Two Healthy Snacks for Kids (Recipes: Apple Chips & Sun Butter Balls) (2024)

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Quick Bites Snacks

Posted onJanuary 28, 2011October 15, 2023Updated onOctober 15, 2023

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I‘m not handing out snacks to my kids right now because I’m at Blissdom in Nashville, hanging out with an absolute stellar group of bloggers. Because I’m taking time to soak everything in and network my heart out, I’ve lined up a guest poster today who knows her stuff.

I’m so happy to introduce Cindy from Fix Me a Snack! Her blog is an inspiration to me, because, oddly, although I’m never out of ideas for dinner, snack time tends to get repetitious. You know what I mean? Fortunately Cindy pops up on Twitter frequently and sends out her creative ideas that help liven up our after school snacks. You should definitely give her a follow.

Here’s what Cindy told me about snacking:

“I’ve been blogging about healthy kid snacks for a couple years at Fix Me A Snack. You’d think I’d know a ton about such a seemingly narrow subject by now. But like with most things in life, I’ve found that the more I know the less I know. I see my blog as a record of my family’s favorite recipes and my ongoing quest to cut empty calories out of snack time.
A lot of reforming snack time is completely simple. The majority of our snacks don’t come from packages anymore. If the stuff isn’t in the house, my kids are reaching for the fruit bowl or carrot sticks instead. But one cannot snack on fresh fruits and veggies alone. So I’ve been busy creating and testing recipes for homemade snack goodies.
Unsurprisingly, I feel like I’ve just scratched the surface. But I’m honored to share a couple of our favorites as of late: Apple Chips and Sun Butter Bites.”

Photo by Cindy Rowland

Recipe: Sun Butter Bites

Sun Butter Bites

Usually, I make these using almond butter. But my preschooler was more than happy to devour several of them when the almond butter was replaced with an equivalent made from sunflower kernels. These would be great for sending to school as a nut-free snack.

Ingredients

3/4 cup powdered milk
1/2 cup crispy brown rice cereal
2 Tablespoons wheat germ
2 Ttablespoons ground flax seed optional
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup unsalted sun butter
1/4 cup honey
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Instructions

In a small mixing bowl, stir the powdered milk, cereal, wheat germ, flax seed, and salt until combined. Set aside.
In a medium mixing bowl, stir the sunflower butter, honey, and vanilla extract with a rubber spatula until combined.
Add the powdered milk mixture and stir until uniform. The mixture may be on the crumbly side.
To form into balls, take a tablespoon of the mixture and squeeze it with your hands more than roll it. I pass it back and forth between my hands squeezing and rolling gently with my fingers as I pass. Note: This might be tough for kids to master! If the mixture is too crumbly, add more of something gooey such as honey or even a tablespoon of vegetable, coconut, or flax oil.
See Also
Best Ever Vegan Queso Recipe - Veggies Don't Bite
Serve or store in an airtight container in the freezer for up to 3 months. Thaw for a couple of minutes before serving.

Nutrition

Photo by Cindy Rowland

Recipe: Apple Chips

Apple Chips

I used some Macoun and Empire apples to make these and they didn’t require any special measures to prevent browning. If you think your apples will brown excessively, dip them in a solution of 2 cups water and 2 tablespoons lemon juice right after they have been sliced.

5 from 3 votes

Print Pin Rate

Course: Snacks

Cuisine: American

Keyword: Dairy-Free, Gluten-free, Vegan

Essential Ingredient: Apples

Prep Time: 5 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 3 hours hours

Total Time: 3 hours hours 5 minutes minutes

Servings: 30 chips

Calories: 12kcal

Author: Cindy

Ingredients

3 medium apples
1.5 Tablespoons cinnamon sugar

Instructions

Preheat oven to 250 degrees Fahrenheit.
Wash and core the apples using an apple corer.
Slice off a 1/4? of the top and bottom of the apple and discard. Slice the remaining apple using a mandolin set to 1/8? thick.
Spread the apple rings out onto two parchment-lined baking sheets. Try to avoid overlapping the rings. Sprinkle lightly with cinnamon sugar.
Bake for approximately 3 hours, rotating once or twice. Start checking on them around 2 hours. They may be slightly pliable out of the oven, but should crisp up when cool.
Serve or store in an airtight container at room temperature.

Notes

I’ve also made these same chips using a food dehydrator set to 155 degrees Fahrenheit for around 6 - 8 hours.

Nutrition

Thanks so much, Cindy!! I can’t wait to try these out with my boys. My son’s school is indeed nut free and that is a often a challenge when it comes to healthy snacks.

What school-safe, healthy snacks have you been serving to your kids?

Aimee

Cooking has always been Aimée's preferred recreational activity, creative outlet, and source of relaxation. After nearly ten years in the professional cooking industry, she went from restaurant to RSS by trading her tongs and clogs for cookie cutters and a laptop, serving as editor here at Simple Bites. Her first book, Brown Eggs and Jam Jars - Family Recipes from the Kitchen of Simple Bites, was published in February 2015.