Healthy Snacks to Whip Up in a Flash!

As we prepare to send our kids back to school, its important to have a few healthy snacks on hand. These snacks are all homemade, which makes them more nutritional anyway, and are easy to fix! Everyone will love them, especially mom! Teenagers will devour them too, so be sure to make plenty and keep plenty on hand. Using simple inexpensive ingredients, they are easy to fix and easy on your budget too!

These snacks are packed with protein and fiber that will help keep you and your kids well energized. We could all use a bit more energy as we head back to the busy season of organizing activities and planning meals. Of course, these nutritious snacks can also be part of a healthy breakfast or lunch too. Prepare for quick exits out the door, by keeping some of the recipes frozen or refrigerated.

Yummy!!! Don't these bars look delicious? Healthy foods are so much better for you than store bought foods, which have unhealthy preservatives to keep them fresh. Why not make your own?

There are so many great breakfast/cereal/granola bars and other healthy snacks to look through! This was exhausting! I collected the best healthy snacks that were the most easy to fix and of course, added a few of my own. Hope they give you some great ideas!~ Remember, you can add or substitute ingredients and make adjustments that suit the healthy foods you like. Enjoy!

Healthy Snacks

Homemade Breakfast Bars

1 cup peanut butter
3/4 cup honey
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 cups old fashioned rolled oats
1/2 cup raisins

Preheat oven to 350 F.

Combine peanut butter, honey, and vanilla in a sauce pan over medium heat. Stir occasionally until melted. Remove from heat and pour in oats and raisins. Mix well. Spread mixture into a greased baking dish. Bake for 15 minutes. Cool these healthy snacks completely and cut into bars.

Protein Bars

1/2 C. butter
1 C. peanut butter
1 1/2 C. chocolate chips
1 C. wheat germ
1 C. chopped pecans, or walnuts, or almonds
1/2 C. sunflower seeds
1 C. raisins
1 C. coconut (optional)

In a saucepan melt butter and peanut butter. Stir in remaining ingredients, adding chocolate chips after it’s cooled a bit. Press into 5 by 7 inch glass pan. Let cool, cut and refrigerate.

Energy Bars

3 to 4 c. mini marshmallows
2 to 3 tbsp. butter
4 c. protein type cereal (Total, Wheaties, etc.)
3 tbsp. peanut butter
Optional: 1/2 C. chocolate chips, carob chips, nuts, m&m's, etc.

Melt butter in a heavy skillet. Add marshmallows. Cook until melted and syrupy. Remove from heat. Mix in peanut butter and cereal. Mold into square on heavy foil.

Cool and cut. (This recipe is very flexible. You can change several ingredients to make these treats more healthy or less healthy!)

Old Fashioned Breakfast Bars

These cereal bars are perfect to grab and eat on the go and are a great snack. If you use Rice Krispie’s in the recipe, they might remind you of Rice Krispie treats, yet they are much lower in fat. Try adding some chocolate chips or a whole grain high-fiber cereal, such as Grape Nuts.

4 cups breakfast cereal, your choice
2 cups quick cooking oats
2/3 cup peanut butter
2/3 cup tahini
1 1/2 cups maple syrup
1/2 teaspoon ginger (optional)
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon (optional)

In a saucepan or small pot, cream together the peanut butter and tahini until smooth. Add maple syrup and simmer, stirring frequently. Turn off stove and add the remaining ingredients. Spread in greased baking pan and chill until firm. Once they are firm, cut into squares and enjoy!

Kids Favorite Breakfast Bars

2 jars marshmallow creme
1/2 cup peanut butter
1 tbsp vanilla
1 stick butter
1/2 box Wheaties energy crunch
1 cup granola, plain or with nuts

Melt butter and vanilla together for 1 min in the microwave. Add peanut butter and marshmallow creme and stir well to combine. Add Wheaties cereal to the mixture and quickly spread out and into a plastic refrigerator container. Add granola to the top and press down into the mix with a spatula. These bars are healthy snacks the kids just love to eat!

Healthy Snack Trail Mix

6 cups rolled oats
2 cups mixed nuts and seeds such as sunflower seeds, sesame seeds, chopped walnuts, pecans, almonds or cashews
1 cup dried unsweetened shredded coconut
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon; or to taste
1 dash salt
1/2 cup honey or maple syrup; or to taste
1 cup raisins or chopped dried fruit; optional

Protein Packed Bagel

1 toasted wholegrain bagel
1 Tablespoon peanut butter
2 Tablespoons granola
1/2 apple, thinly sliced

Spread peanut butter evenly over both sides of bagel. Sprinkle with granola and top with apple slices.

Walamee Balls

1 cup walnuts
1/2 cup toasted sesame seeds (you can buy them pre-toasted or do it yourself: keep an eye, they burn fast!)
1&1/2 cups chopped dates
1&1/2 cups raisins
1/8 tsp salt

Process the walnuts in a food processor until they are in small chunks, and add the seeds. Pulse until well incorporated. Add the dates, raisins, and salt and process until the mixture forms a paste that will hold together easily, like play-dough. Press into a 9 inch square pan, roll into balls or shape into bars. These healthy snacks will keep chilled for up to a month.

Hawaiian French Toast Sticks

3/4 cup reduced-fat milk
1/4 cup pineapple juice
2 large eggs
2 Tablespoons maple syrup
8 slices whole grain bread, cut into 1&1/2 inch slices
1/2 cup whole grain cereal, crushed

In a medium bowl, whisk milk, eggs, pineapple juice, and maple syrup. Place bread in milk mixture and allow to soak about 30 seconds on each side. Dredge each piece of bread in the crushed cereal and coat on both sides.

Heat a nonstick sauté pan over medium heat and spray with nonstick cooking spray. Cook bread about 2-3 minutes on each side until golden brown. These French toast sticks can be frozen and reheated in the oven before serving. Serve with fruit slices!

Banana Smoothie

You’ll need to freeze (peeled) a few ripe bananas the day before you fix this. Store quickly and easily using a ziploc bag!

2-3 medium frozen bananas
1/4 C orange or pineapple juice
1 Tablespoon honey, or more to taste
2 T plain, vanilla, or other flavor yogurt

Place all ingredients in a blender. Blend, pulsing the machine if necessary, until smooth, making sure the bananas are well blended and the honey is dissolved. Serve immediately. Substitute any other frozen fruits you like or make a blend!

Other Healthy Snacks

All of these are high fiber and high protein!