Helping your kids establish healthy eating habits early on in life sets them up for success as a healthy adults! But the road to get there is not always easy…
Kids are picky eaters. Unless it’s something chocked full of sugar and carbohydrates.
You do you best to keep them eating healthy and on the straight and narrow. But then they go to school, visit their friend’s house, or attend a Birthday party, and somehow, along the way, they attain this insatiable lust for sugar and other atrocious junk foods. Despite all of your best crunchy-granola-hippie-mama efforts.
Now, they ask for these unhealthy, conventional junk foods by name every time you’re in the store. So, what do you do?
Here’s the trick: you find the high vibe, healthy snacks your kids actually like. The ones they get excited about. The one’s you don’t have to force them to eat. The ones that will make them forget about those "foods-that-must-not-be-named."
It might take a little bit of experimentation to out find what loveable, healthy snacks are, and every kid is different. In order to help keep you and your child on the right track, we’ve compiled some of our best tried and tested snack recipes! Give it a read, and then share what works for you in the comments below.
(Before we get started, here’s an extra tip: I’ve found that kid’s like things in little, compartmentalized, single serving packages. Avoid plastic bags and reduce waste and make the following snacks more appealing by storing them in 4-8oz mason jars. Almost all of these healthy snacks for kids can be prepped in large batches ahead of time.)
1. Banana Leather
Bananas are great because they are full of potassium, which is a mineral essential to regulating the fluids in our bodies and the distribution of nutrients to our cells.
If you’ve never heard of banana leather, it’s just like banana chips, except easier to make! And softer for little developing little teeth. The following recipe results in a sweet, chewy, sticky, healthy treat that will have your kids asking for bananas on the daily.
Ingredients 
- Bananas. (As many as you would like!) Small and sweet works best.
Recipe Directions
- Slice bananas into thin, horizontal strips.
- Bake 1hr at 300 degrees.
- Cool and eat!
Or…
- Or dehydrate for 8hrs.
- Then eat!
2. Trail Mix (with Chocolate)
As well informed, consciously minded adults, we know that nuts are a healthy addition to the daily diet. Generally speaking, nuts are high in protein, full of fiber, and good for the heart! You’ll be amazed just at the many benefits of macadamia nuts.
But you can’t just feed your kid nuts and seeds. That’s a hard sell. You have to give them some incentive to want to eat these things, so bribe them with a little bit of sweetness!
We like to do that by throwing a handful of chocolate covered goodies into a trail mix. Your kids will still get the health benefits of these nutrient dense foods, but they also get the gratifying sensation of sweet, yummy chocolate! And, unbeknownst to them, Medicinal Foods chocolate is packed with healthy herbs and superfoods! Everybody wins!
Feel free to get creative with this one! For a little bit of inspiration, here’s a recipe to get you started…
Ingredients
- 2 Cups Peanuts
- 2 Cups Almonds
- 1 Cup Pumpkin Seeds
- 1 Cup Goji Berries
- 1 cup Rolled Dates
- 1 Cup Medicinal-Foods™ Chocolate Covered Macadamia Nuts
- 1 Cup Medicinal-Foods™ Chocolate Covered Mulberries
Recipe Directions
- Throw all of your ingredients into a bowl and mix!
- Store in small containers for an easy grab and go snack.
3. Coco Citrus Green Drink
Sometimes a sip of tasty hydration is just the right "snack!" Offer them this healthy drink, made with a familiar juice they already know and love, plus a little big of extra coconut magic, and a superfood boost!
Our Organic Living Greens is a deeply nourishing, great tasting, probiotic packed supplement that is great for the whole family. We’ve even seen some kids eat it right out of the bag!
Probiotics are the "good" kind of bacteria that live in the gut and help create a healthy balance of flora. They are a key element in keeping the digestive system running on track!
Plus, with Living Greens, you’re basically sneaking a serving of veggies into your kid’s diet, which they will chug 
down happily! I promise.
Ingredients
- 2 cups organic coconut water
- 1 cup organic orange juice
- 1/2 cup organic lemon juice
- 4 Tbsp of Organic Living Greens by Medicinal-Foods™
- Ice
Recipe Directions
- Stir (for simplicity) or blend (for a smoothie) and enjoy!
4. Summer Rolls
If you put a bunch of veggies individually on a plate, you might not get your kid to eat them. Or at least all of them. I can’t count how many times I’ve packed a thoughtful, healthy meal, only to get the lunch box back at the end of the day and see that someone barely touched their carrots. Smh.
Here’s a great example of that presentable, packaging tip I dropped earlier. Summer rolls. Sometimes, the food itself can be the package! And in this case, the veggies somehow seem more appealing all wrapped up inside of that little piece of rice paper.
So, get yourself some rice paper, lettuce and an assortment of veggies and get to rolling this healthy snack!
Ingredients 
- 1 Pack of Spring Roll Rice Paper Wrappers
- 1 Bag/Box of a Mixed Greens Salad Blend
- 1 Small Bunch of Mint
- 1 Small Bunch of Basil
- 1 Carrot
- 1 Avocado
- 1 Red Pepper
Recipe Directions
- Slice all of the veggies into 3″ long, thin strips.
- Prepare a shallow dish of water.
- Lightly dip a rice paper wrapper in the water.
- Place the rice paper on a rolling surface, and lay down a handful of lettuce.
- Sprinkle on a few plucked mint and basil leaves.
- Lay down a mix of veggies on top of the bed of greens.
- Wrap like a burrito.
- Slice in half and eat!
- Serve with dipping sauce if desired. (Ranch dressing, sweet chili or peanut sauce.)
5. Living Mini Acai Bowls
Smoothie bowls are all the rage on Instagram! But this delicious treat isn’t just for trendy influencers, it’s good for you, and your kids, too! Acai is dense with antioxidants, which help remove unwanted toxins from the body.
You could probably just call it "ice cream" and they wouldn’t even know the difference.
Ingredients 
- 1 Acai frozen pack
- 1 Scoop LIVING GREENS Powder
- 1/4 Cup Coconut Water
- 1/2 Frozen Banana
Recipe Directions
- Blend ingredients.
- Add your favorite toppings. (Fresh fruits, nuts, etc.)
- Serve or store in small portion containers.
6. Easy Chocolate Chia Seed Pudding
If you’re subscribed to our monthly full moon newsletter, you’ll know that Chia Pudding is the talk of the town this month! And for good reason.
As a superfood packed with protein and fiber, chia seeds have many healthy benefits. They are great for boosting energy, hydrating the body, and keeping the digestive system running smoothly. You may notice that this recipe will require a little bit of work ahead of time, but if you make it in large batches, you can have enough of this healthy kids snack prepped and ready to go for the rest of the week.
Interested in an upgraded chia seed pudding recipe? Check out our layered Raw Chocolate Raspberry Seed and Mango Chia Seed Puddings!
- 6 Tbsp. Medicinal-Foods™ Organic Chia Seeds
- 2 Cup Coconut Milk (or Dairy Alternative)
- 2 Tbsp. Medicinal-Foods™ Cacao Elixir
- 1 Tbsp. Sweetener, Agave Nectar or Honey
Recipe Directions
- Mix Chia Seeds and Coconut Milk.
- Cover with a tight lid and chill overnight or for at last 8 hours.
- Add Sweetener and Cacao Elixir. Mix!
- If too thick, add 2 or 3 tablespoons more of coconut milk.
- Eat and enjoy!
Don’t forget to share your suggestions, substitutions, alterations, and even original ideas int he comments below!
Happy Snacking : )
P.S. While you’re here, why don’t you do a little something for yourself and take a look at our [healthy snack guide](/health/consultation/) for adults!
