Food

Snack Time, Again!?

“Mama, I want a snack!” It’s the sentence I hear about 5 times (or more) during the course of the day. It gets my wheels turning every time. If I didn’t care what my daughter put inside her body this would be a no-brainer. But I do, as I’m sure we all do to a certain degree.

I try for the most part to keep Mabel gluten free. I also try and watch her sugar intake because our two year old is high on life as it is. When we travel it proves to be very difficult but when we are home I keep her on track without going overboard. Everything in moderation is our motto in general. Luckily for us, Mabel is a great eater. I mean the kid eats greens. I hardly eat greens! But don’t mess with her snacks because she Loves them. It’s just finding the right snacks to put in front of her that proves to be most challenging for me.

Here are two options I have on rotation at the moment. I go for the easy, without too much fuss choice and Mabel can also help:

It’s just finding the right snacks to put in front of her that proves to be most challenging for me...
Frozen Yogurt Raspberries

Raspberries

Whatever yogurt you like. I use So Delicious 

A small plastic bag

A small plate/tray that will fit in your freezer

Wash your berries.

Add yogurt into the plastic bag. Cut the tip of the bag

Fill your raspberries up and put them in the freezer.

Kale Chips

Preheat over to 275 F

1 head Kale, washed and thoroughly dried. You can also find bagged organic Kale. It’s already washed which makes it much easier. No one will judge you for using it!

2 tablespoons of olive oil

Sea salt to sprinkle

Remove the ribs of the kale and cut into a 1-½ pieces

Lay them on the baking sheet. Drizzle the olive oil and sprinkle the salt. Toss all together.

Bake until crisp, turning the leaves halfway through, about 20 minutes

 

Please feel free to leave me some snack ideas! Because I’m stumped!

 

From my home to yours,

Emma xx

healthy optionskids snacksno fusssnacks

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Aurore says:

Hello from france !!!
You can make free-gluten cookies ?!
Here a blog with free-gluten recipes 😉
Have a lovely day
Aurore

http://glutenfreegoddess.blogspot.fr/2011/01/gluten-free-chocolate-chip-cookie.html?m=1

Kim Drake says:

Mine were always carrot eaters-it doesn’t get any easier than carrots-my oldest ate so many as a toddler that he started to “tan”–raisins are easy to travel with–and being from the south, (and assuming no allergy) boiled peanuts eaten cold from the fridge are a “help yourself” snack in a colander on the bottom shelf–just have to make sure the shells get to the trash.

Emma Heming Willis says:

Mabel loves her carrots but I see her going off it a bit. Boiled peanuts!? Who knew. Going to try this one

Michelle says:

Hi Emma

Another great post! When my daughter was Mabel’s age, I would cut up raw peppers and she would eat them from a bowl like chips. The red ones were the ones she preferred. Little boxes of raisins were good too, but as she grew older she learned to hate both those things, so snacks got much harder!! I will admit that I allow her to have biscuits when she wants them, but other things include grapes (though be careful because of the choking issue). There is a wonderful (and I mean wonderful!) site that I visit called Mini Yummers http://www.miniyummers.com which has a huge amount of snack and dinner ideas for young kids. There are things you can make with them, and things you make for them, and I find a lot of ideas on there. Hope it helps you too. I’m a terrible cook it must be said, so any time I make my daughter something she likes I am shocked and surprised! :

Hope this helps you! Love Michelle xx

Emma Heming Willis says:

That’s a great site! I haven’t seem this one before. Thank you for sharing!

Linda says:

I’m sure you have tried dried fruits but my little one loves cranberries, blueberries & her new one is pomegranates. I also make mini muffins that all 3 of my little’s one love. It can be hard to figure out good, easy, healthy snacks. Enjoy every day with your little ones cause they grow very fast.

Emma Heming Willis says:

She does like dried fruit. I just forget to put it into rotation sometimes. I’m bringing it back! Thank you

Kathleen says:

I just recently tried kale chips – yummy.
I found some websites with gluten free ideas: You (“I”) forget that something as basic as frozen grapes and a great snack – okay – better when in wine but that is another blog chat! 😀
http://glutenfreemommy.com/30-snack-ideas/
http://www.intoxicatedonlife.com/2014/01/14/101-grain-free-gluten-free-snack-ideas/

Emma Heming Willis says:

Great sites! Thank you for sharing.

Wimberly says:

I am a Registered Dietitian who works in the pediatric field. So, this is kind of my area 🙂 For a fast growing toddler, variety and nutrient-dense are important. I have 3 children (11, 8, 6 months) and I give them protein-rich snacks that are high in iron, calcium and B vitamins: cheese/wheat crackers, all natural peanut butter w/ celery or apples, whole grain cereal to munch on while we are on the go, yogurt, nuts, pita bread with hummus and dried fruit.

Gluten gets a bad rap because of all the media hype. Most children need this exposure in order to develop a strong gut and immunity. Like anything, just don’t over do the wheat and don’t make that the primary basis of their meals and snacks.

I love watching my kids play hard and snack a lot. They grow so fast!
Wimberly

Emma Heming Willis says:

This is Definitely your arena! Thank you for all the good ideas xx

Audrey says:

I often wonder if Maisie (8 this month) has a hollow leg because she is always looking for more to eat. I tried the gluten free diet with my son as an approach to wrangle his autism and sadly there wasnt any change. That was a learning curve with food. I wondered what would happen if he stopped eating gluten would he then be sick if someone gave it to him.
I like the word moderation :). I keep a variety of snacks on hand and most of the time good choices are made. A big part of those choices isn’t what we have but what I encourage they eat. I dont give them food freedom but I also dont want to deny all things sweet because when Im not looking and there are plenty of times I wont or cant be there to choose for them those options could be there. I have taught them what nutrition comes with food choices.
With that said :)….wheat crackers, yogurt, cheese sticks, apples and bananas, seasonal fruits, I like to make trail mix… sunflower seeds, dry cereal, raisins, gold fish, whatever is in the pantry. I make a huge batch of bran muffins with raisins and keep them in the freezer. They defrost as needed. We are big water drinkers too and this helps fill the void.

I think I will try the kale chips and maybe try with other veggies too :). You put good in you get good out. Your girls are lucky you make heathy choices for them.
xoxo

Emma Heming Willis says:

Thank you. I try to make the best choices for them but I don’t want to deprive them either. They need to enjoy food as much as I do. They need to be kids.
Thanks for sharing Audrey. Wishing you and your family all the best. xx

Roxanne says:

Hi Emma. I made the yogurt rasberries yesterday and they were a big hit with the whole family. This morning I did the same thing with vanilla yogurt and strawberries. Ymmmm! Have you ever tried to make homemade fruit roll-ups? There are a lot of great recipes out there with fruit and vegetables. Making your own dried fruit is good too. A food dehydrator and a blender is all you need. Well, and time of course, which can be hard to find with two little ones and your busy schedule. The boys always enjoyed making them with me. Another favorite of theirs and mine was always apple slices with peanut butter and raisins on top. The kale chips are a great idea too. I will have to try them. I have made my own potato and sweet potato chips on occasion. You picked a great subject again this week Emma. Thanks for the the great snacking tips. Can’t wait to see your next post. Take care, be safe and stay healthy. 🙂

Julia-Selina says:

Oh … I’m going to give my sister in law. That with the Frozen Yogurt I know, but with the Kale Chips not.

Well me a repeated question. Mabel has a gluten intolerance?

Here in Germany there is a shop that’s Alnatura. We get gluten free and lactose-free products. For children there is something hard thing to find. I agree.

Thank you for the recipe, Emma ^_^

Kiss and Hugs Julia

Michelle says:

I believe it’s been mentioned already, but for a quick and nutritious snack, almond butter on fruit (apples & bananas) or celery is delicious. My favorite almond butter is Barney Butter. It is really yummy and made with only four ingredients. Thanks for all the great ideas!!!!

Christin Prizelius says:

Dearest Emma
It is such a pleasure to find and read your blog. I am Christin from Hamburg/Germany, 32 years old and mother of a three-year-old boy. I just wanted to let you know that I love it how you share „the real life“ with us and not only the (we call it) „high-polished life“ of the celebrities… I´m sure it means a great help for many other (even single) mothers. Especially I liked your quotation “This blog is not about how to do things the „right way“. In my minds eye it is definitely the „right signal“… Thank you very much!!
Warm greetings from Germany, Christin and Finn

Araya says:

Hi Emma, try frozen grapes – delicious and refreshing. Also apples with any kind of nut butter goes down well with little ones. My older kids liked seed crackers with smashed avo.

Emma Heming Willis says:

Great ideas 🙂

Radhika says:

Hi from India,
Loved your oat bread , it’s a huge hit in our house! Here’s a quick snack recipe ( bhel) that most people like:
Bhel
1 cup Puffed rice
1/2 cup chopped raw tomatoes
1/2 cup chopped raw onions
Salt to taste
Optional: A few sprigs chopped raw coriander leaves
Tamarind sauce to taste
Raw mango slivers
1/2 cup sprouts

Mix all the ingredients in a large bowl just before serving. Eat at once.

Emma Heming Willis says:

Sounds yummy!

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