Feeding children nutritious food is an important component of having them in your care. Let these snack ideas help you get creative with what you serve! See our blog posts about meals and veggies for more ideas!

Please note: recipes, meals ideas, and other information found in the links is not guaranteed to meet the USDA Meal Patterns, which are a requirement of the Food Program. For more information, please see the Food Program page.

Snack Ideas

  • Crunchy peanut butter munchie balls (recipe below!)
  • Fresh peach muffins (recipe below!)
  • Peanut butter & yogurt dip, served with apple slices (recipe below!)
  • Apples and peanut butter
  • Baked potatoes with toppings
  • Rice cakes spread with cheese spread, decorated with fruit and veggies to make faces
  • Apples shredded seasoned with cinnamon and a little sugar on a buttered tortilla and warmed up
  • Hot soft bread sticks with spaghetti sauce to dip
  • Apple muffins and milk
  • Hot apple juice with cinnamon graham crackers
  • Tortillas and cheese or peanut butter (Melt in microwave if desired)
  • Pancakes and applesauce
  • Baked sweet potatoes with a little butter, served with a glass of milk
  • Pasta and shredded cheese (mozzarella, cheddar, Parmesan) and/or tomato sauce
  • Chunks of apples with dipping caramel served with crackers
  • Chicken noodle soup served with crackers
  • Tomato soup served with oyster crackers
  • Buttered baked squash served with a glass of milk
  • Home made pretzels made with bread dough served with cheese sauce
  • Cantaloupe and cheese chunks on skewers
  • Tuna fish on crackers
  • Strawberries cut up into yogurt
  • Cottage cheese with cut up fruit
  • Frozen blueberries and crackers

Crunchy Peanut Butter Munchies

Ingredients

  • ½ cup all-natural crunchy peanut butter
  • ¾ cup nonfat dry powdered milk
  • 1 small ripe banana, mashed
  • Grape Nuts cereal

Directions

Combine peanut butter, dry powdered milk, and mashed banana; blend together. (It helps to do this in a plastic baggie – you can mash the stuff all together).

Form into 1 – inch balls.

Roll each ball in Grape-Nuts.

Serve immediately or refrigerate in covered container.

Recipe courtesy of FamilyCorner.com Magazine.

Fresh Peach Muffins

Ingredients

  • 1 egg
  • 1 teaspoon lemon juice
  • 1 cup skim milk
  • ¼ teaspoon vanilla
  • ¼ cup margarine (or butter)
  • 1 cup all purpose-flour
  • ½ cup sugar
  • ¾ cup whole-wheat flour
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • 3 teaspoons baking powder
  • ¼ teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1 cup unpeeled, chopped, fresh peaches

Directions

Beat egg and milk together.
Add margarine, sugar, salt, cinnamon, lemon juice and vanilla.
Mix flours and baking powder and stir into milk mixture just until blended. Do not over-mix.
Fold in peaches.
Fill 12 paper-lined muffin cups 2/3 full.
Bake at 450° about 20 minutes or until brown.

Recipe courtesy of The Joy of Snacks by Nancy Cooper, R.D.

Peanut Butter Yogurt Dip

Ingredients

  • ½ cup Greek yogurt, plain
  • ¼ cup natural peanut butter (crunchy recommended)

Directions

Combine all the ingredients in a small bowl, refrigerate until ready to eat.
Serve with your favorite fruit or veggie.