Healthy Snacks for Active Kids (and big kids a.k.a. adults)

It is important to provide your active child with adequate nutrients for energy, growth and repair. A variety of fresh whole foods throughout the day will meet their needs. Be sure to provide a source of protein with every snack and meal; protein helps stabilize blood sugar and provides long lasting energy. Protein sources can come from animal products but can also come from plant sources. Plant sourced protein is easy to digest and convenient. Try adding nuts and seeds to your baking recipes, make dips with beans and experiment with different nut butters.
Try out this recipe for apple sandwiches. They are a fun new way to make a sandwich using apple slices as bread. These snacks are great for after school, lunch bags and birthday parties. You can lay out the ingredients and let the kids put them together. This snack is all naturally sweet, no added sugar here just the sweetness of fruit.

When buying dried fruit try to stick with organic as non-organic contain preservatives such as sulphites which can cause allergic reactions especially to those with respiratory problems.

Apple Sandwiches

What You Need:

1 apple for every 2 children, core the apples and then slice horizontally, keep slices to about 1cm thick. If the apples will be sitting for awhile before serving, squeeze on fresh lemon juice to prevent browning.
Natural unsweetened peanut butter, almond butter or other nut/seed butters
Sunflower seeds
Pumpkin seeds
Sliced almonds or other nuts
Raisins
Dried cranberries
Thinly sliced organic dried apricots or other dried fruit (mango, pineapple, etc.)
Sliced banana

Kids can spread on nut butter and then arrange other ingredients on their “bread”.

Encourage children to be creative when decorating their sandwich. Raisins and sliced apricots can be used to make faces.

Sandwiches can be open faced, closed up with another slice of apple or triple layered like a clubhouse.

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