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Healthy Snacks by Cheryl Vollmer

I Get It and So Can You! (whole grains, fiber, protein, fruit)

I found, over the years, that one of the hardest meals to provide for my child and myself is a snack. My husband doesn’t seem to have the same appetite or need for snacking—lucky him. I take pride in serving my daughter healthy meals, but what about snacking? Well, guess what? I get it! Through my own personal quest to reduce my chocolate cravings or other simple carbohydrate cravings and be on the light side of a dress size, instead of the heavy side, I finally figured it out—I get it—and I want to share it with you.

Snacking is not bad, only what you snack on, and if you snack properly I promise it will do this for you: reduce your appetite between meals, reduce or stop your cravings, fill you up appropriately so you won’t overeat at your next meal. Sharing these snacks with your child will keep her satisfied in a healthy way and keep her teeth healthy.

What I have to share with you helped me loose inches and kept my daughter from wanting another snack in 20 minutes because the crackers just didn’t cut it. Your child’s dentist will also love these ideas because it’s foods that won’t stick to your child’s teeth. I could go on and on about teeth, but remember this, healthy teeth and gums is a healthy body! My life-long friend (soul sister) is a Dental Hygienist and has seen plenty of unhealthy people such as chronic bronchitis caused from gum disease. Let’s move on to healthy snacks—sorry if I have made your stomach queasy.

Something else I figured out, if I am feeding my daughter a nutritional snack then I don’t have to worry so much about what she consumes at lunch or dinner. So I make her snack a healthy meal with protein and for myself as well. Depending on my day, I may snack at 10 am and 3:30 pm.

It’s all about whole grains, fiber, protein and fruit that keeps us satisfied and from reaching for the not-so-healthy stuff.

Apple (1/4 or 1/2) thinly sliced - served with Triscuits and low fat cottage cheese

Apple – (1/4 or 1/2) thinly sliced – Triscuits and some bean dip (look at the calories—you'll be amazed)

Apple – (1/4 or 1/2) thinly sliced – Triscuits and peanut butter

Fresh Fruit with low fat cottage cheese and a few Triscuits

Fresh Fruit with a nut mix of almonds

Romain Lettuce Heart Leaf - served with a light spread of Ranch dressing on the leaf, Triscuits and bean dip

Sunflower Seeds

These are the snacks that have worked for us. When I find more varieties, I will share them with you. Until then, enjoy your new regimen of feeding yourself and your child a healthy snack, aka, healthy meal.

Remember snacks and treats are not interchangeable. Make a snack a healthy meal and a treat as the cookie or ice cream.