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Home > Blogs > Adventures in Motherhood > Archives > 2010 > September > 25
Saturday, September 25, 2010
Yummy, healthy after-school snacks
I have a slew of product reviews to share. This week I’ll concentrate on healthy snacks for the kids — some new, and some improved.
I don’t know about you, but I can’t seem to fill my three kids’ bellies fast enough after school. They are basically like locusts when they fly through the door, devouring everything in sight, so I try to keep at least some semblance of dietary order by offering them alternatives to that big ol’ bag of greasy potato chips.
Here are some products I’ve tried recently:
— In his first two years of preschool, my son had classmates with nut/gluten/dairy allergies. This made sending in birthday treats and classroom snacks a real challenge.
I did a lot of googling to find the few safe snacks available on shelves or made my own using Cherrybrook Kitchen line of baking products (they even have icing!). But that meant I actually had to turn on the oven. :(
Not anymore. A big box of samples from Kinnikinnick Foods was packed with yummy treats including KinniToos, which resemble Oreo sandwich cookies in fudge, vanilla and chocolate, and three flavors of KinniKritters Animal Cookies. And they’re all nut/dairy/gluten-free. How cool is that?
The oldest didn’t care for the chocolate animal cookies, but all the other varieties won rave reviews from my young testers.
These cookies really take the guesswork out of safe snacking for allergy sufferers. Want to score points as a perfect homeroom mom? Have a pack of these sweet treats at the ready for that awkward moment when a not-so-perfect mom brings peanut butter fudge for snacktime.
— Harvest Cheddar SunChips are always a hit at our house. Not only are they crunchy and delicious, they are made with whole grains and are less fattening than the old standby potato chips. The best part is they come in a 100% compostable bag, so they’re healthier for the environment too.
— This summer, we traveled to the wilds of West Virginia for a long weekend with some family friends — six kids and six adults in all. There was a whole lotta snacking going on! Before each foray into the great outdoors, we’d pool our snacks into one knapsack to share.
One of the other moms brought a big box of Clif bars from Sam’s Club. The kids really dug them, and they needed that extra protein boost after all the hill-climbing.
I had tried to get the kids interested in a few other brands of protein bars for snacking during the long days of wrestling and soccer tournaments, but they spat every one out. So now I know I’ll stick with Clif.
Shortly after our trip, the kind people at Clif sent me some samples of a few of their new products: Clif Kid Organic ZBaR and Organic Twisted Fruit.
As soon as I opened the box, the kids grabbed all the packages of Twisted Fruit and disappeared, leaving empty wrappers in their wake. Gluten-free, no processed sugars, 20% of their daily value of vitamin C. What’s not to love?
One young taster’s take: “Mmmmm … just like fruit!” And a lot less messy to throw in a backpack.
— Another new favorite that arrived in the Adventures in Motherhood mailbag are fruit leathers from Stretch Island Fruit Co. Nothing artificial and no added sugars make these a great pick.
The Harvest Grape flavor was the top choice in our family, but Ripened Raspberry scored high too.
Each all-natural strip has just 45 calories and equals half a serving of fruit — woo-hoo!
Happy snacking.
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