30 Healthy, Portable, Kid-Approved Snacks

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It is summertime, and that means sleeping in, relaxing pool days, long walks on the beach….well, in mom fantasy-land that is what summer looks like!

Yes, there may be a few pool days or long walks on the beach, but summer can also mean long trips with kids, plane rides, and lots of extra time in the car with the kiddos. Sometimes these long car rides make gas station snacks look appetizing or a drive-thru look like a gourmet meal, but try to resist the urge to fill yourself and your kids full of Snickers and chicken nuggets.

Kids typically need to eat more frequently.  They don’t always give us much warning when they’re hungry. And they are known to have complete meltdowns if food isn’t fast enough when they’re “starving” (or “hangry” as we call it in our house). Having a good cooler in your car is a must, also use lunchboxes this summer – they are a great asset to healthy eating.

Here are some ideas for snacks and meals on the go to keep in your coolers and lunch boxes this summer:

  1. Shredded cold chicken
  2. Turkey pickle roll ups – roll healthy organic turkey (like Applegate) around a pickle
  3. Washed berries – blueberries, strawberries, raspberries, or blackberries.
  4. Fruit- banana, oranges, clementines
  5. Apples and nut butter (almond butter, sunbutter, cashew butter)
  6. Homemade popcorn
  7. Homemade granola bars (make ahead of time and freeze until ready to use)
  8. Homemade gut healing gummy bites (protein, gut healing, and delicious)
  9. Apple sauce pouches
  10. Beef or turkey jerky (homemade is best!)
  11. Hard boiled eggs
  12. Deviled eggs
  13. Mini sweet peppers
  14. Cut veggies and hummus
  15. Whole wheat pita with hummus in it
  16. Tortilla wraps – healthy tortilla with hummus and turkey
  17. Banana Dogs – whole wheat hot dog bun that has nut butter spread and a whole banana in it
  18. Yogurt parfait – full fat plain yogurt, fruit, granola, and a little local raw honey
  19. Olives (a great source of fat and so fun for kids)
  20. Ants on a log (nut butter in celery with raisins on top)
  21. Sardines (give it a try – so many kids love them and they are amazing for developing brains!)
  22. Grass-fed no-filler hot dogs (like Applegate brand)
  23. Jicama and guacamole (like wholly guacamole packs)
  24. Larabars (there are so many amazing flavors!)
  25. Grass-fed meat protein snack bars (like Epic, Tanka, or Nick’s sticks)
  26. Simple chocolate coconut bars
  27. Avocados (sprinkle with lemon lime juice to keep from browning)
  28. Mashed sweet potatoes
  29. Cubed or string cheese
  30. Dried fruit and nut mix – mix in raisins, banana chips, coconut flakes, peanuts, almonds, and dried cranberries. Try to resist the urge to throw candy or chocolate in with it.  This may even turn into a fun game of learning how raisins are created!

For younger kids these Little green pouches are amazing – you can put any homemade mashed food in here!  Have a wonderful and healthy summer – keeping lots of good food in you and your little ones will help the summer be full of healthy days enjoying the sun and hopefully will prevent a few “hangry” melt downs.

What portable snack ideas do you love?

 

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