• Low-fat granola bars

Most kids will snack all afternoon if you let them, and then won’t be hungry for dinner. Time your child’s snack so it won’t be too close to dinner. If you eat at 6:00, cut off the snacking at 4:00. Or if your kids are super-famished after school, eat earlier and let them have a snack before bedtime.

If you feel guilty for not providing your child with warm cookies after school, just remember those cookies aren’t the healthiest snack around anyway. A healthy snack and warm conversation are what your children really need after school.