Coming up with healthy snack foods for children can be hard no matter what diet we are following. We are following the Paleo Diet so we exclude grains, legumes, dairy, and processed foods. My children are very active so I need to make sure they get enough food throughout the day. I try not to let my children fill up on things that would spike their blood sugar. We also like the good fats in our family so I make sure that a sufficient amount of healthy fats are included in the children’s diet.
Starting off the day with the right food
Our day often starts with leftovers from previous night’s dinner, which could include things such as pieces of chicken, steak, or fish. We add a piece of fruit, sliced avocados, some tomatoes or similar things. Sometimes we eat eggs in various ways. This kind of breakfast lasts us quite a long time. It also makes sure that the blood sugar is stabilized so we don’t get hungry within an hour again.
High protein snacks are great for satisfying a growing and hungry child so I make sure I include sufficient amount of protein. I try to make it simple, so here are some of the things we use for snacks:
- Jerky with or without some fruits. I haven’t made my own yet but I am planning on it.
- turkey with avocados and some walnuts, almonds and/or cashews.
- lean beef slices with a couple of apricots/melon balls
- apple with raw almonds
- hard boiled eggs with mixed berries
- steamed broccoli topped with coconut oil and shredded meat such as turkey or chicken
- deviled eggs made with coconut oil, flax seed oil, and ginger instead of mayonnaise and mustard.
- veggies dipped in homemade salsa or guacamole
- cold meat such as london broil
- hard boiled eggs
- pureed banana and strawberries with coconut milk/oil – I freeze for a while before serving
- a variety of nuts
- slices of cantaloupe, some meat, and some nuts
- homemade un-sweetened applesauce
- unsweetened dried fruits.
I recently made the Spicy Nut Mix from the Paleo Diet Cookbook. I combined nuts such as raw walnut, brazil, and macademia nuts with oil, cayenne pepper, and nutmeg. After mixing well I put the blend on a baking sheet in a single layer and roasted in the oven for about 15 minutes. This was a great alternative to our regular Saturday candy. Nuts should be soaked prior to eating.
I make sure that the protein is served with fat, fruit or vegetables. We also do certain smoothies/shakes for the whole family based on our workout and activity level. Baked yams are also included as part of our work out nutrition.
Johanna is an aromatherapist and an independent distributor of Young Living Essential Oils . She also runs Naturally Sports & Wellness together with her husband. Follow Johanna on twitter and facebook for more health tips and information.
This post is linked to Sunday School at Butter Believer!
The Paleo Lifestyle 
Great list! I’m getting back to going grain-free for my family – we feel so much better when we eat that way. I find that nuts, a bit of dried fruit with a few chocolate chips makes for a great portable snack – my son calls it his “mix-up” 😉