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25 Healthy Back-to-School Snacks

September 12, 2018 · 29 Comments

It can be a challenge to come up with healthy back-to-school snacks when fall rolls around.  Below I’m sharing 25 of our favorites to help make your school mornings a little bit easier!

With school back in session it is back to packing snacks and lunches. Here are 25 healthy back-to-school snacks to keep your kids fueled throughout the day.

For full transparency this post contains affiliate links, meaning, I may earn a small commission if you happen to click on a link and make a purchase (at no cost to you).  It also allows me to see what things you are interested in and helps me create future relevant posts.  These small commissions help support my blog (and my kids’ never ending snacking habits!), so please know that I really appreciate you following along!

My kids recently started back to school.  I can hardly believe how fast the summer flew by! This is the first year they started before Labor Day, and I have to say, I didn’t like it!

Even though my kids can drive me nuts during the summer (how many times a day can they really shout, “mom?” in one hour?), I love having them home all day.  I love sleeping in, I love lazy summer days, I love summer adventures, I love not having a schedule, and I love summer nights.

I also love that my oldest two are big enough now that they can prepare their own snacks (most of the time).  While we are still working on cleaning up afterwards, this allows me to focus on feeding the most demanding human in the household (my almost three year old) and actually feeding myself.  Which you busy mamas know, can be an almost impossible task during the day.

Going back to school though requires me to actually think about what snacks my kids are going to take to school with them so they have enough healthy food to fuel their bodies during the day.

My main focus when choosing snacks is making sure they are healthy and that they are going to keep my kids sustained throughout the day.  If you are looking for some back to school snack ideas for your kids, I’ve compiled a list of a few of our favorites.

When looking for snack foods I do my best to look for options that have minimal or no added sugar as well as a short ingredient list.

25 Healthy Back-to-School Snacks

1. Dried apricots or mangos (Trader Joes or Costco have options with no added sugars) and raw nuts – almonds, walnuts, pecans, cashews, etc.

2. Skinny Pop popcorn cakes or mini cakes. Target and my local grocery store (which is similar to Whole Foods) stock these.

3. Skinny Pop individual popcorn bags (I’ve found here on Amazon or at Costco or Target)

4. Cut up fruit such as blueberries, blackberries, apples, grapes, watermelon, pears, strawberries, kiwi – the possibilities are endless!

5. Unsweetened applesauce cups (Treetop brand has a version I buy at Costco)

6. Applesauce squeezies (Costco’s Kirkland brand has no sugar added)

7. Apple slices and peanut butter, almond butter, or sunflower butter

8. Homemade trail mix

9. Cut up cheese and whole grain crackers.  Triscuits or Back to Nature Harvest Whole Wheat Crackers are two brands that we like.

10. Individual hummus packs and veggies (Costco has small individual packs. I have also seen individual packs of the brand Sabra at Target or Walmart.)

11. Nut butter packs and crackers

12. Fruit cups with no added sugar

13. Bare apple or banana chips (Costco has a big bag while Target carries individual bags.)

14. Whole grain pretzels

15. Whole grain cereal

16. Healthy muffins.  I try to make healthier muffin versions, and use either honey or maple syrup as our sweetner.  Here are a couple links to some favorites: Healthier Banana Bread  (I have made this into muffins) or these Raspberry Lemon muffins by 100 Days Real Food.

17. Larabars – These can be found on Amazon, Target, as well as at many grocery stores.

18. Larabar Fruit and Greens bars (my toddler loves these)

19. Homemade granola bars.  These have less sugar and you can control the ingredients.

20. Pumpkin seeds.  I buy Eden Organic Dry Roasted Pumpkin Seeds.  All of my kids love these, which honestly I was a little surprised about! I like snacking on these as well.

21. Cheese sticks or Baby Bells

22. Bear Real Fruit Yo Yos.  I’ve ordered these in bulk off of Amazon, but have seen them in individual boxes at a local grocery store (which is similar to Whole Foods). A great alternative to fruit roll ups or fruit snacks!

23. Dried fruit mix.  I usually buy dried fruit that has no added sugar. While it took my kids a little while to grow acustomed to less sugar, I have now won at least two of them over. Mangos, pineapples, coconut flakes, and raisins are a few that my kids enjoy.

24.  Trader Joe’s Date and Nut Bites (toddler loves these as well)

25. Pressed by Kind Fruit and Chia bars. Just found these at Costco and so far two of my three like them! 😉

There are so many healthy snack options out there, but I know sometimes it can be hard to brainstorm options.  What are some of your favorite healthy back-to-school snacks?  I am always looking for new options for my kiddos!

Hope everyone is having a great start to the new school year!

With school back in session it is back to packing snacks and lunches. Here are 25 healthy back-to-school snacks to keep your kids fueled throughout the day.

   

Filed In: Food, Snacks / Tagged: after school snack, healthy eating, healthy lifestyle, healthy snacks

Comments

  1. Stephanie Stebbins says

    September 12, 2018 at 8:09 pm

    These look great! Thanks so much for the tips!

    Reply
    • jgaibler says

      September 14, 2018 at 4:49 pm

      Of course! Hope some of these snack ideas work for you!

      Reply
  2. Mrs g says

    September 12, 2018 at 9:51 pm

    Skinny pop and back to nature are the best!

    Reply
    • jgaibler says

      September 14, 2018 at 4:49 pm

      Yes! I was so excited to see the mini popcorn cakes and larger popcorn cakes at Target last week too!

      Reply
  3. Brittany says

    September 13, 2018 at 12:17 am

    I had no idea they made individual bags of Skinny Pop. Great list!

    Reply
    • jgaibler says

      September 14, 2018 at 4:51 pm

      Thanks Brittany! The Skinny Pop individual bags come in a pack of around 9 (I think) at Target. Sometimes Costco has a giant box of individual packs as well. Our local one has them right now, so I may need to stock up!

      Reply
  4. Rachel says

    September 13, 2018 at 2:35 pm

    Date and nut bites are a big hit with my kids. They also love Lara bars.

    Reply
    • jgaibler says

      September 14, 2018 at 4:51 pm

      I also love that they are so easy to throw in my purse when we run errands!

      Reply
  5. Maria Kim says

    September 14, 2018 at 4:23 pm

    Thanks for this! My daughter is starting part time pre school next week and we are responsible for lunch and I need all the ideas I can get! The Bear snacks and the lara bars are catching my eyes, especially since they’re also available on costco =). Thanks!!

    Reply
    • jgaibler says

      September 14, 2018 at 4:52 pm

      Hi Maria! You are very welcome! I hope that some of these ideas work for her. It can be tricky to come up with new snack ideas. I always love reading about what other moms send with their kiddos.

      Reply
  6. Emily T. says

    September 14, 2018 at 4:51 pm

    Awesome round-up. They all look like they’d be perfect for those days when it’s school-lesson-practice-appointment! My littles love Larabars, but I’m eyeing those Trader Joe’s snacks!

    Reply
  7. Sarah says

    September 14, 2018 at 5:29 pm

    I don’t have kids in school yet, but these snacks are great for me! 🙂 Perfect for when I need something to munch on!

    Reply
    • jgaibler says

      September 17, 2018 at 2:56 am

      Sarah I eat most of these snacks as well! Great for when I need something to tide me over between lunch and dinner, as well as easy to throw in my purse when we are on the go.

      Reply
  8. Nicole says

    September 16, 2018 at 1:54 am

    Thanks for sharing these. My daughter is obsessed with Lara Bars (and I don’t blame her). I def have a few new ideas to try from this! Thanks!

    Reply
    • jgaibler says

      September 17, 2018 at 3:01 am

      Nicole, you are very welcome! So happy you found a few new snack ideas!

      Reply
  9. Chelsae says

    September 16, 2018 at 10:59 am

    The only snack on this list that I have tried is Lara Bars – and I love those. All of these look so good, I will have to slowly try them all.

    Reply
    • jgaibler says

      September 17, 2018 at 3:04 am

      Hope you find some that you love! The popcorn cakes and pumpkin seeds are a couple of my favorites when I need a little crunch!

      Reply
  10. Jenn says

    September 16, 2018 at 10:37 pm

    Those mangos are my favourites.

    Reply
    • jgaibler says

      September 17, 2018 at 3:02 am

      I just realized we are out of them! My son loves them. Guess they will be on my Costco list this week!

      Reply
  11. Camesha says

    September 17, 2018 at 5:21 am

    I like ALL of these! Any of them would be a hit with my kiddos!

    Reply
    • jgaibler says

      September 19, 2018 at 10:52 pm

      Yay! Hope they work for your kids. I love finding healthy options that my kids will actually eat!

      Reply
  12. Stephanie Eiler says

    September 20, 2018 at 2:12 am

    These are great! I am a kindergarten teacher and am always looking for healthy snack options to share with parents. These will be very helpful!

    Reply
    • jgaibler says

      September 21, 2018 at 11:05 pm

      Hi Stephanie! I am so happy that you will be able to share this with your parents! I was an elementary school teacher before staying home with my kiddos. Hope your year is off to a great start!

      Reply
  13. Hannah says

    September 20, 2018 at 11:32 am

    Great tips! Thx for sharing..

    Reply
    • jgaibler says

      September 21, 2018 at 11:06 pm

      You are very welcome Hannah!

      Reply
  14. Jenna says

    September 20, 2018 at 8:22 pm

    Love these! I always struggle with healthy snack ideas

    Reply
    • jgaibler says

      September 21, 2018 at 11:06 pm

      Glad you were able to find some good snack ideas Jenna! Thanks for stopping by!

      Reply
  15. Abby says

    September 23, 2018 at 9:25 pm

    Such good ideas! I feel like I totally get stuck in a rut when it comes to feeding my kids, so I really appreciate the new ideas! Thanks!

    Reply
    • jgaibler says

      September 26, 2018 at 5:08 am

      Abby you are very welcome! Happy that you found some good ideas. Even I get stuck in a rut sometimes. It is fun to see what others are feeding their kiddos!

      Reply

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