Fun and Easy Snacks You Can Make at Home for Cheap
Snacks are one of those great items to have around when your kids want something quick, or you need something to toss into their lunch boxes. Typically this means you grab a variety pack of chips, some fruit gummies or fruit rollups, a box of granola bars and some cookies, right? It’s easy and it’s what they like, so you buy it. With everything on your plate right now, you need easy and convenient.
What would you say if I told you that you could provide the same things to your kids for less money at a better quality? You’d probably think I was crazy or had some hare-brained idea that your kids likely wouldn’t go for. They like the chips, fruit snacks and cookies, and won’t eat anything else. Well, I’m not trying to take away the ease and convenience for you or cause any lunch complaints from your kids.
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I promise, that these quick and easy snacks are so easy that you make them at home for cheap. We keep these snacks around our house regularly and can just grab a bag or a few whenever we need them. They are easy to make and light on your pocket book, saving you time and money for healthier snacks for your kids. What more can you ask for?
Fruit Leather
4 cups of your chosen fruit
2 tablespoons lemon juice
Honey to taste
Set your oven to its lowest setting and line a large cookie sheet with parchment paper. Many ovens go down as low as 140 degrees F. Mine only goes to 170. For most fruit, you’ll need to peel it and remove the seeds in the middle. Raspberries, blueberries and blackberries just need to be washed. For strawberries, just remove the tops.
Pop 4 cups of fruit in the food processor with 2 tablespoons of lemon juice. Process down until smooth. Don’t be scared to mix fruits together or even use a little spice. Taste it once processed and decide whether or not to use honey. When finished, spread your fruit puree out on your cookie sheet evenly to about an 1/8 to a 1/4 inch thickness.
Cook for 3-6 hours until the fruit is no longer sticky but dry and smooth. It should take on a darker color as well. If for some reason the edges start drying out before the rest is done, rub some water on them. Remove your fruit and let dry completely on drive before using. Cut into strips and roll them up. Store them in the fridge.
Granola Bars
2 cups old-fashioned oats
3/4 cup unsweetened shredded coconut
1/2 cup almonds
1/3 cup sunflower seeds
2 tablespoons coconut sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon pink Himalayan salt
4 tablespoons coconut oil, melted
1/2 cup honey, melted
1 teaspoon vanilla
Preheat your oven to 300 degrees F and spread parchment paper over two cookie sheets. Mix all of your ingredients together, melting your coconut oil and honey together first. Spread your granola out evenly in a thin layer on both cookie sheets and pop it into the oven.
Cook it for 30 minutes and then let it cool completely on the stove before messing with it. Then you’ll be able to break it into delicious crunchy granola bars.
Feel free to drizzle the whole pan with melted dark chocolate chips, or melted peanut butter with a little coconut oil in it before breaking it up. And be creative with flavors and ingredients. Try out different nuts and dried fruits, or leave the nuts out all together.
Related Links:
Simple Healthy Snack Ideas for You and Your Kids
8 Ideas for a Fun and Healthy Dinner on the Go
5 Quick and Easy Healthy Meals for Your Kids at Dinnertime
Cheesy Goldfish Crackers
1 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
4 tablespoons butter
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
2-3 tablespoons water
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F and line a cookie sheet with parchment paper. Pour all of your ingredients, except the water,into the food processor (or blender) and process until as fine as possible. Let it all mix together well.
Next add water a little at a time until your mixture starts coming together. Pour it into a bowl, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for about 20 minutes. Remove from refrigerator and roll it out flat, about 1/8 to 1/4 inch thick.
Most people don’t have goldfish cracker cookies cutter, but there are many ways to make your own (or you can purchase them online on Amazon). I have heard of people bending cookie cutters they already have, cutting aluminum cans apart and fashioning them, or even just using a knife and cutting the shapes you are looking for. Obviously they don’t have to look like goldfish, but it helps the transition for your kids.
Lay your shapes out on your cookie sheet and bake for 20 minutes. They will puff up and crisp in the oven. Yummy!
Homemade Hummus
1 (16oz) can chickpeas
2 tablespoons minced garlic
1/4 teaspoon cumin
pinch of salt
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1/2 cup tahini paste
splash of olive oil
Pour all of your ingredients into the food processor and blend until smooth. If you don’t have a food processor, you can use your blender. Enjoy with pita bread or veggies!
Muffins
2 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 eggs
1 cup applesauce
1/3 cup honey, melted
1/4 cup coconut oil, melted
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 cup milk
1 1/2 cups of fresh or frozen blueberries
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F and put a muffin cup into each segment of your muffin pan. I like to use the silicon ones. They’re cheap and you can use them again and again. If you don’t have a muffin pan, you can use a bread loaf pan or a casserole dish.
Mix all ingredients together in a large bowl, melting the honey and coconut oil together first before adding to the bowl, and saving the blueberries for last. You don’t want to burst the blueberries before they go into the oven, so after everything else is mixed, fold them into the batter gently before pouring into your muffin cups. Only fill muffin cups 3/4 of the way up.
Bake for 22 minutes before removing and letting cool on the stove. You can freeze any leftovers you have in storage bags for eating later.
Obviously you can change up the fruit and the spices to your liking. Cinnamon apple is wonderful, and so is oatmeal banana.
Quesadillas
2 whole wheat tortillas
1 1/2 cups shredded cheese
1/2 to 1 cup of veggie or meat fillings
Heat a large pan to medium heat on the stove. Lay out one of your tortillas and sprinkle half of your cheese onto the first tortilla. Now spread your chosen fillings over the cheese layer. Finally top with remaining cheese and last tortilla.
Allow the cheese to melt and the bottom tortilla to turn brown and crispy and then very carefully flip. (The cheese should seal the two layers together for you. Cook an additional couple of minutes until the other side is melted and crispy brown. Slide out onto a plate and cut into triangles with a knife or pizza cutter.
Ideas for creative quesadillas:
Bean and cheese (for these use cheese on one side and refried beans on the other)
Chicken fajita with chicken, bell peppers and onions
Egg and bacon for breakfast
Cheeseburger with hamburger and onions
Pizza with mozzarella and pepperoni
Sloppy Joe with hamburger and sloppy joe sauce
Cookies
Double Chocolate Cookies
1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
1/2 cup cocoa powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 cup coconut sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups dark chocolate chips
2 eggs
3/4 cup butter, melted
2 teaspoons vanilla
Preheat your oven to 375 degrees F and cover 2 cookie sheets with parchment paper. Set your chocolate chips and butter to the side. Mix all other dry ingredients in one bowl and all of your wet ingredients in another. Melt half of your chocolate chips and your butter in the microwave a little at a time, stirring every 30 seconds or so. Add this mixture to your wet ingredients and mix well.
Make sure wet ingredients are well mixed before combining dry and wet ingredients. Stir in remaining chocolate chips. Drop big tablespoons of cookie dough evenly spaced on your cookie sheets. Pop them into the oven and bake for 10 minutes. Let cool before eating.
Classic Oatmeal Raisin Cookies
1 1/2 cups of whole wheat flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 cup coconut sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
2 eggs
1 cup butter
1/2 cup honey, melted
1 teaspoon vanilla
3 cups old-fashioned oats
1 cup raisins
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F and line two cookie sheets with parchment paper. Mix all ingredients together except last two. Fold the oats and raisins in last. Scoop 2 tablespoon sized heaps of batter onto your cookie sheets, spacing them evenly. Pop them into the oven and bake for 10 minutes. Remove from oven and cool.
Fruit and Veggie Slices
There are so many great options for snacks when you consider fruits and veggies. My son will easily sit down with a plate of apple slices and peanut butter, a bag of grapes, or even a bowl of frozen peas. It may be something you have to slide into slowly, but there are so many fun choices that you could get them involved in creating something fun for lunch snacks.
Fun Options:
Apples and peanut butter
Apples and cheese
Chopped up veggies: bell peppers, cucumbers, carrots, celery, radishes, broccoli, sugar snap peas, cauliflower…
Yogurt and berries
Celery and peanut butter
Whole wheat toast with jam and banana
Veggies and hummus
Fruit: watermelon, cantaloupe, pineapple, apples, bananas, strawberries, blueberries, blackberries, oranges…
Frozen peas
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This week strawberries are 2lbs for $0.98 and old-fashioned oats are on sale for $0.69/lb at Sprouts. This is a great time to stock up on strawberries and make some fruit leather. I also keep a great store of oats around for a variety of snacks, like cookies and granola.
If you’re willing to think outside the box a little bit, all sorts of food options are available. I know it’s hard to get away from the traditional snacks that seem so easy and convenient, but if you can devote a little bit of time once a month to making some delicious snack options, your kids will be creating their own snacks and lunches before you know it.
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