Non-Processed Snack

Have you tried baked potatoes? These are filling, easy, and cheap. They can also add whatever they want to. I think these could be a whole meal if you need it to be.

How about pancakes? or waffles? I know it sounds silly, but they are yummy.

Sandwich - pb & j, meat/cheese, tuna salad, egg salad
You could bake some chicken breast (I like split chicken breast on the bone with skin for this), clean/shred it up with their help and put in a bowl in the fridge, and then they can use it for tortilla wraps, sandwiches, on salads or just snack on some with fruit too.

Bread and butter, veggies and hummus, or tortilla chips and hummus/guacamole, hard boiled egg, Peanut butter and celery, smoothies made with plenty of protein, sunflower seeds and fruit, nuts. Protein will keep them full longer.

Breakfast burritos make great snacks. I make 12 at a time, wrap each in a paper towel, and freeze them in a tupperware. Then you can just pull one out, pop in microwave for 2 minutes, done! They are really easy- scramble up the eggs with a little cheese and add some spice if your kids like it. I do scrambled eggs, black beans, cheese, and mild salsa in mine, but you can add potatoes, meat, whatever they like.

For a real change in routine, borrow the best from breakfast, lunch, dinner or dessert for a great non processed snack.

borrowing from breakfast
waffle or pancake with a schmear of cream cheese, a drizzle of maple syrup/ honey/ jam and half a sausage, or bacon or egg.
a greek omlette- egg, feta, tomato, onion
a western omlette- egg ham pepper onions
quiche
a corn muffin and butter
a blueberry muffin

Borrow from lunch -
a meatball sub
pizza
sausage and peppers
fish sticks
corn dogs
sloppy joes
mac and cheese
paninis
burritos
soup
salad

borrow from dinner-
many dinner side dishes or appetizers would make great snacks.
creamed spinach
twice baked potatoes
stuffed potato skins
bruschetta
caprese salad
grilled asparagus
corn chowder
mashed potato
rice pilaf
quesadilla
calamari
brussel sprouts and bacon

borrow from dessert
fruit pie
fruit cobbler
poached pears
cheese and nuts

point being anything can be served up as a snack. just keep their appetites in mind when you dish out portions. since the kids are school aged why don't you make a list of any or all of the above, and allow the kids to take turns adding a new snack to the rotation.

Good luck to you and yours,
F. B.

Things rolled up in a flour tortilla.
It can be anything.
My kids like that.

My children get all kinds of fruit. Whatever is available.
Usually they add peanut butter to whatever fruit they wanted.
Nuts - Almonds or peanuts
Hard boiled eggs
Crackers with peanut butter, cheese, cream cheese
Bagel with cream cheese
Chips and salsa
1/2 a ham and cheese sandwhich

And I would just add a big glass of water with whatever you give them. Often times our kids mistake thirst for hunger.

Fruit smoothie with or without a little yogurt...yogurt makes it more filling.

Sliced apples with cheese or peanut butter.

Salad with egg,turkey and ham and whole wheat crackers.

Healthy type cookies(oatmeal,nuts,raisins) with milk and fruit.

I make tons of homemade popcorn each week. We eat it waaaaaty too often. But..it is simple and healthy. Popcorn kernels and olive oil...a little salt. ( I have a West Bend "Stir Crazy" machine...absolutely love it)

I try to make sure my kids drink lots of water with their meals. Fills you up...and is super healthy.

For something sweet - nutella on bread with milk and a banana.

For something salty - we slice up pickles and cheese and pretzels/chips.

For something protein filled - heated up ham slices or a piece of pizza. Hard boiled eggs.

Carrots and ranch dressing
apples and peanut butter
ham and cheese sandwich
hard boiled eggs

We do LOTS of fruits and veggies for after school snack. Sometimes it is with a dip or Mrs. Dash sprinkled on top, other times it is apples or celery with peanut butter, other times the veggies are rolled into tortillas. It seems if I can give them something filling (apples, carrots, celery, red and green peppers, cucumbers), they can hold over until dinner.

One idea is pack a bigger lunch, and eat the leftovers at home.

Eat up leftovers from previous dinners.

Pasta salad

Anything rolled up in a tortilla.
Currently, we are all enjoying bananas, sour cream and brown sugar. Yum!

Love the bake potato idea!

We do a variety of snacks. Apple with PB/almond butter, celery with PB/almond butter, banana with PB/almond butter, sandwiches (turkey, PB, almond butter, cheese), pitas with peppers and hummus, veggies with dip or hummus, popcorn, pretzels, trail mix, smoothies, muffins, yogurt, string cheese, crackers, graham crackers, wraps, fruit salad, cereal, hard boiled egg, tortilla chips with salsa, leftovers.

Ants on a log.. Celery, peanut butter with raisins.

Homemade zucchini muffins, Banana nut muffins, carrot muffins

veggie tray, with oil and vinegar type dressing for dipping

Hummus with veggies or pita

Quesadillas with beans and chicken

Squash Tortellini or chicken tortellini with tomato sauce.. I used to put them on skewers.

* Refried bean burritos, with a little salsa. Mix a little taco seasoning into the beans.
* Hummus and whole wheat pita chips or toasted whole wheat bagels
* PBJ (or other nut or soy butter or sesame seed butter) sandwich on whole wheat
* 1 or 2 hard boiled eggs with whole wheat toast.

Plus fruits or veg, of course. :)

apples and peanut butter, any fruits and veggies. make some prepacked veggie bags so they can just grab them and go. anything with high fiber should fill them up and stick with them more than the empty calorie snacks. do they need to eat a bigger lunch?

one thing i really like is celery with laughing cow cheese topped with some sliced turkey sandwich meat. its yummy

Pack their snack full of protein to keep them fuller longer...
Hummus and veggies
peanut butter and apples
wraps with meat and lots of veggies

You've got lots of good suggestions here from everyone :)

They probably need protein to keep them full until dinner.

-whole wheat tortilla with peanut butter, strawberries or bananas and even some granola sprinkled on top if you like, rolled up
-tortilla with cream cheese or hummus, veggies, meat and cheese, rolled up and sliced
quesadilla with beans
banana or apple with peanut or almond butter
crackers with peanut butter, or you can make a yummy dip with yogurt, peanut butter and a bit of honey
smoothie (this one is really filling: 1 cup cooked oatmeal, 1 banana, 1/2 cup yogurt, 1 cup frozen berries, 1 tbs agave nectar or honey)
Make soup once a week and keep in fridge for after school snacks
sunflower seeds
oatmeal with any number of add ins
peanut butter on toast with a side of fruit
sandwich

Apple slices or celery sticks w/ peanut butter - we get peanut butter ground fresh at the grocery store, per ounce, it's costs about the same as the jar.

You have to give them some kind of protein, carbs will just leave them hungry again very soon.

Hard boiled eggs

beef jerky (we have a cheap source)

My kids love bread and brie or they make croissants or quesodillas with crock pot chicken or pork (meat and then dump in a container of enchilada sauce-leave in fridge to use throughout week). Making pizza bread is uber easy and can be turned into lots of things. Other than that, cut fruit and vegetables. Try making your own frozen dinners too or frozen burritos.

I know everyone starts talking about feeding them quiona or hummus (my kids love hummus by the way) and peanut butter slathered over apple slices... It all sounds healthy until your kids don't eat it. Just feed them what they do eat and make your own "processed" foods by prepping lots and freezing.

Edit: I read up above the comment on eating leftovers and that's what we do too. It's great for those little containers (not enough for the family but a few kids). They all eat different things usually for after school.

Lots of good suggestions below. Perhaps air pop some popcorn, or another thing I love are Larabars. Nothing processed, no added ingredients. They come in lots of flavors, from Key Lime Pie to Peanut Butter Cookie, and just to give you an example...

The ingredients in the Key Lime Pie? Dates, limes. The ingredients in the Peanut Butter Cookie? Dates, peanuts, sea salt. They are so much better and more filling (and a bit larger) than your standard granola bar, and really are a great, healthy, naturally sweet snack...NO added sugar, just whatever occurs naturally in the fruit.

Hummus and veggies/pitas.

Cold quinoa salad (look up recipes online.) Make early in week and serve all week. My kids love it.

Good old fashion nuts. Almonds, cashews, pecans.

Veggies in a pita sandwich. Avocado, cucumbers, fresh spinich, peppers, onion, tomato.

As a kid, I'd come home and have leftover dinner from the night before... I never liked cold sandwiches and had a big appetite and loved having stuff like leftover spaghetti and meatsauce or a meatloaf sandwich or pork chops and mashed potatoes. I'[m sure my mom made me have a veggie too. I'm trying to get my kids to do that. Smoothies with wheat germ are surprisingly good and filling. The wheat germ sounds gross but gives it a slightly nutty flavor. I got to the point I didn't like yogurt without wheat germ anymore. A hearty soup is good too.

Make your own granola .. with raisens and nuts.
We do Fruit, veggies etc..

This combo sounds strange, but it is sooooo good! Cut up a banana and an avocado in bite sized pieces and put in a bowl, mixed with lemon juice and salt. Yum :)

Do mostly a protein snack after school, their body has used up all of the protein it has taken in by that point in the day. They will act better and feel better if you do almost all protein with a minimal carbohydrate.

So leave out the fruit and other junk. Give them meat and cheese, peanut butter and whole wheat bread, all sorts of good food.

The stuff you are giving them is not filling them up. If you do a heavier meal they will likely not be so hungry at dinner though. You might have to think of it in reverse.

Leftovers here too!

Now, my son is in half day K so he comes home at lunch, but also has a "meal" around 2:30/3 and dinner around 5:30/6 and it is often leftovers. IF there are no leftovers air popped popcorn is a common choice here so is rice, quesadilla, PB&J or whatever else I decide to whip up or is ready to go.

My kids also pretty much have a "meal" after school, a sandwich or full size burrito (usually just beans/cheese, maybe rice) or quesadilla is common, as is a full blender of smoothie. They MUCH prefer blending their fruit frozen in smoothies to just eating it as is. They also warm up leftovers they like, and they love hummus with either pita or tortilla chips. Cereal is another favorite snack, and since we only do healthy cereal it's not a big deal. Do your kids have almond or soy milk?

peanut butter and apples
a piece of toast
nuts
Amy's frozen organic bean and cheese burritos (they are small enough not to ruin appetites)

Almonds, chick peas, lots of veggies (carrots, snap peas, broccoli, cauliflower, celery, heart of palm), hummus w/ veggies, dried fruit, fresh fruit, seaweed salad, edamame,

My son would eat Hummus or Guacamole (you can make it non spicy) or Edamame.