Yummy, healthy snacks that can tide your kid over after school until dinnertime
You’ve got designs on a healthy dinner, but the kids say they’re staaaarving. What to give them:
Snacks Squared
After a pack of granola bars, your spinach hasn’t got much of a chance. Let these new 90-calorie granola squares be your secret weapon. Nature Valley Peanut Butter Granola Thins; $3.59
Piece Out
These bites are a candy bar stand-in par excellence: The small pieces are easy to portion and each serving has half the sugar of a Kit Kat. Ian’s Chocolate Covered Wafer Bites; $4.99
Bear Necessity
These thick, moist cookies are baked with cranberries, walnuts, almonds, and the company’s minimalist granola. Bear Naked Soft-Baked Fruit & Nut Cookies; $3.19
Out to Dry
It’s crunchy dried fruit with only one other ingredient: a yummy juice. (Mangoes get an OJ treatment, while pineapples get a splash of guava.) Each 35-calorie bag equals one serving of the real stuff. Funky Monkey Freeze-Dried Fruit in MangOJ; 99 cents
Smooth Move
Pop quiz: What do seven strawberries, ten grapes, half a banana and a third of an apple equal? Answer: One of these smartly designed—and tasty—smoothies. (mySmoothie in Strawberry; $2.99)
Itsy-Bitsy
Vitamin-packed snack cups, designed with kids 2 to 4 years old in mind, are a perfect stave-off-the-hunger food. Dannon Dan-o-nino; $2.29 for six
Pop Psychology
Yes, they are chips. But with 100 calories and three grams of fat, none of it saturated, it’s hard to have qualms with these potato sensations. pop-chips Barbeque Potato; $1.29
What a Square
Crunchy almond squares are brushed with just a bit of sweetness. It’s a munchie that’s chock-full of good fats and protein. Mrs. May’s Almond Crunch; $1.69
Leader of the Pack
The classic cracker pack now comes in a whole-grain version, so you can feel better about throwing them to a group of ravenous kids. Lance Whole Grain Real Cheddar Cheese Crackers; $2.99 for eight
Quick Fix
This classic candy, surprisingly, has about one third the fat of other chocolate — and even in the 65-calorie fun size, they’re still a treat. Raisinets; $2.99 for 18 mini-pouches
Bun-Dle of Joy
These crisps actually capture the flavor of fresh-baked cinnamon buns. They’re a cool 100 cals, but they feel much naughtier. Sensible Portions Cheating With Chocolate in Cinna-Swirl; $2.99 for five packs
Wrap Star
These wee pockets are a perfect after-practice size. They take the frozen burrito — which could be about as highbrow as a Hannah Montana video — to a new level. Evol Mini Burritos in Chicken + Black Bean; $1.59
