Afterschool snacks

Is it just my kids who come out of school ravenous?

I swear they must give their lunch away everyday. Only joking-they don’t share food!

I know they are eating everything because their lunchboxes only contain empty wrappers and orange peel.

So when they get home at 3.45 pm and dinner isn’t until 6 then I have to find the balance between them being ‘hangry’ and not spoiling their dinner.

Beware though! A good appetiser has the side effect of increasing the appetite, so they may want their dinner even earlier than you had planned.

These are our top 10 go to snacks:-

Popcorn
There's no need to buy this. It is easy enough to cook a small batch and keep it in a sealed container for a couple of days. It’s much cheaper to make it at home than it is in the cinema 😳
Apple
Or a pear. A lot of the time my two are thirsty rather than hungry so a watery fruit solves both issues.
Vegetable sticks and hummus
Carrots, sliced peppers or cucumber sticks served with a light hummus or yoghurt based dip can definitely take the edge off.
Frozen melon
Cut a melon into chunks, freeze it and then keep in a freezer bag. Take out as much or as little as you want. You might even want to pop a lolly stick into it.
Seeded flapjack
We all have our favourite flapjack recipe, and I’m no different. I add seeds into mine to increase the protein and the porridge oats are slow release.
Courgette muffins
Wholewheat courgette, raisin and oatmeal muffins are a real crowd-pleaser. Make up a big batch and freeze them. Just take a couple out of the freezer before the school run and they will be defrosted by the time you get home.
No bake granola bars
Peanut butter, natural sugars, oats and seeds all mixed together and then left to set. What could be easier.
Cheese straws
Another one for making up in advance and freezing. I would get the kids to make these themselves. A big batch and then freeze what you don’t eat for another day. Just take out of the freezer as and when you need them.
Pizza Toast
A slice of bread,(toasted on 1 side), some ketchup, a sprinkling of cheese and a couple of mini circles of salami.Toast the second side and you have a filling snack.
Eggy bread.
My favourite of all these snacks. Bread, egg, milk, seasoning and a couple of minutes in a frying pan with some melted butter.

If you have any other favourite snacks, let me know. You can share your ideas on our social media platforms.

Maria x