20 Easy, Healthy Snack Ideas You (and Your Kids!) Will Actually Want to Eat

Hungry? Select 3 of the 4:

1) Cheap

2) Healthy

3) Easy

4) Delicious

Am I the only one who feels this way?? It’s so hard to get all four! You can get cheap, healthy, and easy with some raw carrot sticks, but they’re not what I would call delicious. Whole Foods is the king of healthy, easy, delicious food, but it sure ain’t cheap. If you want cheap, easy, and delicious, look no further than the frozen section…. Or your nearest McDonald’s. There are a million recipes for cheap, healthy, delicious meals, but they are definitely not going to be easy—you’ll need a spiralizer, every spice under the sun, and about 3 hours.

The struggle, am I right?

With that said, I do have a couple of go-to snacks that (for me) fill all four requirements. Below is a quick list. Keep scrolling for a description of each item. Happy snacking!

1. Greek yogurt with fruit

2. Popcorn

3. Rice cakes

4. Vanilla almond butter dip/spread

5. Banana taco

6. Apple chips

7. Veggies w/hummus or tzatziki dip

8. All-Fruit popsicles

9. Frozen blueberries or grapes

10. Cinnamon apples

11. Peaches/berries + cream

12. Salted pumpkin seeds

13. String cheese

14. Meat + cheese roll ups

15. Roasted chickpeas

16. Fat bombs/keto fudge

17. Smoothie

18. Healthy granola/nut/protein bars

19. Kale Chips

20. Chia Pudding

Greek yogurt with fruit

A quick disclaimer about this one… Most store-bought yogurts are LOADED with sugars. Seriously, check the labels. You will be shocked. A lot of them are worse than a bowl of Lucky Charms! Flavored Greek yogurts are no exception, so don’t be fooled by their reputation as a “healthy” option.

To make this a healthy snack, I always buy plain Greek yogurt so I can control how much and what kind of sugars I add. I usually opt for a natural option like honey or pure maple syrup, but you can add your preferred sweetener/sugar replacement.

It’s delicious by itself, but I like to add fruit to make it feel more like a treat. My favorites are:

• Mangos: If you get the cups or cans in fruit juice—NOT syrup—you can save yourself the hassle of cutting up a fresh mango)

• Sliced bananas: As cheap as it gets!

• Fresh or frozen berries: If you get them in season, fresh berries are pretty cheap! In the winter, I thaw frozen blueberries in the microwave and stir them in

• Pineapple: I usually dip this one, rather than stirring it in… I’m actually not sure why, but it feels right haha

Popcorn

Popcorn is a whole grain and it puffs up so much that it has fewer carbs compared to the same amount of other grains. So as long as you’re careful with the toppings and don’t eat an entire bag, popcorn is a super healthy snack! Here’s a tip: Buy a silicone microwave popcorn maker and buy plain kernels. It’s just as easy as the bags, but way cheaper and healthier. I used melted coconut oil and a little salt and I think it’s way yummier than regular popcorn.

Rice cakes

Rice cakes are seriously underrated. They’re practically air and they’re crunchy and you can put anything you want on them! There are so many options! Spread with peanut butter, all-fruit jam, honey, mashed banana and cinnamon, etc. Or top with sliced tomatoes, mozzarella, and basil for a healthy bruschetta. Or Google rice cake toppings and get creative.

Vanilla almond butter dip/spread

Again, a couple notes to make this a healthy snack… Most almond butter has tons off additives and sugars. For this recipe, make sure you buy no-sugar added almond butter and check that the only ingredients are almonds and oil. Once you have the right kind of almond butter, you can mix up the spread in a couple minutes flat:

• 1 Tbs almond butter

• 1 Tbs protein powder

• Dash vanilla extract

• Dash salt

• Milk to achieve desired consistency (more milk=dip, less milk=spread)

I usually eat this on sliced apples, but you could also put it on bananas, toast, etc.

Banana taco

Give this a chance before you laugh. It is YUMMY and so easy. Slice a banana onto a whole wheat tortilla (You can also spread it with peanut butter or almond butter or the vanilla almond butter dip first!) drizzle with honey and voilà! I also like to heat the tortilla in the microwave for 15 seconds first, but that’s optional.

Apple chips

You can make your own, but the store-bought ones are pretty cheap and super tasty. Plus they’re prepackaged, so they make a great grab-and-go snack.

Veggies w/hummus or tzatziki dip

I normally can’t do plain veggies, but put a bowl of hummus or tzatziki in front of me with some sliced bell peppers, cucumbers, or carrots? Yum. It’s such a great spring/summertime snack.

All-Fruit popsicles

Again, you can make your own if you’re that motivated, but the store-bought ones are perfect for me. I love the Outshine brand.

Frozen blueberries or grapes

The perfect summertime treat! Enough said.

Cinnamon apples

For those of you looking for a healthy, WARM treat, I’ve got you covered. Cut apples into thin slices, sprinkle with cinnamon, and stir. You can also add honey if you like it a little sweeter. Then spread evenly on a plate and microwave until soft.

Peaches/berries + cream

Drizzle fresh berries or peach chunks with honey, stir, and add cream for a delicious, refreshing treat. If you’re worried about the fat content, you can always swap cream for milk or half and half. A little granola is also yummy… Keyword is a little. Granola is actually pretty high in carbs and sugars, despite its reputation as a health food. Just add enough for a little crunch and call it good.

Salted pumpkin seeds

These are perfect for satisfying your salty, crunchy craving. You can make them yourself pretty easily, but the store-bought ones are good too. They’re kind of hard to find though! They’ll be near the sunflower seeds or nuts, but usually on the top shelf, so you might not see them if you’re not looking.

String cheese

This is one product where you absolutely cannot bargain shop. The cheapest cheese sticks are rubbery and flavorless and downright terrible. But a good cheese stick is delicious and still not that expensive. My favorite are the Cheesehead brand.

Meat + cheese roll ups

Once you’ve got a good cheese stick, mix things up by wrapping it in deli meat. You can also add mayo, mustard, hummus, or other condiments. Cold ham and turkey are classic, but it’s also yummy to heat them in the microwave. Or mix it up a little by wrapping a variety of cheeses in salami, prosciutto, or other meats.

Roasted chickpeas

Another option where you can easily go for homemade or store-bought.

Fat bombs/keto fudge

Depending on your definition of “healthy,” these may or may not fit the bill. They are mostly made of coconut oil, so they are high in fat, but they’re carb free and keto friendly. There are a million variations online, so whether you’re a chocolate person, a peanut butter lover, or something else, you’ll be able to find a recipe that suits your tastes.

Smoothies

With smoothies, you have to be careful because a healthy smoothie can quickly turn into basically a milkshake with some fruit mixed in. Steer clear of ice cream or frozen yogurt or sugary juices and opt for frozen fruit, all-fruit juices, avocado, plain Greek yogurt, and spinach.

Healthy granola/nut/protein bars

Contrary to popular belief, most granola bars are not a health food. Neither are most protein bars, much to my husband’s chagrin. Most of them would be more accurately labeled carb bars. Sugar is the culprit once again. If you do homemade granola bars or protein bars, you can control what you put in, but then it’s no longer an easy snack. Instead, you may just have to become a nutrition label expert… here’s a tip: fiber cancels out carbohydrates, so if something has 25 carbs, but 10g of fiber, it only has 15 net carbs.

For protein bars, you definitely want more grams of protein than net carbs. With that in mind, a couple of my favorites granola/protein bars are the Atkins brand or the nutty Kind bars. As for other Kind bars, you’ll have to check the label. It might take some work to check all those nutrition facts, but once you find a few favorites, they make a great grab and go snack.

Kale Chips

Buy or make your own. Either way, they’re salty and delicious.

Chia Pudding

I spent so many years thinking chia pudding was too much of a hassle. You guys. It is SO easy. Yes, you have to plan ahead a little, but it takes no time at all to throw together and put in the fridge. Trust me, just try it once and you will never look back. Google has plenty of recipe and topping suggestions, so give it a chance! It may be your new favorite.

____

I hope you found a few new ideas to add to the rotation. What are your go-to healthy snacks? I’m always looking for new suggestions! Comment below or email me with your best ideas.

Xoxo,