I never gave much thought to snacks before having kids. I'd snack when I needed to, but it wasn't an everyday necessity. Now, I've got two kiddos who need snacks at random moments throughout the day. Like a Girl Scout, I've found I need to be prepared. Today, I've got healthy snack ideas for kids and moms that don't disappoint!
Healthy Snack Ideas: Clif Zfruit + Veggie
Apparently napping burns a lot of calories, because my kids wake up from their afternoon naps as ravenous beasts demanding snacks. It's best for everyone involved that they get their snacks stat. And while I usually hand them a piece of fruit with some cheese, that starts to feel super boring after the millionth apple. That's where today's Clif Kid Zfruit + Veggie comes in.
These little twists of fruit and veggie rope are a fun twist for snack time, and they're actually made with veggie puree --- although you'd never know it. They all taste super fruity and tart and chewy --- my favorite was Cheery Cherry, although Mango Mania and Blueberry Blast are also tasty. Each peelable rope twist has 3 grams of fiber, 11 grams of sugar and is a good source of vitamin C. And my favorite part is that they're super portable and easy to carry with you. You don't have to worry about forgetting one in the bottom of your bag (a cruel lesson I learned recently from a banana).
It does crack me up a bit that there's not actually mango, cherry or blueberry in these flavors; instead they're made up of apple puree concentrate, carrot puree, sweet potato juice and lemon and beet juice, but for a sometimes snack on the run, they're fun. Just be sure to drink some water afterward as the chewy rope gets stuck in teeth!
Healthy Snack Ideas: Clif Mojo Fruit & Nut Bar
The Clif Mojo Fruit & Nut bar is definitely more of a mom-friendly snack option. With flavors like Dark Chocolate Cherry Almond, Dark Chocolate Almond Sea Salt and Coconut Almond Peanut, these bars are a filling snack. Most of them have 4 to 5 grams of protein and 3 to 4 grams of fiber. They're also organic and low-glycemic. Most importantly to me, they taste really good. The nuts make them a super filling snack that will stick with you, and the fruits and chocolate pieces make them enjoyably sweet. I actually like the ones without the fruit as they were slightly less sweet; the Dark Chocolate Almond Sea Salt and the Coconut Almond Peanut hit the spot. If you need a more filling way to satisfy your chocolate needs, this just might be the ticket. I need to throw like 20 of these in my purse so I've always got a snack at the ready for snack emergencies (they're real you know!).
What "fun" snacks do you have for your kids? What about for you? ---Erin