“Mom, can I have a snack?” I know you are with me and probably hear this 10+ times per day. Finding healthy snack ideas can sometimes be tricky, but finding a convenient way to have them ready for the dreaded “snack time” is even trickier.
If there is one thing I like it’s to find a simple solution to an ongoing “problem”. The snack tray has been the perfect solution in our household. It is a tray with multiple compartments that has a cover, like a typical vegetable tray. I have been using these types of trays as snack trays all summer and it has worked like a charm; the snack tray has even brought about some added benefits I wasn’t anticipating:
- Healthy Eating – Little Dude loves snacks and loves treat snacks the best, but since we have introduced the snack tray he is eating WAY MORE fruits and vegetables than ever before. It has worked great for the Mr and I as well; when we are looking for an evening snack the snack tray is the quickest thing to pull out of the fridge and is generally filled with 0 point foods making it a 100% guilt free choice.
- Variety – this comes from my need to make the tray “look pretty” all the time. I have found myself trying to find new things to add regularly just to add colour or variety. Pinterest is always where I look for inspiration and have found a few recipes that we’ve loved including in our snack tray. Banana sushi, no bake oatmeal bites and cucumber sandwiches are three of my favourites.
- Meal Times – since we fill the tray with healthy food it has become a meal time accessory as well. During pretty much ever meal I put it out on the middle of the table for everyone to snack on. Some meals it doesn’t get touched while other times sections get completely emptied. Either way, the snack tray has been a nice addition to meal time.
- Convenience – this was the number one reason I started making the snack trays so it was not unexpected, but it was more SUCCESSFUL than I ever thought it would be. Refilling the tray is such a breeze and having it ready to go at the first “Can I have a snack?” request of the day has been a major convenience. Not to mention I get an added mom ego boost when I can instantly say “yep, here ya go”.
You can find a printable version of this entire list of healthy snack ideas at the end of this blog post; I’ve got you covered 😉
- Mini crispies
- Cereal bars
- Veggie straws
- Dried Apricots
- Figs
- Dates
- Raisin
- Cranberries
- Roasted Chick peas
- Oranges
- Trail mix
- Raw Almonds
- Raw Cashews
- Raw Walnuts
- Peanuts
- Pepperoni
- Salome sticks
- Beef Jerkey (w/o sugar)
- Radish
- Orange slices
- Apple slices
- Green grapes
- Red grapes
- Strawberries
- Raspberries
- Blueberries
- Blackberries
- Watermelon
- Cantaloupe
- Honeydew melon
- Tangerines
- Clementines
- Cherries
- Pineapple
- Kiwi
- Red pepper
- Green pepper
- Yellow pepper
- Orange pepper
- Carrots
- Cucumber
- Mushrooms
- Cherry tomatoes
- Broccoli
- Cauliflower
- Celery
- Peas
- Green olives
- Black olives
- Bread and butter pickles
- Dill pickles
- Marshmallow
- Puffs (baby)
- Cheddar cheese
- Mozzarella cheese
- Monterey Jack Jalapeño cheese
- Granola bars
- Granola bites
- Deli ham
- Deli turkey
- Deli roast beef
- Pretzels
- Popcorn
- Bite size sandwiches
- Sandwich wheels (otherwise known as Banana Sushi)
- Cucumber sandwiches
- Boiled eggs
- Deviled eggs
- Gold fish crackers
- Cereal
- Cookies
- Sushi
- Tuna salad cucumber bites
- Pumpkin seeds
- Yellow beans
Click here for your FREE HEALTHY SNACK IDEAS PRINTABLE PDF; the perfect reminder to keep on your fridge
If you decide to try a snack tray, make sure to tag your photo @theresashoeforthat on Instagram / Facebook and use the hashtag #theresashoeforthat – I can’t wait to see all of your healthy snack ideas!
xo Jenna
SHOP SNACK TRAYS
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4 Comments
Anna
September 2, 2019 at 1:41 amI love these genuinely healthy snack ideas of mostly fresh unprocessed foods. I also love the idea of the snack tray as part of dinner. How brilliant?!
Jenna MacDonald
September 16, 2019 at 9:34 pmThanks so much Anna – it has been working like a charm in our house!
Myra
September 14, 2019 at 7:46 amI love the tray you used in your pics! Do you remember where you got it?
Jenna MacDonald
September 16, 2019 at 9:29 pmIt is from tupperware. I’m not sure if the make it anymore as I bought it years ago but it is worth having a look 🙂