After School Snack Ideas

Edamame: Heat frozen edamame in a microwave for two to three minutes, then sprinkle lightly with coarse salt.

Frothy milkshake:  In a blender, blend low-fat 1 percent (or fat-free) milk, chocolate powder, 1 teaspoon of flax seed or wheat germ with ice cubes.

Pizza bagels: Coat a mini bagel with tomato sauce, shredded low-fat mozzarella cheese and a sprinkling of garlic powder and oregano.

 Yogurt sundae: In a parfait glass, layer several times low-fat vanilla yogurt, berries (in season or defrosted) and a sprinkling of low-fat granola.

Low-fat tortilla chips with salsa and/or bean dip

Frozen banana with whole grain crackers and a little bit of peanut butter

Homemade trail mix: Mix a medley of raisins, nuts, dried cranberries and semisweet dark chocolate chips (try not to go too heavy with the chocolate chips).

Milk shake: Blend milk with cut up fruit (try strawberry or banana and ice cubes and a teaspoon of sugar, if needed).

Fruit smoothie: Blend yogurt, cut-up fruit of your choice and ice cubes. You can also use plain yogurt and add a little pure vanilla extract.

Fizzy drink: Combine seltzer with splash of juice of your choice.

Sparkling water with fruit ice cubes: Freeze pure fruit juice of your choice in an ice cube tray and add a few cubes to sparkling water.

Low-fat popcorn: If your children are over the age of 3, a fun activity is to pop popcorn the old-fashioned way—with a little oil and whole kernels in a pot. Sprinkle the popcorn lightly with salt or Parmesan cheese.

Honey graham crackers with a heaping tablespoon of peanut butter (try stirring in a dash of cinnamon)

String cheese and frozen grapes