One of the struggles most moms face is the constant, unrelenting appetites of their children. Snacks and meals, meals and snacks. Once one meal is done, it is time to start the next one! When my kids were little, there were days my husband would come home and I would remark, “All I did today was cook food and change diapers!” Now that my kids are teens, I no longer have to change diapers but I sometimes feel like I live in the kitchen, especially when one of those teens is going through a growth spurt.

When you combine the large volume of food that growing children need with the workload that is needed to produce some traditional foods, you can quickly find yourself overloaded and not knowing what to fix. Variety is the key to happy kids. I can fix a favorite meal and it will be received with cheers, but if I serve it for three days in a row, I hear disappointment on day two and complaints by day three. So to accomplish having a variety on hand, I recommend you batch cook and freeze meals and a large variety of snacks, then rotate through them so your children do not become bored with what is offered to them.

This is a list of snack ideas. Not all of these are freezable, but if you put this list on your fridge, when you’re having a busy day or in a fog, it will help you quickly throw together some snacks to keep the kiddies happy. This combination, grazing approach can also revive the tired lunch box or provide you with a kid-friendly meal when you’re sick or too tired.

I serve these snacks in a snack tray, so my kids have a little of each of a wide variety of foods. The trays has a center well for dipping and six wells around the outside. These types of trays are easy to find in stores like Target during the Summer. Tupperware also sells a very large version. They’re really great if you have a child who prefers to graze through snack time. I try to do two fats, one protein, one veggie, one fruit, one carb, and one dip each time I put the trays together.

Fats and Proteins

Cheese cubes

Crispy sunflower seeds

Crispy pumpkin seeds

Crispy or sprouted nuts or peanuts

Nori strips

Mini meatballs

‘Crocodile’ Nuggets

Roasted vegetables

Hard boiled egg pieces

Lara bars

French Fries

Coconut flour brownie bites

Coconut flour baked goods

Mrs. Mays

Crispy nuts

Sushi rolls

Chicken nuggets

Fish sticks

Stuffed grape leaves

Trail mix

Bean Fudge- chocolate, peanut butter or pumpkin

Cubed meat

Lunch meat rolls

Pinwheel rolls (lunch meat rolled into tortillas)

Pemmican

Bacon

Nutbutter balls

Taquitos

Coconut oil candy squares

Beef jerky bites

Sausage wheels

Sliced sausage

Cold meatloaf cut into cubes or strips

Coconut milk jello gigglers

Sliced hot dogs

Meat kebabs

Mini black bean cakes

Mini almond macaroons

Wellshire turkey sticks

Salmon rolls

Rumaki

Stuffed mushrooms

Mini quiche cups

Rumaki

Cucumber and Chickpea Salad

Carbs

Homemade or whole grain crackers

Olives

Carob chips

Chocolate chips

Homemade granola

Cereal

Rice patties

Cooked pasta shapes

Crackers

Plain or seasoned popcorn

Macaroons

Mini muffins

Silver-dollar pancakes

Waffle sticks

Mini-sandwiches

Mini-cookies

Cut up, homemade cereal bars

Boiled peanuts

Blue corn chips

Popovers

Homemade jello gigglers

Pita Chips

Homemade Tortilla crisps

Banana or Zucchini bread

Fried Oatmeal

Fruits

Red seedless grapes

Peaches

Pineapple

Pear

Dried fruit

Raisins

Dates

Apple

Goji berries

Orange sections

Fruit leather

Strawberries

Raspberries

Blackberries

Diced watermelon

Prunes

Blueberries

Banana chips fried in coconut oil

Apple chips

Cantaloupe

Melons

Grapefruit

Pear slices

Sultanas

Banana dipped in carob or chocolate sauce

Banana slices fried in lard or bacon fat

Banana Tacos

Veggies

Baby carrots

Lima beans

Baby spinach leaves

Cucumber slices

Julienned cucumber

Cherry tomatoes

Sugar snap peas

Cucumber and Chickpea Salad

Carrot chips

Sweet potato chips

Steamed green beans

Freeze-dried veggies

English peas

Crystallized ginger

Celery

Bell pepper strips

Homemade tater tots

Roasted veggie cubes

Steamed sweet potato cubes

‘Crocodile’ Nuggets

Avocado slices

Cauliflower

Broccoli

Sauerkraut

Stuffed Tomatoes

Lacto-fermented pickles

Asparagus tips

Roasted chickpeas

Beans

Dips

Applesauce

Peanut butter

Nut butter

Hummus

Chicken liver pate

Cashew cream

Miso

Ranch Dressing

Salad dressing

Baba ganoush

Mayo