Peanut Butter Fingers

Anyone else pick up their kids after school only to be greeted by absolutely ravenous children? It doesn’t matter how filling their lunches or their school snacks are, our boys will fly out of school with raging appetites. Last year I found myself very heavily relying on bars and packaged snacks to fuel our kids after school because they were easy to grab on the go. There’s absolutely nothing wrong with packaged snacks (truly — no hate! I even wrote a blog post all about our favorite healthy pantry snacks for kids) but I realized our kids’ large after-school appetites were an opportunity to squeeze in a nutrient-dense after-school snacks when they were hungry and willing to eat just about anything I put in front of them.

Enter the after-school snack box! This was a game changer for us last year. This may sound dramatic but it’s very true for our family. (We use these custom snack boxes from Etsy. Here is a similar option on Amazon.) Having a snack box like this silicone snack box divided up into three quadrants gave me a formula of sorts to follow for our kids’ after school snacks. One section for fruit, one section for veggies and one section for something a little more filling, ideally foods with protein and healthy fats.

When I began sharing our boys’ after-school snack boxes on Instagram, I received many, many DMs from you guys asking me to continue sharing after-school snack ideas so I figured a blog post roundup of some of our kids’ after school snacks might be of interest in this space, too! (I also created a “kid snacks” highlight on Instagram for easy reference if you’d like to check it out.) The snack ideas I’m sharing are all quick and easy and super simple to assemble at home before heading to school pick-up but they’re also snacks I will occasionally assemble in the morning and keep fresh in a cooler when it makes more sense for my schedule to head to after school pickup without heading home first.

After-School Snack Ideas

When it comes to after-school snack ideas, I have about a million but for the sake of this blog post, I’m going to keep it simple and share pictures and breakdowns of some of the after-school snack boxes I’ve assembled for our kids since this school year began. You’ll notice most of our kids’ after-school snacks include a fruit, a vegetable and a more filling source of fat and protein. What does the fat and protein source look like? Typically it’s some kid of cheese, yogurt, a homemade muffin (yes, muffins can have healthy fats and protein, too!), a sandwich, pepperoni, etc.

What Makes A Good After School Snack

What makes a good after school snack? For our kids it has to be something they enjoy, something quick and easy (I’m not looking to spend more than 5 minutes assembling an after school snack) and something nutritious. I try to vary their after-school snacks so they don’t get bored or burnt out by the exact same snack every day, but there are definitely after-school snack staples that pop up in their after-school snacks again and again. (I’m looking at you cheese and muffins!) I try to make sure our boys’ after-school snacks include fruits and vegetables for vitamins, minerals and fiber as well as healthy fats and protein for satiety.

What Are The Best After School Snacks For Kids

Here are a few of the quick and easy  after school snack ideas that appeal to our boys when their appetites are raging after school:

Whole Wheat Pumpkin Muffin, Trail Mix, Blueberries and Bell Peppers

I cannot tell you how many times we’ve made these whole wheat pumpkin muffins over the years. While I know the recipe feels most seasonally appropriate in the fall, we make them year-round because everyone in our family loves them so much.

Also, I cannot tell you how much use I get out of silicone baking cups in the boys’ lunches and snack boxes. They make it easy to create an extra separate section for whatever foods I want to include in their lunches and snacks and I fill them with everything from trail mixes and dried mango pieces to cereal, peanut butter pretzels and pepperoni.

Turkey Roll-Ups, Yogurt, Apple Slices and Bell Peppers  

Kids will keep you guessing because while we’re 0 for 3 on kids who will eat a turkey sandwich, they will eat turkey roll-ups. Whatever floats your boat! I use these little food picks to keep the turkey roll-ups in tact in their lunches and snack boxes. They work well and are too cute!

Quesadilla, Strawberries and Carrots  

I say “quesadilla” but this is really just a whole wheat tortilla microwaved with shredded cheese and cut into pieces. Quick and easy! It’s not piping hot when the boys get it in the car after school but it’s warm enough for them to still enjoy without complaint.

Strawberries, Bell Peppers, Cheese and Spinach Banana Muffins

Yep, another muffin! Muffins are a go-to for me for the boys’ after-school snacks because they’re something I can prep on Sundays and they assembling after school snack boxes quick and easy throughout the week. Our kids also eat muffins really well and really enjoy these spinach banana muffins which I take as a win since they’re packed with spinach, oats and healthy fats and fiber from flaxseeds and hemp seeds.

Peaches, Strawberries, String Cheese and Edamame

Have you ever taken a moment to look at the nutrition facts of edamame? It’s a killer source of both fiber and protein and our boys all love it, especially when I sprinkle it with salt. This snack works well because they eat the fruit and cheese and then use those little compartment for their discarded edamame pods.

Grass-Fed Hot Dog with Blueberries and Cucumber Slices

One of our 10-year-old’s favorite foods is a hot dog, so whenever I show up after school with a hot dog in his snack box, he lights up! We love the Applegate organic grass-fed hot dogs and ALDI’s Simply Nature organic grass-fed hot dogs most.

Strawberries, Bell Peppers and a Peanut Butter and Jelly Sandwich

Homemade Buttered Popcorn Popped in Olive Oil, Apple Slices and Carrots

If I want to see my boys’ eyes light up, I include homemade popcorn in their after school snack boxes. We started popping our popcorn on the stovetop in olive oil years ago and have never looked back. Topping it with melted butter and salt takes it to the next level! Popcorn is also a whole grain (hooray for some unexpected fiber) and I’m all about the added healthy fats that find their way into every kernel when we pop it in olive oil. (The butter is just for flavor… can’t beat it!)

Whole Wheat Pumpkin Muffin, Cheese, Grapes and Cucumber Slices

(Sorry for the text on this one! I took the pic in Instagram and never saved it directly to my phone without the text.) 

I told ya we make these whole wheat pumpkin muffins on repeat! I’ll often make a double batch to freeze half because they defrost well and still taste great!

Spinach Banana Muffins, Yogurt, Sausage and Strawberries

Our boys are a little picky with meat but sausage is one thing they all love. They don’t love cold sausage, however, so I just heat up a few sausage patties right before heading out the door and they’re still warm enough for the boys to eat right after pick-up. And yep, more muffins made their way into this snack box! I’m telling you muffins like these spinach banana muffins are a snack box staple for me.

Ingredients

Here are a few ideas for snacks for kids in each category I try to hit when assembling the boy’s after-school snacks:

Fruit: Apples, oranges, sliced watermelon, berries, pear slices, peaches, grapes (fresh or frozen), sliced pineapple

Vegetables (served plain or with a dip like hummus, ranch or even salt): Baby carrots, sliced cucumbers, bell pepper slices,

Instructions

Here’s a loose breakdown of how I approach after-school snack prep!

Step 1

When it comes to assembling after-school easy snacks, I really like to prep fruits and veggies ahead of time so I’m not scrambling to slice up a bell pepper right as it’s time to fly out the door. I’ll take a moment to cut up fruit like watermelon or strawberries and vegetables like bell peppers or cucumbers on a Sunday and then again halfway through the week so we always have them on hand and easy to grab. I just store them in an air-tight container in the fridge (Rubbermaid Brilliance Glass containers have been my favorite for years) and this works well.

Step 2

For the “meaty” part of the boys’ after-school snacks, I’ll often bake a batch of muffins over the weekend but other parts of their snacks generally still come together relatively quickly. Sources of protein like turkey pepperoni or cheese is generally already ready to throw into their snack boxes right from the fridge which makes things very easy!

How To Make After School Snacks Healthy

Combine Food Groups

This will make it easier to maximize the amount of nutrients in your children’s after school snacks, especially if you focus on including fruits, vegetables and a source of protein or whole grains in each snack. Example: Pair apple slices with peanut butter for dipping or a handful of nuts or carrots with hummus and whole grain crackers.

Prioritize Protein and Fiber

I know protein gets a lot of hype and it’s absolutely important but fiber is something I pay a lot of attention to as well. These two together really help with satiety! The good news is if you’re already including fruits and veggies in an after-school snack, you’re getting fiber into your child’s diet! Whole grains are another source of fiber and certain foods like homemade energy bites, edamame and certain muffin recipes can have a decent amount of both protein and fiber. A double win!

Plan and Prep in Advance

This is where taking time over the weekend or halfway through the week can make a big difference in making snacks quick and easy to assemble. When I have fruit and veggies pre-sliced in the fridge, it’s much easier to include them in my children’s after-school snacks because they’re all ready to grab and go!