Healthy After School Snacks for Teens

Grabbing a piece of fruit is one of the quickest ways to satisfy hunger pangs. Keep an assortment of fruit you know your teen likes in the house. For an added treat, freeze seedless grapes—their sweet taste and popsicle-like texture makes them a great alternative to ice cream or other frozen treats. Another option is to cut up fruit into an attractive fruit salad so your teen can grab a bowlful with ease (check out the recipe below).

Cut up bell peppers, carrots, cucumbers, celery, cherry tomatoes, raw broccoli and/or cauliflower and store in containers in the fridge so they’re ready to grab when anyone in the family is in need of a crunchy snack. The veggies can be dipped in hummus, guacamole or low-fat dressing (you can make it yourself or buy store-bought varieties). Some veggies also go great with nut butters for an added protein boost.

When teens are craving chips or a similar type of snack, fruit or veggies may not cut it for them. That’s when a healthy trail mix can be the perfect snack for teens. Store bought trail mixes can get pricey and may not always include healthy ingredients so it’s often better to make your own. To do so, mix together a cup of two different whole-grain, low-sugar cereals and add a cup of mixed nuts and a half-cup of raisins or other dried fruit. Sprinkle in some chocolate chips if you have a chocolate lover in the house. The mix can be stored in an airtight container in the pantry.

What teen doesn’t love pizza, whether as an after school snack or a meal? To make a healthy version, keep whole grain English muffins, pasta sauce and shredded mozzarella cheese in the house. This is a great snack for teens because they can just make their own mini pizzas when hunger strikes by assembling the ingredients and toasting until the cheese melts in a toaster oven. Another option is to make a batch of mini cauliflower pizzas (recipe below) that can be reheated in seconds.

If your teen often craves sweet after school snacks, keep the ingredients on hand for them to customize their own yogurt parfaits. To make this sweet treat, all they have to do is to layer their favorite flavor of yogurt (to reduce sugar, use plain yogurt) with fresh fruit, low-sugar granola and a sprinkling of nuts. Berries and bananas go great with yogurt, but any type of fruit can be used.