Don’t just dig into your kids' goldfish-shaped crackers to refuel. Or chomp on a granola bar that's been lying in the bottom of your purse. Not to mention the bag of stale cereal you find when you buckle your toddler into her car seat. (And let’s try to forget about the snacks you discover in your coat pocket, left over from last year).
Try some of the healthy, homemade snacks below instead. All can be ready in minutes and shared family-style or prepared for one. Most of the ideas can also be served as simple, nutritious meals for younger children.
Doctor-up canned-low sodium soup: Toss in frozen peas and carrots, whole wheat noodles, and cubed cooked chicken from a supermarket rotisserie bird.
Go Italian: Top an open-face whole wheat mini bagel with sliced tomato and top with part-skim mozzarella cheese. Broil and then sprinkle with fresh basil. Serve with apple slices.
Make your own snack mix: Try air-popped or light microwave-popped popcorn, dried cranberries, and chopped almonds.
Create healthy sundaes: Top low-fat vanilla or plain Greek yogurt with chopped fresh fruit and a high-fiber cereal.
Enjoy a taste of the Mediterranean: Toast whole-wheat pita wedges and serve with hummus and olives.
Visit Paris: Pair cheese cubes with whole wheat crackers and red grapes.
Think picnic-style: Try a hard-boiled egg, a few carrot sticks, and whole-grain pretzels.
Serve your food all wrapped up: Fill three separate bowls with salted edamame in their pods, pistachio nuts in their shells, and unpeeled clementines. Have a large empty bowl ready to use for the peels and shells.