This past summer, I had six teenagers in my house, one of whom turned 20 at the end of June. My kids are athletes, and all but one have jobs outside the home. They are active and (thankfully) healthy people, but MAN can they eat! I’m always looking for healthy food ideas when their snack attacks hit.
Especially during sports seasons, I know my kids need to eat a lot and often. I mean, you know you have active lifestyle teens in your house when you buy 30 energy bars, 2 lbs. of cheese, six gallons of milk, about 15 to 20 lbs of meat and assorted other foods on a Friday, and it’s all gone in less than five days! I don’t fault them. I know they’re hungry and need fuel. I can, however, at least try to come up with healthy food ideas to avoid toxic snacking.
Omit the bread on a peanut butter sandwich for healthy food ideas
If you’re thinking I’m crazy because you can’t have a sandwich without bread, think again. Healthy food ideas should always include fresh fruit and proteins. The next time your teens need a snack, offer them peanut butter sandwiches, except instead of bread, use thinly sliced apple rounds!
Voila! Slicing apples into circles and spreading peanut butter in between provides an instant yummy snack that is rich in protein and fiber!
Trail mix packs are healthy food ideas for trail runners
While my (10) kids have participated in numerous sports throughout the years, for the past 11 years, seven of them have been competitive runners. Running both cross country and track and field events requires a tremendous amount of energy and endurance. It also makes teenagers ravenously hungry! Making homemade packs of trail mix provides healthy food ideas for runners and other athletes.
Always include a few types of nuts (provided there are no allergies) then mix in dried fruit and dark chocolate as well. A great combination would be cashews and almonds with dried cranberries and dark chocolate chips. Is there sugar involved here? Yes, but it’s not the unhealthy kind you’re getting when you eat processed, added sugars from candy, donuts and other junk foods. And, it’s definitely not as bad as high fructose corn syrup. Our bodies need glucose and fructose and other naturally-occurring sugars, which you can find in dried fruits and dark chocolate.
Hummus is a versatile, healthy food choice
My personal favorite way to make hummus is to use three cans of black beans. Process them in your mixing machine, then drizzle in some high quality olive oil, four or five cloves of crushed garlic, a dash of fresh lemon juice and a couple large pinches of sea salt or pink Himalayan salt. YUM! Hummus is a valuable tool when the goal is to come up with healthy food ideas for teenagers’ snack attacks.
If you want to be a step ahead of this game, keep loads of sliced celery, carrots, cucumbers or other fresh veggies in the fridge. When a snack attack hits, you’ve got a ready-made, healthy option waiting for your hungry teen!
Chocolate-covered nuts or dipped fruit
Melt some dark chocolate, then dip fresh strawberries in to create healthy food ideas for snacking teens. Again, if there are no nut allergies to worry about, you can also dip cashews, almonds or other favorite nuts, as well.
And, now, for the BEST-tasting snack food ever!
Many people might call this next idea a breakfast meal, and it definitely can serve that purpose. Remember, though, that this post is about HUNGRY TEENS. My kids think of this combination as a snack, and they LOVE it. You simply toast your favorite type of bread (Try to make it a healthy option.) then lightly spread with some real butter. On top, place a fried egg, some salt and pepper, then diced and salted avocado.
THIS. IS. THE. BOMB!
Remember that eggs, in general, are a great source of protein for highly active teenagers. I try to keep a dozen or two hard-boiled eggs in the fridge, freshly peeled and seasoned with salt and pepper to satiate my teens when snack attacks hit. Sometimes, I toss in some hot sauce, too, which gives it a great punch.
If your teens would rather have deviled-style eggs, you can still keep the hard-boiled eggs ready to go. That way, when your teens are hungry, they can quickly whip up some deviled eggs and season them anyway they like!
Do you have healthy food ideas to share for teenage snack attacks? Leave a comment under this post on our Hot Mess Press Facebook page to tell us about your favorites!
