Choosing a healthy snack over a tempting bag of salty chips or a bowl of popcorn is easier when your cabinets and refrigerator are full of healthy, fun choices.
Especially when they are filled with delicious and healthy snacks that you've made at home yourself.
Creating wholesome treats doesn't have to be complicated. With just five simple ingredients or less, you can enjoy delicious snacks right from your own kitchen, hassle-free. Plus, isn't it rewarding to have complete control over what goes into your food?
From air fryer vegetables to frozen yogurt and fruit bark, we’ve compiled a list that has something for everyone!
Ready-to-Eat
Sometimes, the simple step of having to wash and cut fruits and veggies causes us to skip it as our snack choice. However, pre-washing, cutting, and storing fruits and vegetables in clear containers makes them an easy-to-grab option.
You can make healthy snacks more enticing for kids, too! Try cutting fruit into fun shapes with a cookie-cutter, putting them on skewers, or creating animals. Check out these adorable bug snacks and animal shapes. As a bonus: have you ever heard of fruit sushi?
Try these simple ideas to liven up your vegetables:
- Add peanut butter or cream cheese to your celery sticks. Top with raisins if you want!
- Put out a plate of veggies with a low-fat dressing or hummus dip.
- Try a fruit dip! This article has recipes for chocolate, almond butter, and key lime-flavoured Greek yogurt dips, each with five ingredients or less.
Put That Air Fryer to Good Use
Air fryers are perfect for making a healthy, crunchy snack. You can make your own healthier potato chips, try fried vegetables like these zucchini chips, or try some dried fruit like these apples.
Air fryer chickpeas or wasabi peas are a tasty snack on their own or mixed in with other healthy ingredients like crackers, nuts, or Chex cereal.
Frozen Snacks
Another way to change up your snacking game is with frozen treats. Simply serving frozen peas, banana slices, or grapes (cut-up if for smaller kids) provides a new twist and might be more appetizing to picky eaters.
You can also try these recipes:
- FroYo Bites and Frozen Bark are fun ways to turn yogurt and fruit into a healthy refreshing snack treat.
- Easy popsicle recipes, each with five ingredients or less.
Photo: fcafotodigital via gettyimages.com
Break Out The Bento Box
Bento boxes are all about presentation. There’s something kind of fancy about a little snack tray of goodies. It reminds you of what you would pay a lot of money for at the local coffee shop. Plus, some kids can’t stand to have different foods touching each other, and these boxes offer a perfect solution.
This article provides some great tips and ideas for putting together bento boxes for kids. Looking for some ideas for adults or older kids? Try these fun combinations, including the bagel box with crackers, salmon, cucumbers, and dill cream cheese dip!
Trail Mix On-the-Go
How about a snack that comes with you to work, can be eaten in the car between activities, on a long walk, or to take with you on your next road trip? Trail mix, when you control the ingredients, can be a healthy snack option that travels well.
Pick your favourite five ingredients from unsalted nuts, dried fruits, seeds, dark chocolate, coconut flakes, granola, or popcorn. Maybe even some of those chickpeas or wasabi peas from above?
Protein Balls for the Win
Homemade Protein Balls are the best of all worlds! They’re easy to make, customizable to your tastes, and are usually healthier and less expensive than store-bought bars. All this makes them a perfect go-to snack for kids, extra hungry teens, and adults.
Here are four no-bake recipes - most protein balls will stay fresh in the freezer for at least a week.
These five-ingredient or less snack ideas are simple to introduce to your daily routine. With a little planning, you can make sure that your kitchen is stocked with the right ingredients.
Take a few hours on the weekend to whip up a snack option or two - then see which ones your family loves the most so you can encourage healthy choices for everyone!
