Snack Ideas to Wow the School Crowd

Written by Janet D'Oliveira

No matter what activities your kids enjoy, eventually you'll need to supply the snacks. If the thought of feeding ravenous kids on the fly sounds terrifying, these delicious and healthy snacks will put your mind at ease.

However, one important thing to do beforehand is to find out if your kid's school or team has a no-nut policy or requires gluten-free snacks. Also, you always should ask parents of kids you're hosting at a play date if their children have any dietary restrictions.

Here are a few snack ideas for home:

Baked sweet potato fries. Sweet potatoes are healthier than white potatoes, so just slice a few, sprinkle them with olive oil and salt, and stick them in the oven. Serve with ketchup.

Smoothies. Throw any fruit you have in the kitchen into a blender with some ice (frozen bananas work great, too). If you want to sneak in some extra nutrition, add some spinach, but don't expect to fool the kids—they might not taste it, but the liquid will turn green.

Mini pizzas. Get the kids involved with this one, for sure. Smear some sauce on a pita or an English muffin, sprinkle it with cheese, and add your kids' favorite toppings, like olives, pepperoni and peppers.

Homemade applesauce. Just steam some apples until they're soft, then mash or blend them, add some cinnamon, and voila!

Fruits and veggies dipped in peanut butter. Cut up a mini smorgasbord of fresh, ripe fruits and veggies that you can dip into peanut butter, almond butter or sunflower butter. Hummus, avocado or baba ganoush also make great dips.

Mini Quesadillas. Toss shredded cheese between two quesadilla wraps and heat until cheese melts. Cut into triangles and serve with fresh guacamole and salsa.

Here are snack ideas that work on the go: 

Homemade popcorn trail mix. Drizzle popcorn with a bit of honey and butter, and toss in peanuts or almond pieces, cereal, raisins and a few chocolate chips. Then bake it for a few minutes—the kids will devour this treat in minutes. 

Deli roll-ups. Just roll up some turkey or ham with a slice of cheese, add a slice of lettuce for crunch and a squirt of mustard.

Mini muffins. Whip up a batch of any kind of healthy muffins, such as oatmeal raisin, apple cinnamon, blueberry bran. Pass them out and watch the kids enjoy them.

Fruit kabobs. This one's a cinch. Just cut a bunch of fruit into bite-size chunks— bananas, strawberries, pineapple and apples—and add the pieces onto skewers. 

This article is part of Mix It Up, an editorial series created in collaboration with AOL's Kitchen Daily and Huffington Post. It is dedicated to making the lives of mothers easier through articles, videos and slideshows focused on simple and creative solutions to everyday challenges. From healthy recipes to exciting ideas for a more balanced lifestyle, this section aims to become a resource for moms everywhere.