ST. LOUIS — While your kids might not be ready to talk about school, simple steps to preparing for the school year now will kick off the changing seasons smoothly. Jennifer McDaniel, with McDaniel Nutrition Therapy, joined Mary in studio to share about her tips for afternoon snacks for both kids and adults.
McDaniel explains a solid 3 or 4 pm snack gives her and the kids the energy required for the second half of the day, which is often harder than the first. Look for well-balanced snacks: balance energy and blood sugars for upcoming after school activities.
McDaniel and her son, Chef Jack, shared 3 simple snacks to try at home!
McDaniel and Chef Jack’s go-to snacks:
DIY Trail Mix
Kids (and adults) love variety and trail mixes offer both variety in flavors and textures. Of course, when kids make their own, they’re more likely to choose it when snack time arrives. Buy a mixture of nuts, seeds, fruits, cereals, chocolate chips, and grains like pretzels, then let the kids make their own. Slap their name on their personalized container, and now they’ve established territories, so each kid has their own.
Cottage Cheese Cups with Fruits and Vegetables
McDaniel shares that she looks for afternoon snack foods that are higher in protein and produce to keep her blood sugars stable during the busiest part of her day. Prairie farms’ cottage cheese is both award winning and it’s sourced from our very own Midwest local dairy farms. Depending on your mood, you might go savory with cut up fresh veggies and herbs or fruit and granola. 1 cup of cottage cheese provides 26 grams of protein!
Nut Butter Stuffed Dates with Chocolate
One of Chef Jack’s favorite go-to fruits are dates. Dates are a fresh, not dried fruit, and when you buy the jumbo ones, they’re easy to fill with nut butter and top with chocolate.
Learn more about McDaniel Nutrition Therapy by visiting mcdanielnutrition.com and follow on Instagram @mcdanielnutrition.
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