4 Quick & Healthy Kids Snacks

Turn snack time into something a little bit special with our deliciously healthy snacks…

We’re all too familiar with the grumbling sounds that come at 4pm. They’re either the grumblings of a hungry stomach or the grumblings of a hungry child, asking for something sweet. Snacks can make up a substantial part of your child’s diet (especially if they’re fussy eaters) so it’s important that the snacks you give them pack in as much of the good stuff as possible.

Getting kids to eat something balanced and wholesome to tide them over until dinner is not always as easy as it sounds. We tasked our expert chefs with creating colourful snack recipes that are easy enough for kids to make themselves, and delicious enough that they can’t be resisted. We’ve paired each recipe with questions and conversation starters to get your little ones excited in the kitchen.

Sit back, relax, and watch smugly as they munch up all those fruits and veggies!

1. Apple ‘Pizzas’

Customisation is the name of the game here. All parents have to do is core and thinly slice the apples before letting the little sous chefs slather, top, and sprinkle to their heart’s content. For young children who haven’t yet learned basic knife skills, we recommend parents slice and dice the fruit as well.

Table Talk: 

• What are your favourite apple pizza toppings?
• If you were stranded on an island with an unlimited supply of one, and only one, type of fruit, what would it be?
• Describe the taste and texture of your apple pizza slice.

2. Fruit & Veg Rainbow Skewers 

Let’s be honest… nothing’s more fun that food on a stick. And when these fruit and veggie skewers (we mean swords) are this colourful, you can bet even the pickiest of eaters will want in on the fun.

First up, no-cook fruit skewers with strawberries, clementines, bananas, pineapple, kiwi, grapes, and blueberries. Challenge kids to place fruits in the order of the rainbow or let them experiment with their own patterns. For a delicious dip, swirl some honey into thick Greek yoghurt. Yum!

For a sweet and savoury twist, combine fruits with veggies. Charred pineapple pairs perfectly with courgettes, peppers, red onions, aubergine, and juicy cherry tomatoes. For a fun (but organized) way to get all the skewers filled, create an assembly line. Assign each little one the task of spearing one or two foods onto the skewer. But don’t forget — the last step should be brushing these colourful skewers with a dash of olive oil and sprinkling with coarse sea salt before making their way onto the grill.

Table Talk:

• What colour pepper is your favourite? Orange, yellow or green?
• Who can name three other green vegetables?
• What does it sound like when you bite into a tomato? Is it the same as when you bite into an onion?

3. Frozen Blueberry Bites

Packing a nutritional punch, these super simple frozen blueberry bites are bound to be an instant hit with the kids. A great alternative to sweets, whip up a big batch of these and store in the freezer as a standby sweet treat.

In a small bowl, combine 120g Greek yoghurt, 1 teaspoon honey, and the seeds of 1 vanilla pod. Pierce each blueberry with a toothpick, dip it into the yoghurt, swirl it around to thoroughly coat, and gently place it on a lined baking sheet.

Freeze until berries are completely frozen, about 45 minutes, and serve in a big bowl for everyone to share.

Table Talk:

• What is the difference between a blueberry and a strawberry?
• Think of a name for this snack. The more creative, the better!
• How many blueberry bites do you think are in this bowl?

4. Homemade Fruity Lemonade

All that fun in the kitchen would make anyone thirsty, and this tiny tummy-approved rainbow lemonade is the guaranteed thirst quencher.

To make a jug of homemade lemonade, gently warm 1l water and 40g honey in a saucepan. Stir about 1 minute to dissolve the honey, then add 250 ml freshly squeezed lemon juice. Chill, then toss in whatever fruit you’d like (we chose blueberries, grapes, kiwi, pineapple and strawberries) and top with a spring of fresh mint.

Table Talk:

• Do you prefer fizzy or flat drinks?
• Where does honey come from?
• What else tastes yummy with lemons in it?