After School Snack Ideas
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With school starting this month, I wanted to share a few favorite After School Snack Ideas that our girls enjoyed when they were young. Simple and easy to prepare, these snacks will satisfy kids of all ages–young and old.
(Post modified with new photos on 8/22/22.)
Our daughters always rode the bus home from school, sometimes for nearly an hour. When they got home, they were often hot and tired. And in need of a yummy pick-me-up. But these snacks are not just for kids–I enjoyed them as well, as a mom and now as a grandma!
A Few After School Snack Ideas
A few simple ideas to get you started are common go-to snacks we have been enjoying since we were kids.
- Fresh Fruit – Apples, Berries, Pears, Grapes
- Fresh Vegetables – Sliced and ready to eat. Add ranch dressing for dipping
- Peanut Butter and Jelly Sandwiches – Satisfying, but simple enough not to spoil supper
- Peanut Butter and Sliced Banana Sandwiches
- Crackers and Sliced American Cheese – Saltine or Ritz crackers work great
- Graham Crackers sandwiched between a layer of vanilla frosting
- Sliced Celery with peanut butter or pimento cheese spread
- Sliced apples with peanut butter and dotted with raisins – Some might refer to this one as Ants on a Log
Favorite #1 Snack – Cookies and Milk
And let’s not forget how satisfying a plate of cookies and a tall glass of milk are to children and adults. This is still my husband’s favorite afternoon snack! View my favorite Cookie Recipes Here.
Simple Snack Recipes To Make
Now lets move on to snacks that you can make or bake. Have you noticed how many of the snacks so far include Peanut Butter? I’m sure there’s a perfect reason for this. Maybe because peanut butter is loved by so many people. Especially kids.
Peanut Apple Dip is almost like making your own peanut butter. It’s wonderful. I first made this recipe when our daughters were young for an after school snack. They loved it. And it’s so easy. A great recipe to make with your kids.
Baked Homemade Granola is delicious as a topping on your favorite yogurt with fruit. Made from old-fashioned oats, wheat germ, coconut, sunflower seeds, almonds, and honey it’s sure to please even the pickiest eater. Our youngest grandson loves this after his afternoon nap.
These Peanut Butter Treats are perfect for summertime snacks, and especially good to make with kids. Crunchy, chewy, and sweetly flavored with peanut butter. Yum! This is a fun and easy recipe that everyone loves.
Our middle daughter loves Kettle Corn and always wants us to get some when we’re at a fair or festival. Here’s a recipe to try at home that is pretty tasty and very easy to make.
This Homemade Pimento Cheese Spread will put the purchased product to shame. Made from simple ingredients with three kinds of cheese, chopped pimentos, mayo, and a few other things thrown in to give it a nice tang. Serve on sandwiches, crackers, or on celery sticks. So yummy!
Snacks for Older Kids and Adults
Lets not forget that older kids and adults need afternoon snacks as well. I know when I was going to college, I needed little snacks to keep my energy going in-between classes. And I still do at times.
These Chewy Granola Bars are just right. Flavorful, Firm, Chewy, and Holds Together. This bar has it all, plus a peanut butter topping you’re gonna love!
Here’s another Energy Bar great for older kids. These Chocolate Peanut Butter Bars are filled with all kinds of natural goodness. Old-fashioned rolled oats. Three kinds of nuts. Wheat germ. Dried fruit (cranberries, blueberries or cherries). Chocolate. Sunflower seeds. And creamy peanut butter and honey to hold it all together.
This recipe for Garlic Hummus with Smoked Paprika is one of the easiest hummus recipes I’ve made. And it’s so delicious. I could eat it every day, or almost every day. My daughters love it as well. This is wonderful served with crackers or fresh veggies.
Easy Snack Mix Recipes
Tail Mix Energy Blend – You may recognize this snack as a type of “gorp” – Good ol’ raisins and peanuts. That seemed to be a term we heard a lot of when camping.
Peanut Butter Caramel Popcorn is a new twist on our favorite popcorn recipe that’s easy to make and tastes great. Perfect for snacking on this fall or for putting in small trick-or-treat bags for Halloween.
Frito Snack Mix combines sweet and savory flavors and satisfies the pickiest of eaters. It receives a thumbs up from our granddaughter, who helped make this mix.
Addicting Munchies Holiday Snack is not only for the holidays. It’s a great snack to have on hand for afternoon munchies!
A Few Snack Ideas for the Sourdough Baker
The following recipes are more work to prepare, but they make fabulous snacks the whole family will enjoy and appreciate.
We love Sourdough Pretzels with Mustard Dip at any time of year–not just during baseball season. They are best served warm, fresh from the oven, but they’re also good hours later warmed in a toaster oven or even the next day. But trust me, they won’t last long.
Here’s an easy recipe to make your own Sourdough Whole-Wheat Bagels. Warm, chewy, tangy sourdough bagels slathered with cream cheese.
This recipe for Sourdough Cheddar Cheese Crackers is so delicious and a great way to use “unfed” sourdough starter. Lightly flavored with Vermont Cheddar Cheese Powder and sourdough, the combination brings a smile to my little grandson’s face. My daughter insists that he likes them even better than Goldfish crackers, so I’ll take that compliment as a thumbs up!
I hope this gives you some new ideas for after school snacking for your children. Or for yourself. See more Snack Ideas Here.
All wonderful ideas for after school snacks, especially love the chocolate peanut bars and sourdough cheese crackers!
Thanks for stopping by. The chocolate peanut bars are so easy to put together and delicious.