Have you ever watched a teenage boy eat 15 cheeseburgers in one sitting?
Many moons ago, when I was in high school, my two older brothers and their gaggle of friends would drive to the golden arches after school to see who could down the most cheeseburgers and fries in one sitting. After stuffing their faces with burgers they’d all go home and eat dinner.
Indubitably, left to his own devices, a teenage boy’s idea of after-school snacks and a mom’s idea of healthy snacks for teens can be two very different things.
In my brothers’ defense, I have to say we didn’t really know any better. Only weird families ate micro-greens and butternut squash. We didn’t even know what quinoa was. As teenagers, we went in more for giant bowls of sugar cereal, pizza rolls, and cheap cheeseburgers than smoothies or veggie bowls.
Times have changed.
Today, even middle school kids are drinking smoothies with beets and kale while high school athletes down millet pizza and sweet potato breakfast cookies between classes. Ingredient options have vastly improved, as has the acceptance of healthy eating.
One of my brothers ate his way through high school and then went crazy losing weight in college by eating only canned veggies and running on the track at all hours of the night. It worked, but it wasn’t super healthy. But how could he know? I never remember my parents talking to us about making healthy choices except maybe something along the lines of “Don’t eat so many chips.”
Today, there’s no excuse for kids not to learn early how to eat healthily. There are so many foods that will nourish and energize them throughout the day. Snacks are no exception.
With Pinterest at your fingertips, making healthy snacks for teens is a breeze. It just takes a little know-how and some creativity to make food that will hit the spot without adding unnecessary fat, sugar, and calories.
As moms and dads, your job is to prepare your teens for life. Teaching them how to make food that is quick, tasty, and inexpensive while still healthy and nutritious doesn’t have to be hard. You just have to have the right ingredients on hand and a few brilliant ideas about how to put them together.
That’s why I created the HEALTHY SNACKS FOR HUNGRY TEENS list. It’s full of nutritious foods that you can keep on hand in your pantry and fridge for a delicious, filling, anytime snack. And guess what? It’s not just for teens. It’s for you too!
The key is filling your house with healthy options, then teaching kids how to put them together in simple, tasty ways. This list will help get you started. Once you get the ingredients together the options are virtually limitless.
How to use the HEALTHY SNACKS list
The HEALTHY SNACKS FOR HUNGRY TEENS list is a jumping-off point for you and your kids to add nutritious snacks into your daily diet. It’s definitely not exhaustive. I understand every family has different tastes. Therefore, you can add your own favorites to the list and create your own favorite snack recipes.
The goal behind the list is three-fold.
First, it’s meant to help you get healthy foods into your house so your teens can have everything they need to make delicious snacks you can all feel good about.
Second, it’s meant to be a teaching tool to help you teach your kids to make food that is nutritious and easy but also delicious. When something is simple it’s easier to adopt it as a regular habit. For example, deciding to walk a mile is easier to incorporate into your daily life than trying to run three miles right out of the gate. Right? Can you say sucking air?
Third, the list is meant to be part of a larger collection of recipes you can send with your teen when he heads off to college or she gets her first apartment. In each of my newsletters, I send out simple recipes using ingredients from the list. If you print them and add them to a notebook eventually you’ll have a whole collection of ideas that will carry your teen into adulthood.
A few healthy options today will help propel your student into a lifetime of healthy choices.
What’s included with the list
When you download the list you’ll get several things. Besides the actual list, you’ll also get a blank list to which you can add your family’s favorite ingredients.
I’ve also included a cover page for if you decide to put it all in a notebook for your teen to take with him when he leaves home.
Finally, there is a small-sized list that can be attached to your fridge or pantry door to remind your teens how to make healthy choices. We keep our laminated list on the door of the refrigerator.
***If your mini-list prints big, just reprint it by itself at 75%.***
Healthy snacks for everyone
You don’t want to miss out on getting this list because it’s not just for your teens. Kids of all ages can use it and so can you.
How many times have you stood in front of the fridge and wondered what to eat? I do it all the time, and I’m the mom. I should know, but I get busy and then I get hangry. Yup, you read that right, hangry. I need to eat or I’m a bear, and not in the cute Winnie-The-Pooh sort of way.
This list is super helpful for me and it will be for you too. Kids need to see adults modeling good habits and that includes eating habits. This will help.
So, don’t delay. Get your copy of the HEALTHY SNACKS FOR HUNGRY TEENS and start helping your teens make healthy, nutritious, and simple snacks today.
What’s your favorite healthy snack?
