One of the many reasons I plan for and make most of our snacks is because I know what’s going into them, including the TLC factor. Really, it means a lot to me to feed my family nutrient dense food, and, admittedly, I get a little snarly at times when that’s not what they get. Mostly because I’m on the receiving end of any bad food reaction or meltdown that may occur, and that ain’t a great place to be.
When I make our meal plan for the week, I also add in 4-5 snack ideas, knowing most of them come straight from whatever I’ve got in the fridge or pantry, and being well aware that I’ll have to create 1-2 of them from scratch, or, in the least, follow a favorite recipe for something tasty.
For ease, I will link to some of our favorite go-to’s, though they may not be recipes we have specifically tried.
Homemade popcorn: I use about 1/8 cup of coconut oil, put it in the popper, add 1/2 cup of organic kernels and pop. In the meantime I am melting a few Tbsp of butter ( no lack of good fats around here!), that I drizzle over the popcorn, then sprinkle with sea salt. For a savory flavor, we sprinkle nutritional yeast and for a sweet and sticky day, maple syrup does the trick. For this one, I heat the maple syrup right in with the melting butter on the stove top.
Raw milk yogurt: this is always a go-to at our house, I can hardly keep up with the demand!
Oatmeal bakes: these are tasty, and with a variety of toppings, we can meet everyones wishes. For this last batch, which made nearly 30 servings, I replaced the applesauce with yogurt and only had to increase baking time.
Muffins, scones, quick breads-These are such great options because you can use high fiber/protein grains or grain-free, add in nuts, healthy fats, etc to your liking. Everything I’ve ever made from this blog has turned out fantastic.
Homemade granola: This is also a great option, because you can change the flavor with each batch and add in whatever you’d like. **Reminder, don’t add dried fruit until after it’s done baking or you’ll end up with hard dried raisins or berries!
Trail mix-this is option is fun because you can let the kids create their own and pack it into their lunches on their own.
If you have some favorite snacks for homemade lunches, share them with us here!
