Are you maintaining your body for its best performance? I hope so. We will be talking about the ultimate healthy snack for your big hungry kids. When I say big kids, I don't necessarily mean children exclusively. In fact, I consider myself a big kid as well. Why shouldn't I? I find it highly enjoyable to be a big kid at times.
We will discuss about healthy snacks and the alternative to sugar and those other chemically-laden snacks which are so readily available on the shelves of the supermarket. What can we do? What can you do for your family, and how can we live and eat a little better in our life? The answer is quite simple: By choosing the correct snacks. When I say snacks, I mean the type of food that you can just grab in between meals, just to tide you over until the next meal. A snack can be anything and we find that there are so many available today and that's what we will be talking about. We are very excited about the different types because you can literally eat healthy all day, and not worry about what you're consuming. The question is, €Do you have some great snacks that you'd like to share, which you know are healthy, and are not laden with chemicals or sugar?€ I hope so, because so many of them are available out there.
So why is it important to talk about snacks? Believe it or not, the reason why a lot of people are overweight and have health issues is because they constantly eat stuff which they are not supposed to. It's the incorrect types of food that they put into their mouths and the reason why we do this is because we are bored, we need some sort of additional nutrition, some energy level boosts, and many other reasons as well. The main reason why we pick this stuff is because they are easily there, in front of us.
What happens then, if you replace these things with other health alternatives? Would it do you better? Absolutely! And if you are part of a family with kids, this is most important because kids are always saying that they're hungry and would constantly ask for something to eat or something to snack on before lunch or a meal. It's important since kids have big appetites because they are growing up, not to mention are highly energetic. However, they are not particular with what they put in their mouths. They would just eat when they're hungry and move on. Feed them with healthy alternatives to keep them fit and in shape.
There's a great way to get around the subject of craving for something sweet, chemically-laden, or your unhealthy choices. We have to think smart, think of great combinations of healthy food, not just plain and boring presentations. It's all about eating a great variety or taste. After all, since God gave us taste for a reason, we might as well use them and fulfill them to the best of our ability. In a healthy manner, that is.
The reason I'm bringing this up is because I too have children and they are constantly asking for things to eat, for additional snacks, at anytime during the day. It's good to be able to feed them other great alternatives rather than just going straight for the packaged foods on the cupboard. We can give them some great healthy alternatives, and there are some of them that you can do as well.
If you live a busy life like us, there's absolutely no excuse on why you can't do them as well. We all get busy, and we all get waylaid, and we may forget to do a bit of shopping from time to time, getting us stuck with nothing on the cupboard. We have to get clever, put our imaginations on overdrive, and make something up from scratch. Kids usually like to have something fulfilling. Big kids do too. So instead of reaching for the chocolate bar or the chips to tide you over until the next meal, these are some great healthy alternatives instead: FRUITS and VEGETABLES. That's right. They are the obvious answers, and they make great and healthy snacks. They work very well in my household. The kids love them because they are presented in creative and enticing ways.
VEGETABLE CHIPS
Some of the best snacks we have at home include snow peas, green string beans, carrots, and celery. There's a little trick that you have to make sure of before you offer them. That is, they have to be FRESH and CRISPY. If they are not, they will have a bitter taste, and will turn them off as snack foods, even before they have begun their service. So, before you hand them over to your children, or your spouse perhaps, make sure they are fresh, crispy, and tasty. What we do is we put snow peas, green string beans, carrots, and celery in a lunchbox. With the carrots, make sure to choose the young ones because they are sweet-tasting and not bitter, unlike the old ones. We slice them into little pieces and place them together in the lunch box. What we end up having is a variety of vegetable chips. They make a great snack, with a crunch when we bite into them. Our kids love it, and they always have because we always present it to them in a fun and loving manner. You chop it up well, keep the vegetables young and fresh, and when you present it to the children, sometimes as a little game, they eat it up without any problems at all. They really enjoy them, and these snacks are also easier to place on the fridge or on their lunchboxes when they go to school.
RAW (FINGER) VEGETABLES
These are only some of the basic snacks. There are still so much more. For instance, have you ever tried eating a raw asparagus stem? It is really nice and crispy. Especially if it's fresh and young, it's really quite sweet. The other thing with raw foods is if you chop them really small, you have to keep them away from open air so they don't go all brown-looking and horrible. They are really tasty. Another one we use is sweet potato. You will find that you will really enjoy the taste, once you've chopped it up into little pieces. The younger ones are better tasting, of course. They are low GI foods and are really good for power-packed energy. They will fill you up and will last for quite a while. We also eat raw broccoli stem. The top may be a bit bitter, but the stem is really tasty, nice, and crisp. To tell you the truth, I could even eat a whole stem in a matter of minutes because it's really chewy and tastes great. Not to mention it is nutrient-packed, which is great for the body.
FRUITS
Now I've probably said a lot about the vegetables. Some fruits, on the other hand, which are good, are apples, oranges, kiwi fruit, blueberries, and a whole lot more. However, there are other different alternatives to these which you can try as well.
THE ULTIMATE HEALTHY SNACK
Next is the secret ultimate healthy snack for the big kids. They are the Banana Smoothie and the Mango Smoothie. They are sweet, really filling, and are delicious. Guess what? They have no sugar as well! That's the best thing about them. They are really healthy, filling, great, and there's no sugar! Everybody loves them! So, here's what we add to our Mango Smoothie.
Mango Flesh
Whole Milk
A tablespoon of honey
Raspberries
Approximately three drops of vanilla extract
Ice cubes
One whole egg
Half a banana (optional)
You mix them together in a blender, and it is absolutely scrumptious. We try to do this every week if we can because it is absolutely delicious. Everyone really loves it. The reason why it's the ultimate snack food for kids is because it fills them up immediately, gives them great energy, and they don't ask for snacks time and again. You just have to be careful not to give it too close to meal time because they won't eat their meals anymore. It would make a great afternoon snack.
POPCORN
So, what are the other great snacks that we would like to talk about? Well, one of my favourites is popcorn. Just plain old popcorn, without any additives. It's quite cheap and keeps the kids occupied for quite some time. They will make a great snack for your children. The good thing about it is it will be ready in just two to t
We will discuss about healthy snacks and the alternative to sugar and those other chemically-laden snacks which are so readily available on the shelves of the supermarket. What can we do? What can you do for your family, and how can we live and eat a little better in our life? The answer is quite simple: By choosing the correct snacks. When I say snacks, I mean the type of food that you can just grab in between meals, just to tide you over until the next meal. A snack can be anything and we find that there are so many available today and that's what we will be talking about. We are very excited about the different types because you can literally eat healthy all day, and not worry about what you're consuming. The question is, €Do you have some great snacks that you'd like to share, which you know are healthy, and are not laden with chemicals or sugar?€ I hope so, because so many of them are available out there.
So why is it important to talk about snacks? Believe it or not, the reason why a lot of people are overweight and have health issues is because they constantly eat stuff which they are not supposed to. It's the incorrect types of food that they put into their mouths and the reason why we do this is because we are bored, we need some sort of additional nutrition, some energy level boosts, and many other reasons as well. The main reason why we pick this stuff is because they are easily there, in front of us.
What happens then, if you replace these things with other health alternatives? Would it do you better? Absolutely! And if you are part of a family with kids, this is most important because kids are always saying that they're hungry and would constantly ask for something to eat or something to snack on before lunch or a meal. It's important since kids have big appetites because they are growing up, not to mention are highly energetic. However, they are not particular with what they put in their mouths. They would just eat when they're hungry and move on. Feed them with healthy alternatives to keep them fit and in shape.
There's a great way to get around the subject of craving for something sweet, chemically-laden, or your unhealthy choices. We have to think smart, think of great combinations of healthy food, not just plain and boring presentations. It's all about eating a great variety or taste. After all, since God gave us taste for a reason, we might as well use them and fulfill them to the best of our ability. In a healthy manner, that is.
The reason I'm bringing this up is because I too have children and they are constantly asking for things to eat, for additional snacks, at anytime during the day. It's good to be able to feed them other great alternatives rather than just going straight for the packaged foods on the cupboard. We can give them some great healthy alternatives, and there are some of them that you can do as well.
If you live a busy life like us, there's absolutely no excuse on why you can't do them as well. We all get busy, and we all get waylaid, and we may forget to do a bit of shopping from time to time, getting us stuck with nothing on the cupboard. We have to get clever, put our imaginations on overdrive, and make something up from scratch. Kids usually like to have something fulfilling. Big kids do too. So instead of reaching for the chocolate bar or the chips to tide you over until the next meal, these are some great healthy alternatives instead: FRUITS and VEGETABLES. That's right. They are the obvious answers, and they make great and healthy snacks. They work very well in my household. The kids love them because they are presented in creative and enticing ways.
VEGETABLE CHIPS
Some of the best snacks we have at home include snow peas, green string beans, carrots, and celery. There's a little trick that you have to make sure of before you offer them. That is, they have to be FRESH and CRISPY. If they are not, they will have a bitter taste, and will turn them off as snack foods, even before they have begun their service. So, before you hand them over to your children, or your spouse perhaps, make sure they are fresh, crispy, and tasty. What we do is we put snow peas, green string beans, carrots, and celery in a lunchbox. With the carrots, make sure to choose the young ones because they are sweet-tasting and not bitter, unlike the old ones. We slice them into little pieces and place them together in the lunch box. What we end up having is a variety of vegetable chips. They make a great snack, with a crunch when we bite into them. Our kids love it, and they always have because we always present it to them in a fun and loving manner. You chop it up well, keep the vegetables young and fresh, and when you present it to the children, sometimes as a little game, they eat it up without any problems at all. They really enjoy them, and these snacks are also easier to place on the fridge or on their lunchboxes when they go to school.
RAW (FINGER) VEGETABLES
These are only some of the basic snacks. There are still so much more. For instance, have you ever tried eating a raw asparagus stem? It is really nice and crispy. Especially if it's fresh and young, it's really quite sweet. The other thing with raw foods is if you chop them really small, you have to keep them away from open air so they don't go all brown-looking and horrible. They are really tasty. Another one we use is sweet potato. You will find that you will really enjoy the taste, once you've chopped it up into little pieces. The younger ones are better tasting, of course. They are low GI foods and are really good for power-packed energy. They will fill you up and will last for quite a while. We also eat raw broccoli stem. The top may be a bit bitter, but the stem is really tasty, nice, and crisp. To tell you the truth, I could even eat a whole stem in a matter of minutes because it's really chewy and tastes great. Not to mention it is nutrient-packed, which is great for the body.
FRUITS
Now I've probably said a lot about the vegetables. Some fruits, on the other hand, which are good, are apples, oranges, kiwi fruit, blueberries, and a whole lot more. However, there are other different alternatives to these which you can try as well.
THE ULTIMATE HEALTHY SNACK
Next is the secret ultimate healthy snack for the big kids. They are the Banana Smoothie and the Mango Smoothie. They are sweet, really filling, and are delicious. Guess what? They have no sugar as well! That's the best thing about them. They are really healthy, filling, great, and there's no sugar! Everybody loves them! So, here's what we add to our Mango Smoothie.
Mango Flesh
Whole Milk
A tablespoon of honey
Raspberries
Approximately three drops of vanilla extract
Ice cubes
One whole egg
Half a banana (optional)
You mix them together in a blender, and it is absolutely scrumptious. We try to do this every week if we can because it is absolutely delicious. Everyone really loves it. The reason why it's the ultimate snack food for kids is because it fills them up immediately, gives them great energy, and they don't ask for snacks time and again. You just have to be careful not to give it too close to meal time because they won't eat their meals anymore. It would make a great afternoon snack.
POPCORN
So, what are the other great snacks that we would like to talk about? Well, one of my favourites is popcorn. Just plain old popcorn, without any additives. It's quite cheap and keeps the kids occupied for quite some time. They will make a great snack for your children. The good thing about it is it will be ready in just two to t