Parents healthy, filling snacks

[seoulmama]

So-the thread about family dinners got me thinking. My DD is 10 and a level 5, trains m 5-9, t 5-9, th 5-8:30, f 4-8 and sat 1-5. It's not so bad on Fridays-I can feed her a snack before she goes and she can eat afterwards and Saturdays are easy because she eats lunch then is ready for dinner. It's the rest of the week that I am struggling with. We feed her dinner before the gym but she's starving after workout. We are lucky because we only live about 5 minutes from the gym-of course, they are never done right at 9 so we are usually home by 9:15 or 9:20 and she wants to eat again. I need some snack ideas to have that are more unconventional. She's so picky! She'd rather eat another small meal but we don't have time for that. I am lucky to get her in bed by 10 on her late nights!


Here are some things we've been doing: bread with cheese and bacon, hummus and carrots, greek yogurt dip and pretzels, mashed potatos. She won't eat yogurt which would be perfect.

 

[Iwannabemargo]

I sometimes do a "split" dinner, half before she goes, and half when she gets back, if its something I can throw in the microwave. Other than that mine loves milk products, so its yoghurts, cheese, hot chocolate etc . She also likes scones with jam and butter.

 

[Fliptwisttumble]

I made this recipe last night in the hopes that DD would like it - she is picky too, and generally I can't get enough breakfast into her, but also need a healthy snack for on the way to gym. She LOVED them. Taste like cookies.

No bake energy bites:

Mix together ingredients. Put in fridge for 1/2 hr, then roll into 1" balls. Put in sealed container.

• 1 cup (dry) oatmeal (I used old-fashioned oats)
• 2/3 cup toasted coconut flakes
• 1/2 cup peanut butter
• 1/2 cup ground flaxseed or wheat germ
• 1/2 cup chocolate chips or cacao nibs (optional)
• 1/3 cup honey or maple syrup
• 1 Tbsp. chia seeds (optional)
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract

I added about another 1/4 c. of peanut butter so they would stick together better, but otherwise, as is, including the chia seeds. She downed three of them with her Fruit and yogurt smoothie. Can't take them to school or gym due to the peanut butter, but she can eat them in the car to or from gym.

 

[GymMom67]

I'm going to be paying attention to this thread because my DD will very likely be moving to a very similar schedule soon and I have already been trying to figure out how we will handle meals on school nights when she's at the gym from 5-9.

 

[kaloss]

We make those energy bites too, the kids (and hubby) love them!

 

[SurpriseGymMom]

Our schedule is such that the girls eat a substantial snack in the car on the way to practice and we have dinner afterwards (most of our evenings are done at 7:30, one at 8).
For the snacks it varies from unhealthy stuff like pizza rolls and chicken nuggets to whle wheat turkey sandwiches and yougurt smoothies. Costco has these tasty little chicken sandwiches (microwave) that are quite good and the perfect size for kids. Cheese sticks, pita chips/hummus and cottage cheese singles.
A favorite for my kids is "tea party sandwiches": low fat cream cheese on both pieces of whole wheat bread, then one topping (slice of turkey, ham, pepperoni, cheese, cucumber.... Only one at a time though), slap together and cut out in fancy shapes. They also love home made subs, just turkey, cheese, mayo and lettuce on a roll. My youngest dds favorite is peanut butter or Nutella with marshmallow creme sandwiches... Not an every day snack though, lol!
Once we hit winter I'll be bringing more warm snacks.

Is there something you can either make and bring or simply have ready for her when she gets home? Your car ride isn't long, we have 15-20 min depending on traffic so we eat in the car on the way there and I make a lot of dinners that can be prepared ahead of time or in the crockpot as we need to eat dinner as soon as we step in the house.

 

[LIGYMMOM]

We've been making a lot of smoothies with the magic bullet lately. Throw in some frozen fruit, some apple juice, yogurt, and a handful of spinach or kale...very tasty! For the picker child, chocolate milk with a banana, frozen cherries, greek yogurt, a little almond extract, makes a great workout recovery snack.

 

[Uglybetty]

I usually make up a snack box for the journey home examples of contents are: half a sandwich, boiled egg, cocktail sausages, yogurt raisins, grapes, cheese chunks (not all at once of course). I usually throw in something sweet e.g. A 2 finger kit kat.

 

[GymMomXcel]

A sliced apple and peanut butter to dip the slices in.

Half a turkey sandwich and some grapes.

Uncrustables sandwich and a banana.

Love that energy bites recipe! I'll have to try that for my DD.

 

[amphomma]

My daughter is very little, in age and size (almost 4, and 39 inches tall/27 pounds). I'm following this with interest because of her hummingbird metabolism and high activity level! She is "talented" as a 3-year old and does gymnastics at the gym and at home--I call her Tigger at home!

I always bring a snack/lunch for her since her class ends at lunch time. She enjoys PB&J sandwiches, cheese sticks, yogurt, smoothies, grilled cheese, and individual cheese pizzas.

The energy bite recipe above sounds great! At home, snacks are often sunchips/hummus, soy milk, bananas, little packs of cheese/crackers, or Kashi granola bars--low in sugar and high in protein.

 

[BlairBob]

Make 10lbs of meatballs. Easy to warmup.

Hard boiled eggs if she'll eat them. Many kids won't or will only eat the white.

Bacon or Jerky. Neither are very cheap though.

Trail mix. Make your own or buy it.

Try to make them last a week.

 

[OzZee]

Dinner before, snack after hasn't worked for my kids. They pick at the dinner before and then want their dinner after no matter what they ate before.
So we snack before, they have snacks at gym (dd2 is great at just having a bite at drink breaks, once she worked this out she found her energy level soared - she has some homemade high protein muesli bar, grapes etc) and then dinner at the end. Dinner is pre-cooked on the plate, 1 min in microwave (or cold salad type meal) so ready to go.
We don't go to 9 though but I'm sure even if we did it would be the same. I have friends whose kids do the early dinner, late snack great but not mine.

 

[my4buffaloes]

We do a large snack, almost a meal on the way to gym after school (3 ish), they get a small snack break at practice (4 hours long) and eat dinner on the way home. Personally I see nothing wrong with 2 dinners. They work out hard and if they are starving snacks just aren't going to cut it. In fact last year in the carpool they did get a full dinner on the way to gym and ate again on the way home.

 

[ollieblueeyes]

I have a very picky DD that does not eat a whole lot during the day. I am always looking for high protein/calorie dense snacks. Her favorite pre-practice snack is a smoothie. I use 2-3 full fat yogurt frozen yoghurt cubes, a frozen banana, some frozen berries, 2-3 tablespoons of natural peanut butter and just enough milk to make it pourable. Another option she likes is scrambled egg whites. I send her with bags of goldfish or other crackers to snack on thru the practice.

 

[shelovestoflip]

I try to be sure to go with a high protein meal when I pick her up.

Last night it was turkey chili.....will also do turkey tacos....egg fritatta.....burrito.....any kind of chicken.

I always bring veggies and fruit with it.

I have a great granola bar recipe (I don't like to buy the bars beacuse they are full of stuff that's not necessary...plus so cheap to make a 9x12 pan of granola bars.

She'll eat a bar before practice in the car...after eating a carb at home (noodles, bagel w/cc, pizza etc) along with a fruit.

 

[txgymfan]

Please share your granola bar recipe. These days a bar and a bottle of homemade ice tea are breakfast every day.

 

[Quadqueen]

those energy bites are great - I make them often!!

 

[shelovestoflip]

Please share your granola bar recipe. These days a bar and a bottle of homemade ice tea are breakfast every day.

http://www.pbs.org/food/kitchen-vignettes/back-to-school-granola-bars/
I prefer almond butter to peanut butter...not as dense.
Cranberries not raisins
have used instant oats and they work fine
also used brown rice crispies not the Kelloggs brand.
They don't look as pretty when I cut them
I refrigerate and they last the week.
Enjoy

 

[MaryA]

http://www.pbs.org/food/kitchen-vignettes/back-to-school-granola-bars/
I prefer almond butter to peanut butter...not as dense.
Cranberries not raisins
have used instant oats and they work fine
also used brown rice crispies not the Kelloggs brand.
They don't look as pretty when I cut them
I refrigerate and they last the week.
Enjoy

Made these today and they are so good! Edges were a little uneven so I had to trim them down a bit and, not to be wasteful, I ate the trimmings. Still not quite even... Had to trim off a bit more... Did I mention how good these things are? I don't think they will last a week!

 

[txgymfan]

Mary, so glad you got the bars nice and even. It is important to test the food you give to children.