I don’t know about you, but around 3 in the afternoon I can almost always be found scoping out my fridge and pantry for a kid-friendly, post nap snack. It’s not as easy as it looks… because while she’d be content to munch on crackers every day at this hour, I want her to have something whole and nutritious, and with PROTEIN. (I feel like I tell my toddler all day that she needs to have some protein. Anyone else?). So for the season, I spent some time coming up with some go-to fall snack ideas YOUR KIDS WILL LOVE. Plus, they meet ALL of my criteria:
- They are ALL HEALTHY, whole, full of nutrients.
- They are ALL a great source of PROTEIN.
- They are ALL super EASY to put together.
- They are ALL special for FALL!
Hope you enjoy these ideas for your preschoolers, too.
Roasted Garbanzo Beans with FALL HERBS!
Just roast garbanzo beans with a little olive oil or butter (or purchase them roasted in any bulk section of the grocery store). Once roasted, toss the warm beans in fresh ground salt and fresh chopped FALL HERBS! I used Rosemary, Thyme, and Sage, which are fragrant, woodsy, and taste like the season for sure. Protein Source: Garbanzo Beans
Smashed Sweet Potato PUMPKINS!
Bake a Sweet Potato, then cut it open and spoon the sweet potato flesh into a bowl. Mix it with an egg. Form balls with the mixture, place onto a hot skillet, then smash them down to make sweet potato patties. Let them crisp on each side, then top with a bit of cheddar cheese. I also added some hemp seeds and a chive to make it look more like a smashed pumpkin, and the chive adds great flavor. If you have never had sweet potato in savory recipes, I promise, these are so, so, so good. A must try. Protein Source: Egg & Cheese.
HAY BALE Sandwiches!
These couldn’t be easier. Obviously use square shaped crackers, and fill them with whatever protein source your child most loves. Peanut Butter, Almond Butter, Cheese slices, and Hummus are among our favorites. I used Hummus here. Simply make a few sandwhiches and tie them with twine. I don’t know about your little one, but mine got a kick out of being given a hay bale to open up and eat! Protein Source: your choice!
Apples with HARVEST DIP!
Apples are fantastic in the Fall- especially if you’ve just picked them fresh from a farm (which many of us do with our kids this time of year). But what makes this particular snack so darn good is the dip. Its just 2 ingredients. I use plain greek yogurt, which is unsweetened and high in protein. Then, I just add a small amount of some store bought caramel sauce on top and let my little one swirl it around with a toothpick. It tastes AMAZING. Protein Source: Greek Yogurt
Pumpkin & Pear “Smoothie-cino”
For this smoothie, you’ll need store bought pumpkin puree, canned pear, almond milk, maple syrup, and cinnamon. If you’re like me, you’ll just eyeball the ingredients until it looks and smells like a tasty smoothie. But for those recipe followers out there, I used about a cup of pumpkin puree, about 1/2 of a small can of pears in their juices, and about a cup of almond milk. Sweeten to your taste with maple syrup (I used about 2 tablespoons), sprinkle with cinnamon, and blend.
Now for the “-cino” part. I wanted something tasty (and healthy) on top to substitute for whipped cream. I simply blended coconut milk in my processor until frothy, and then poured it on top of the smoothie. The frothiness made it look like mama’s coffee according to Ember, so we named it a smoothie-cino! Garnish with cinnamon (and pumpkin seeds, if you like). My child loves pumpkin seeds but did not want them in her smoothie. Protein Source: Almond Milk
WITCHES BREW Chia Pudding!
Start with 2 small mixing bowls. Here’s what you’ll need for each bowl:
Bowl 1:
- 1/2 cup Almond Milk
- 1/4 cup Green Veggie Juice (or green food coloring if you don’t have green juice on hand)
- 1/4 cup Chia Seeds
- 1 tbsp maple syrup
- splash Vanilla
Bowl 2:
- 3/2 cup Almond Milk
- 1/4 cup Purple Veggie Juice (purple carrot, beet, blueberry, etc., or purple food coloring)
- 1/4 cup Chia Seeds
- 1 tbsp maple syrup
- splash Vanilla
Mix each bowl separately and allow it to set for a minimum of a half hour. Once each pudding has set, layer it into a serving glass and garnish with a cinnamon stick “culdrin” stirrer! TIP: I told my daughter the chia seeds were EYEBALLS! So Fun! Protein Source: Chia Seeds!
Home Sweet ACORNS!
Roll Nut Butter of your choice into balls and freeze. You must use a nut butter that is fully emulsified (not runny with oil). Once frozen, shape into acorn shapes and place back into freezer. Meanwhile, melt a bit of dark chocolate and crush a few pecans in the food processor. Then, dip frozen acorn tops into melted chocolate, roll into crush pecans, and top with a pretzel stick “stem”. Refreeze, and store them in the freezer until you’re ready to serve. Protein Source: Nuts!
I hope you loved these snack ideas! If you did, comment below with your favorite!
If you enjoyed this post, you might also enjoy my post 5 foods to make on Sunday.