The beginning of a new school year is a great chance to start over, not just for my kids, but for me too. If anyone wants to spy on my parenting skills, the beginning of the school year is the time to do it. It’s a bit of a free-for-all in my kitchen by the end of the year, but when things are still fresh I really try and make an effort to keep healthy snacks in the house that are ready when my kids are home (or done with, in our case) from school for the day.

These after-school snacks are sure-fire winners and they are packed full of nutrition so they are perfect for busy kids who need an afternoon pick-me-up.

Chocolate Peanut Butter Energy Balls

I have to make these in bulk around our house. Chocolate Peanut Butter Energy Balls are easy to make ahead of time (I suspect they’d even freeze well if they ever lasted long enough to freeze) and they are packed full of fiber.

I tweak this recipe a little bit each time. Next time I’m going to try throwing in a bit of cooked quinoa and see how they taste. Quinoa has a ridiculous amount of nutrition and it’s mild enough that it’s easy to mix into most recipes.

See the full recipe for Chocolate Peanut Butter Energy Balls

Creamy Yogurt Fruit Cups

I’ve watched several seasons of Burn Notice on Netflix over the last few months while I’ve nursed my baby so yogurt has become a bit of an inside joke around our house.

This easy method of dressing up your basic bulk yogurt is a real crowd pleasure and saves you some money at the same time. A simple technique helps develop a creamier texture and rivals the more expensive yogurt brands. Served in simple mason jars, this snack can be made ahead of time and is beautiful when dressed up with some fresh fruit.

See the full recipe for Creamy Yogurt Fruit Cups

Homemade Granola Bars

We go through an outrageous number of granola bars at our house. They are the perfect snack to grab when you are on the go (and even make a pretty decent breakfast in a pinch), but store bought bars have a lot of extra “stuff” in them that I don’t necessarily want to feed my kids and the better ones are pricey.

This recipe for homemade granola bars is easy to throw together ahead of time and you can customize it to cater to your family’s taste.

See the full recipe for Homemade Granola Bars

 

Super Simple Raspberry Fruit Dip

My kids will eat just about anything when I serve it to them with some dip. This tasty raspberry fruit dip will have your kids digging into whatever fruit you have on hand.

I try and keep the ingredients for this on hand so I have it when I need a quick snack. It’s perfect for getting your kids to eat some extra fruit and making sure they won’t fill up on junk before dinner. The small amount of sugar that’s in this is overshadowed by the sheer volume of produce this can get my kids to eat but if you are concerned about sugar you can tone it down by mixing in more fruit and using low-sugar ingredients.

See the full recipe for Super Simple Raspberry Fruit Dip

Clif Bar Twisted Fruit Rope

I’m not above a few well chosen prepackaged snacks, especially for those weeks that seem to get away from you. We’re already fans of Clif Bars but their new Twisted Fruit Ropes knock any sort of fruit snack out of the water and they are filled with real fruit puree. Each fruit rope has a full serving of fruit but they are convenient enough that you can throw them in a lunch sack or take them on a road trip without worrying about anything getting mushed into the carpet in your car.

I’m not a big fan of most packaged kid snacks but I have to admit that I steal a few of these from my kids when I can get away with it.

Buy Clif Bar Twisted Fruit Ropes on Amazon

Super Simple Strawberries Romanoff

This easy recipe can impress your guests at a fancy dinner party or makes the perfect after-school snack. With only a few simple ingredients, you can turn fresh berries into a decadent treat. With almost no preparation required to get this snack on the table, it’s easy enough that you can have your kids prepare it themselves.

My 9 year old can work his way through most of a case of strawberries when I let him eat them this way so be sure you have plenty on hand.

See the full recipe for Super Simple Strawberries Romanoff

 

Chocolate Tofu Pudding

I love when I can tweak a kid favorite and get some extra nutrition into it. I’m not a fan of sneaking ingredients into recipes because for one, I really like to be honest with my kids. More importantly, I’ve found that if my kids discover that they’ve been tricked they tend to boycott foods for years just to show their indignation.

This easy chocolate pudding recipe is made with tofu, which is packed full of protein. I’ve always been very open with my kids that I made this with tofu and to this day they think tofu is a dessert item. I’m hoping that will pave the way if I ever get brave enough to try serving them a tofu main course.

See the full recipe for Chocolate Tofu Pudding

What is your favorite after-school snack to serve your kids?