10 After School Snack Ideas
The school day can be a whirlwind of activity for kids. After a long day of learning and playing, they need a nutritious boost to refuel their bodies and minds. The perfect after school snack can revive and re-fuel them for the journey home or the wait until Tea-time. Sweets, crisps and biscuits may seem easy but they don't provide any nutrition and a snack time where they're actually really hungry is a great time to pack a bit of nutrition in.
Here’s 10 snack ideas that are perfect for taking to the school gates free from UPF’s, nutritious and mostly low in sugar. They're also quick to put together or easy to make batches to grab for after school:
1. APPLE & PEANUT BUTTER SLICES
These are really tasty and adds some extra nutrition and fun instead of handing over an apple. Remove the core of an apple and slice into rings around 5mm thick. Place the rings in a bowl of water mixed with a pinch of salt and allow to soak for 5 minutes to stop the apple from browning. Pat the apple rings dry and spread nut butter on one side and the add another apple ring to create a sandwich with the nut butter enclosed inside. This way you can easily transport the apple rings to the school gates.
2. MINI SANDWICHES
If your children have had a cooked school lunch then sandwiches can be elevated to snacks. Take them in squares or have fun with cookie cutters or sandwich cutters. You could even skewer them or make roll ups.
3. SMOOTHIES
Smoothies are a great way to hydrate and feed at the same time. You can pack them with some extra nutrition by adding seeds, nut butters, yogurt and veggies. The flavour options are endless. Our reusable pouches are the perfect way to transport then and enjoy them on the go too!
4. CHEESE & PINEAPPLE STICKS
The staple of many childhood Birthday Parties but this classic combination doesn’t need to be constrained to party food only! Add to skewers and enjoy the sweet & savoury snack! we love this little pick sticks from Pick plates to hold these together
5. HUMMUS & CARROT
A bit of hummus makes vegetable sticks so much tastier. Add a spoonful of hummus into the bottom of your snack bag and add some carrot, cucumber or pepper sticks in. Keep the bag upright and the tops of the sticks will stay clean and each one will have a nice coating of hummus on the bottom. Perfect for walking and eating.
6. PROTEIN ENERGY BALLS
Home made energy balls are quick and easy to make with no baking required. They make a great little energy boost needed to power you home. There are so many different recipes for these so I’ve picked my 3 favourites for you to choose from:
These no bake energy balls from Charlotte Stirling Reed are so simple to make, delicious and packed full of healthy fats.
7. HOME MADE CAKES AND COOKIES
Home made cakes and cookies are so much better than shop bought items and there's so many recipes with much lower amounts of sugar to make them better for your little ones. you can swap out the processed sugar for apple puree, mashed banana or a little honey or maple syrup. or you can simply make them with less sugar like our Banana Oat Cakes. Or try these protein packed cookies.
8. SAVOURY MUFFINS
Shaped like a muffin but packed with cheese and vegetables. These can be grabbed from the freezer in the morning to defrost ready for the after school run. They are really tasty especially perfect of you have a cheese loving child.
These are our favourites Carrot & Courgette Cheesy Muffin or try these spinach and cheese muffins from My Fussy Eater.
9. MAKE AHEAD MINI PIZZA'S
Make this 2 ingredient pizza dough and make a batch of mini pizzas you can grab from the freezer to defrost any time you like. Make them whatever size works for you and the bag you want to use to take them in! A mini pizza is always a winner for kids.
10. TRAILMIX
A mix of nuts, cereals, seeds, dried fruits and some choc chips or mini marshmallows make a great after school snack for over 5's. Take a small shot portion in our reusable ice pop bags or a larger portion into a monster bag. Omit the whole nuts to make this more suitable for younger children.
Our reusable pouches and snack bags are brilliant for transporting their snacks and you cant beat them for making even the most boring snacks fun!
