Healthy Snack Ideas 

  

Your after-school treats can go far beyond the traditional peanut butter and jelly sandwich, although of course that's a great snack. Here are over 50 more ideas. You don't have to settle for junk food in between meals: 

  

1. Peanut butter on apple slices with Rice Krispies sprinkled on top. 

  

  

2. Toasted bagel halves spread with flavored cream cheese, then squooshed together. 

  

  

3. A couple of "cuties" - small clementine citrus fruits. 

  

  

4. Banana Smoothie: ¾ C. nonfat plain yogurt, ¾ C. orange juice, ½ tsp. vanilla, 1 large banana, ¾ C. strawberries, 2 T. honey, 1 cup crushed ice, blended. 

  

  

5. Trail mix: granola cereal, raisins, peanuts, sunflower seeds, dried apricots and M&Ms. 

  

  

6. Cucumber Stacks: cuke slices with mashed cream cheese spread between. 

  

  

7. Scrambled eggs: two eggs stirred up with a bit of milk and a little shredded cheese, with salt and pepper, cooked in a small pan with a little margarine. 

  

  

8. Cheese Kabobs: toothpicks threaded with cheese cubes. 

  

  

9. Cheesy noodles: boil egg noodles in water for 6 minutes, toss with a little margarine and Parmesan cheese. 

  

  

10. Bread and milk: Tear up two pieces of bread into a bowl, pour milk over and a half-teaspoon of sugar. 

  

  

12. Ham It Up: Chop broccoli fine, place inside a piece of ham luncheon meat, roll up, and secure with a toothpick. You can put a piece of cheese on top of the ham before you roll it up - and take out the toothpick before you eat! 

  

  

13. Berry Smoothie - 2 C. apple-berry juice, ½ C. nonfat berry yogurt, ½ C. frozen raspberries, blueberries or blackberries, ½ C. crushed ice; blend. 

  

  

14. Bean dip - Steam whole string beans; let cool. Mix a tablespoon of mustard with ¼ C. sour cream. Dip beans. 

  

  

15. Baby carrots and low-fat ranch dip or dressing. 

  

  

16. Bugs on a log: celery ribs filled with peanut butter and raisins pressed on top. 

  

  

17. Frozen grapes; simply put grapes in the freezer and an hour or more later, eat. 

  

  

18. Cheese Sandwiches: Light cheese slices between whole-grain crackers. 

  

  

19. Nutty mix: ½ C. peanuts, ¼ C. raisins, ¼ C. chocolate chips. 

  

  

20. Angel / Strawberry Kabobs: thread whole strawberries and angel-food cake squares and/or marshmallows on a skewer or toothpicks. 

  

  

21. Celery sticks with low-fat onion dip. 

  

  

22. Peanut butter and banana sandwich on raisin bread. 

  

  

23. Cuke Boat: cut a cucumber in half lengthwise. "Rake" out the seeds with a spoon. Fill with herb cream cheese. 

  

  

24. Graham crackers with applesauce dip. 

  

  

25. Pineapple rings with maraschino cherries. 

  

  

26. Tuna salad in pita pocket bread. 

  

  

27. Cold cuts wrapped around cucumber, celery or zucchini slices. 

  

  

28. Thick tomato slices, topped with Parmesan cheese and a few shakes of your favorite herb or seasoning, and broiled for a few minutes 'til golden. 

  

  

29. Whole almonds and raisins. 

  

  

30. Unsalted sunflower seeds - and make sure to discard the hulls politely! 

  

31. Yogurt parfait - in a narrow, clear glass, spoon your favorite flavor of yogurt, then a layer of cut-up strawberries, raspberries or other fruit, then another layer of yogurt, 'til you reach the top. 

  

32. Bunny Food - a bowl of shredded carrots with a small box of raisins stirred in. 

  

33. Popcorn. 

  

34. Spray a handful of whole almonds with nonstick cooking spray and bake at 400° for 5 to 10 minutes, then sprinkle with a mix of brown sugar and cinnamon. 

  

35. A bowl of instant oatmeal with a handful of dried cranberries on top. 

  

36. Crunchy broccoli flowerets with low-fat ranch dip or dressing. 

  

37. Hard-boiled eggs. 

  

38. A cheese stick rolled up inside a lean piece of deli ham. 

  

39. Leftover chicken wings or a turkey drumstick, dipped in a mixture of low-fat mayonnaise and mustard. 

  

40. A bowl of berries - raspberries, cut-up strawberries, blackberries and blueberries. 

  

41. "Power Smoothie" - 1 cup 1% milk, 2 tablespoons low-fat vanilla yogurt, ¾ cup instant oatmeal (prepared according to package directions), 2 teaspoons peanut butter, 2 teaspoons whey chocolate powder (buy at a health-food store), and 6 ice cubes, crushed in the blender 

  

42. Frozen-fruit bar. 

  

43. Whole-grain crackers with low-fat cheese cubes. 

  

44. Avocado cubes mixed with tomato cubes and black olives, with low-fat Italian dressing. 

  

45. One can of tuna with balsamic vinegar drizzled over. 

  

46. Cottage Cheese Sundae: layer cut-up fruit between layers of low-fat cottage cheese. 

  

47. Peanuts. 

  

48. Pudding in a Cone - low-fat instant pudding spooned into an ice cream cone with low-fat frozen whipped topping, thawed, on top 

  

49. Fruit Kabob - thread slices of apple, peach, pear, strawberry and any other fruit you like onto a wooden skewer. 

  

50. Potato Boat - prick a baking potato a few times with a fork, then microwave on high on a plate for 8 to 10 minutes, stopping in the middle once to turn it over. Let cool enough so that you can handle it without burning your hand. Cut off a "cap" from the top. Scoop out all excess potato into a bowl, being careful to let the potato "boat" hold its shape. Mash the potato with low-fat mozzarella or cheddar cheese, just a dash of oil, some salt and pepper, and a dash of nutmeg. Replace into the potato boat. Replace cap and serve. 

  

51. Minute Meat Loaves - Mix 1½ pounds ground beef, 2 cups fresh bread crumbs (crumble up slightly stale bread for this), and one 10¾-oz. can condensed onion soup. Spray a pan with 12 cupcake cups with nonstick baking spray. Spoon meat mixture into the cups, pressing lightly. Bake in a preheated 400° oven for 15 minutes. To serve, top with a blob of ketchup. Leftovers should be wrapped in plastic and refrigerated or frozen; they'll microwave nicely next time. 

  

52. Bagel Faces - toast the two halves of a bagel; spread low-fat cream cheese on it; now use thin rounds of a carrot, cherry tomato halves, thin slices of green pepper or cucumber, toasted sunflower seeds, grated beets and minced chives to make two different faces. 

  

53. Cinnamon Snails - Trim crusts from four slices of bread; spread 1 tablespoon of cream cheese on each slice; roll up the bread slices. Cut each roll into thirds. Stir together 3 T. sugar (or Splenda sugar substitute) and 1½ tsp. cinnamon. Dip each roll into ¼ C. melted butter or margarine, then into the cinnamon/sugar mixture. Place rolls seam-side down on an ungreased baking sheet. Bake in a preheated 350° oven for 12 minutes. 

  

54. Peanut Butter Dip - mix 1 C. peanut butter with 1 C. plain vanilla yogurt and ¼ C. unsweetened coconut flakes. Serve with fresh dip-sized carrots, celery, cucumber or cauliflower. Serves 12; refrigerate leftovers. 

  

55. Veggie Dip - Combine ¼ C. low-fat sour cream, 1/3 C. low-fat mayonnaise, ½ tsp. sugar, 1 T. lemon juice and 1 T. chopped fresh basil (or 1 tsp. dried). Serve with dip-sized carrots, broccoli, celery, green pepper rings, green onion, or other fresh vegetables.