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Nestle Back to School Basics Giveaway: After School Snacks

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Last week we talked about ways to “Make Dinner Happen” on a busy school night.  Now I’d like to address another big food related area for back to school-those after school snacks.

I don’t know about your kids, but mine return home from school famished.  I don’t think they could make it from getting off the bus at 2:15 until supper at 5:30 without eating something.  All that learning must burn up some calories!  And it doesn’t improve with age-teenagers are likely to need a mini meal rather than a snack, especially if they are in sports.

So what are some classic after school snacks?

#1-Cookies

Yes, it might not be the most healthy thing out there, but cookies and milk are a classic for a reason.  There is just something about cookies fresh out of the oven that says “Momma’s Love”.  Chocolate chip is of course a favorite, but oatmeal, snickerdoodle, and peanutbutter are some others well loved at our house.  In a rush? Don’t worry, cookies from a box are just as likely to be loved by the kiddos.

#2-Fruit

Fruit is a snack you can feel good about letting the kids chow down on.  Now I now that fresh fruit isn’t always the cheapest item out there-but if you buy in season you will do much better.  Canned fruit is also a viable option-my kids love mandrin oranges!  If you are concerned about sugar content of canned fruit, go for the “Lite” or “no sugar added” style.

#3-Veggies

Ok, you can sneak some veggies in there a couple of ways.  Cut up “crudites” style with dip or dressing is palatable, if not down right loved by most children.  Want to switch it up a bit? Try dipping veggies into homemade Hummus (extra protein & fiber!) or using celery to make the classic “Ants on a Log“. Want to take that “Ant’s on a log” to the next level? Try using Nestle Raisinettes instead.

#4-Crackers & Cheese

Protein tends to last a little longer in the kiddos bellies, so working some into your after school snack is a smart idea.  Cheese and crackers made into little sandwiches are bite sized and yummy.  As a kid I remember making cracker “pizza’s” out of crackers, ketchup and Parmesan cheese.  Yeah-I know, it sounds kind of gross now, but I used to love it!

#5-GORP

“Good Old Raisins and Peanuts”. . . also known as trail mix.  You can make this in a million and one ways-the level of frugality depends totally on what you chose to include. It can be a fun and frugal snack or down right exorbitant.

That’s just a few of the classics that I can come up with-I want to learn from all of you!  So on to the the giveaway!

How would you like a $500 Walmart Gift Card to help cover your back to school expenses, courtesy of Nestle?

It’s easy to enter:  Leave a comment with your best after school snack idea.

Note:  Remember, you have TWO posts that you can enter on, both this post and the one on “Making Dinner Happen“.

This giveaway ends on Friday August 14th.

Want some additional entries?

Here you go:

-Head on over to Nestle Family and tell me what your favorite recipe/idea is from their “Family Food” section.

– Subscribe to Frugal Upstate via either RSS or Email.

-Tweet about this giveaway linking back to this post.

-Subscribe to the Frugal Coast2Coast joint newsletter/show reminders.

Good luck!

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Comments

  4. Marla T says

    On days that I take off from work, I love to have homemade cookies fresh out of the oven for my daughter when she comes home from school. Otherwise, fruit snacks is that usual afterschool snack. Thanks for an awesome giveaway.

    koinonia572001@yahoo.com

  5. Cathy says

    I try to stick to healthy things that won’t fill him up before dinner. Banana, carrots, string cheese.

  9. kimberly says

    I am pretty free form with snacks – often we have a big box of those individual chip/snack packages (when time permits, I portion out servings from the big bags, but you know how that goes).
    PB&J is also pretty popular. Cheese too, with or without crackers or a piece of French bread.

  13. Cathy @ Chief Family Officer says

    I never knew what GORP stood for – thanks!

    As for snacks, I’ve been making my own nutri-grain type bars, oatmeal raisin cookies, and basically trying to substitute from-scratch items for pre-packaged. It takes more time but I can sub in healthier ingredients like whole wheat flour, and the kids don’t notice. Plus, they’re not getting all those unnecessary chemicals.

    Thanks for the giveaway!

  26. Chrissy says

    My favorite after-school snack is break and bake cookies. I can open a package and make just how many we want and save the rest for another day. There’s nothing like warm from the oven chocolate chip cookies!

  29. judy brittle says

    My favorite after school snack idea is I take a variety of different snacks like raisins,yogurt,celery,apple etc. and I put them in 2 different bags for each of my grandkids that live with me. I put their name on the bag and when they get home they can go to their own bag and choose any 2 snacks. Makes things so much easier for all of us.

  34. Jen says

    I like to allow one not-so healthy item with a healthy one, like tortilla chips & homemade salsa, or a cookie with some apple slices.

  35. Gina says

    We often have string cheese and some crackers. Sometimes my son finishes the leftovers from his lunchbox right there in the car on the way home. 🙂

  37. Gina says

    I was all set to scour the Nestle website to find the greatest idea or recipe. What do you know it was staring me in the face once the site loaded! It is the Swirled Mint Ice Cream bars. They look delish!

  38. Elisabeth says

    I think fruit smoothies made with milk or yoghurt (for the protein) could be a very easy, good snack. It’s naturally sweet and made with dairy, it will add a little protein to help tie them over until dinner. This you can use frozen fruit with and it comes out perfectly cold and smooth. This is probably better for the warm days.

    What about the cold days? Take a cup of shredded cheese, 1/4 cup mayo and a dash of either Tabasco or Worcestershire sauce. Mix this together and mash it as well as you can. Next, open a sleeve of saltines and arrange them on a cookie sheet. Top the crackers with the cheese mixture. Put under a preheated broiler for about 2-3 minutes, just until the cheese melts and puffs up a little. Be careful because they can burn pretty easily. Surprisingly yummy.

  40. Barbara M says

    After school snack?
    Peanut butter spread on banana slices.
    I got so excited and didn’t do this entry first!

  48. Laura says

    My go-to snack for afterschool (or after our homeschool activities since we homeschool!) is sliced apples with peanut butter… my kids request this all the time.

    My daughter also LOVES it when I slice a banana into “coins” and spread a dollop of peanut butter on each piece. Bite sized yummyness!!!

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