Hellobee

I find it’s really easy to get into a rut when I serve snacks to my children. When they were toddlers, I gave them the same things over and over: Cheerios, chopped fruit and cubes of cheese. All of these foods are healthy and tasty, and there is absolutely nothing wrong with them, but after a while they got boring for everyone involved. Here are three ideas for quick and nutritious snacks that shake things up a little:

Berry Applesauce

Applesauce is a great, easy snack, but it becomes something special when you take an extra minute to add a few berries to it.

I always keep a couple of bags of berries in our freezer so we’ll still have fruit on hand when we’ve run through the contents of our fruit bowl. To make this treat, I put a few berries in the bottom of a bowl and microwave them until they’re heated through. I used blueberries here, but any other kind of berry works well too. Smoosh the berries a little with the back of a spoon to help release some of their juice, and then add applesauce on top and stir well. The applesauce should cool the berries down enough for your child to eat it immediately, but be sure to double-check that it’s at a safe temperature before you give it to him.

Teeny Caprese Salad

This salad is delicious and the bright colors are appealing to little ones. The tomatoes supply a serving of veggies, and the cheese provides protein and calcium.

To make it, chop grape tomatoes to a size that’s appropriate for your child’s developmental stage — fine for smaller eaters, a bit larger for older toddlers. Stir in some perline mozzarella balls (or chopped fresh mozzerella if this tiny size isn’t available) and sprinkle with a little balsamic vinegar. You can leave the vinegar off if its flavor is too challenging for your toddler.

Kitchen Sink Smoothie

Smoothies are super-nutritious and most kids adore them. I make them with slightly different ingredients just about every time, but they always turn out delicious. Bonus: there are few things cuter than hearing how your toddler pronounces the word “smoothie.” My boys each said “snooty” and “moofies.” Hee!

This is the formula I use when I make a smoothie:

• a carton of yogurt — today I used peach-mango greek yogurt
• a banana broken into pieces
• frozen fruit, thawed slightly — I used mixed berries, but mango and pineapple are nice too
• a bit of frozen spinach — this adds a bit of extra nutrition without imparting any weird flavors, but you can leave it out if you want
• a splash of milk to keep it liquid

Pulse everything in a food processor or blender until smooth and evenly combined. If it seems a bit thick, add a little more milk to loosen it up.

What types of snacks to you make your toddler when you want to shake things up?