As working parents of a multisport 13-year-old (Carolyn) as well as 13- and 11-year-olds with food allergies (Penelope), we know the importance of making sure that we have plenty of healthy snacks around that our kids will actually eat. Not only do we pack school lunches for our kids every day, but we also need to send in snacks—sometimes several, if they have after-school activities on the docket. Enter these make-ahead, big-batch snack recipes. Not only are they kid-approved, they’re also easy to make and ensure that our entire family—adults included!—have healthy, tasty snacks we can send to school or snack on ourselves when hunger strikes.
-Carolyn Malcoun, Associate Editorial Director, and Penelope Wall, Assistant General Manager
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Crunchy High-Protein Quinoa Bites
Photographer: Jen Causey, Food Stylist: Chelsea Zimmer, Prop Stylist: Claire Spollen
I’m trying to eat more protein, plus our daughter plays sports year round, so I’m always looking for new snack ideas to keep things interesting. These have great crunch plus are nutty and chocolatey—our favorite flavor combo. — Carolyn
Homemade Ranch Dip
Photographer: Rachel Marek, Food stylist: Annie Probst
My husband and I are big on crudités and dip for snacking. From carrot and kohlrabi sticks to mini bell peppers and cucumber, we’re happy to dip just about anything in homemade ranch. Our daughter does too! I like to swap plain strained (Greek-style) yogurt for the mayonnaise for some extra protein and tangy flavor. —Carolyn
Chocolate Zucchini Bread
Photogrpaher: Morgan Hunt Glaze, Prop Stylist: Shell Royster, Food Stylist: Chelsea Zimmer
This recipe is just sweet enough. In fact, I was worried my kids wouldn’t like it. I was wrong. They literally devoured it within a day and asked me to make another loaf. I used regular whole-wheat flour and it worked fine. I took advice from others and swirled in half the chocolate chips into the batter and the rest on top. I probably did 1/4 cup each so a bit more total than the recipe called for. Normally, I prefer quick breads warm from the oven, but this one gets even better and more chocolatey the next day. — Penelope
Garlic Hummus
Photography: Carson Downing, Food: Holly Dreesman, Props: Gabe Greco
Love how easy this hummus recipe is—using the chickpea liquid instead of water is genius. My kids love this recipe too. I pack it in their lunch boxes in individual containers and serve with pita bread and cut up veggies. A family fave. I’ve tried it with sunflower seed butter in place of the tahini and it tastes great. Drizzle with nice olive oil on top to make it extra special. — Penelope
Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Granola Bars
This is one of my favorite EatingWell recipes of all time; it’s based on a customizable granola bar formula. I use unsweetened shredded coconut in place of the pecans to make it nut-free. Sometimes brown rice syrup can be hard to find, but it’s worth seeking out. I’ve tried substituting with honey and it technically works, but the texture is more sticky and crumbly and the taste is much sweeter. I also think using mini chocolate chips is key in this recipe. —Penelope
Strawberry-Chocolate Greek Yogurt Bark
This is a snack I keep on hand for after school and after camps. It takes less than 10 minutes to make and the kids think it’s actually ice cream. I will let them hold onto that illusion for as long as possible. —Penelope
Roasted Buffalo Chickpeas
My entire family—from my sporty daughter and husband to my menopausal self—are looking to add more protein to our diets, and this protein-packed snack is a real winner. Not only do we snack on them by the handful, but they’re a great crunchy topper to lunchtime salads. —Carolyn
Pumpkin Blender Muffins
This is hands-down my kids’ favorite snack: they request these muffins almost weekly during the school year (with the chocolate chips, of course). I love that everything goes right in the blender. The base is oats, so this is an easy way to get in whole grains without anyone even noticing. I have had some success omitting the eggs and using a whole can of pumpkin instead—it just makes for denser muffins, but my kids don’t seem to mind and it means everyone can eat them since my son has an egg allergy. Fair warning: they never last till the end of the week. —Penelope
Peanut Butter Energy Balls
Photographer: Brie Goldman, Food Stylist: Holly Dreesman, Prop Stylist: Gabriel Greco
My daughter loves to bake, so she’s always stirring up random concoctions. This is one of her go-to recipes. It’s simple enough that she has been making it without supervision since she was a little kid. We usually add chocolate chips to make them extra special. —Carolyn
Rosemary-Garlic Pecans
Jennifer Causey
I love to snack on nuts—particularly buttery pecans. But sometimes plain nuts are just, well, plain. Enter these seasoned pecans. Not only does the combo of rosemary and garlic make them super savory, but roasting them in the oven makes the nuts a little more crunchy. —Carolyn
Cinnamon Streusel Banana Bread
Photographer: Jen Causey, Food Stylist: Emily Nabors Hall, Prop Stylist: Phoebe Hauser
Last summer I wanted to zhuzh up our usual banana bread recipe so I added a layer of brown sugar and cinnamon to the middle. We loved it so much, I suggested that we officially create a recipe for EatingWell. This version includes nuts in the streusel, which adds nice texture, but you can definitely omit them (or sub sunflower seeds or pepitas) if you’re sharing this with someone with a nut allergy. —Carolyn
Peanut Butter–Banana Chocolate Bark
Like many other people, we snagged bags of Reese’s peanut butter-and-chocolate-dipped banana slices from Costco but, if I’m being honest, we weren’t the biggest fans. We thought the flavor was really bland. So I made a batch of this bark instead and it was so much tastier. I hope you agree! —Carolyn
Edible Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Balls
These are so easy and fun, you cannot taste the chickpeas at all. The peanut butter flavor definitely shines through, so if you’re looking for a more classic cookie dough flavor, I’d suggest trying a more neutral nut or seed butter. — Penelope
