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Snacking is my Achilles’ heel. Put a snack in front of me and it’s gone in seconds. I’m even known to bring on-the-go-snacks; my giant Mary Poppins-like bags are always filled with the essentials, so my daughters and I don’t have to worry about going hungry when we are out and about.
Given my snack obsession, it’s only fitting my kids got the snacking bug too. But their love runs deep; so deep I’m wondering how, come the fall, they’re going to make it through a full day of non-virtual school sans snacks.
Right now, our eating schedule looks something like this:
8:00 am: Breakfast
8:15 am: Snack
8:27 am: Snack
.
.
.
12:00 pm: Lunch
12:07 pm: Snack
12:15 pm: Snack
You get the idea. The snacking is real! Pre-pandemic, I regulated snack time, but during the pandemic, I exchanged the nagging about snacks for the need to stay sane. So, in our house, snacking increased.
In the process of trying to relinquish control, while simultaneously making sure my kids don’t eat only junk food, I set out on a mission to find some of my favorite childhood snacks with healthier ingredients. So, without further ado, read on for the most delicious snack filled roundup!
Evergreen Waffles
Growing up, I ate Eggo waffles for breakfast every single weekday morning. I remember my dad popping them in the toaster oven while my sister, brother and I sat at the kitchen table. Fast forward 23 years and my daughters also enjoy frozen waffles for breakfast.
When I came across Evergreen, homemade frozen waffles made with clean ingredients, I couldn’t wait to get my hands on them. What’s better than finding a solid breakfast or mid-morning snack that takes just seconds to prepare and offers so much goodness with so few ingredients?!
Evergreen waffles are made from scratch with healthy ingredients like whole-grain wheat flour, avocado oil, and honey. And with no processed ingredients, no added sugars and between six and eight grams of protein per serving these waffles are a new morning staple in my house.
I tried every flavor Evergreen offers, all of which arrived through the mail, packed in dry ice. My favorite flavors were Peanut Butter & Banana, Pumpkin & Pecan (limited edition), and Mixed Berry & Almond, made with homemade preserves. Yum!
Blake’s Seed Based Rice Crispy Treats
If you didn’t have a Kellogg’s Rice Krispie Treat at a young age, were you even a child? Who can forget that bright blue wrapped marshmallowy treat? My mom didn’t buy them much because they were filled with sugar, but when she did, we were ecstatic.
What if I told you the same childhood favorite was now available with a ton of added healthier ingredients? Enter Blake’s Seed Based Rice Crispy Treats. While each treat contains some added sugar (five grams to be exact), the addition of pumpkin seeds, flax seeds, and other antioxidant-rich ingredients evens things out.
Even more exciting than the ingredients featured are those they left out. All Blake’s products are allergen-free; they don’t have peanuts, tree nuts, milk, soy, eggs wheat, or sesame. And with both a fruity flavor (Strawberry) and a chocolatey flavor (Chocolate Chip), there is something for everyone’s taste buds. I’m usually a chocolate lover, but in this case, I’m preferred strawberry.
BEHAVE Candy
There is no shortage of gummy bear-like candies on the market. However, there is a shortage of gummy treats that are low in sugar, low in carbs, and high in taste.
BEHAVE Candy is filling the gap with its Seriously Good Gummy Bears and Seriously Good Sour Bears. Unlike most gummy candies, which are filled with sugar, calories, and carbs, BEHAVE Candy only has one gram of sugar, four grams of net carbs, and are 80 calories. And that’s for an entire bag.
I was hesitant to try this snack; how good could a low sugar candy taste? To my surprise, they were good, like really good. The consistency is a bit tougher than I’m used to with gummies, but the flavors earn two-thumbs up from me and the kiddos. I’m a sucker for sour candy, so the Sour Bears were my favorite between the two.
Snow Days Frozen Pizza Bites
I had to show some love to the savory delicacies too, so I snagged Snow Days Pizza Bites to test. Pizza bites are one of the best snacks out there; pop them in the toaster oven and you have a hearty snack ready in under 10 minutes. And with kids who are constantly “starving” regardless of when they last ate, speed is of the essence.
Snow Days Pizza Bites are produced under the HumanCo Brand umbrella and are the brainchild of Jason Karp, best known for his highly successful chocolate company HuKitchen. Because of his chocolate reputation, I had a feeling I would be in good hands with the pizza. And I was right. The pizza bites are filled with all organic and grass-fed ingredients, have no added sugars, and are gluten-free, which means pizza is no longer off-limits to those allergic to gluten!
It’s recommended on the back of the packaging to cook the pizza bites for nine to twelve minutes, but from my experience, that’s too long (seven did the trick for me!). The cheese and sauce did ooze out of the bite, so I suggest covering your pan with tin foil for quick cleanup.
When I made the pizza bites for my daughters, they finished every last bite; my five-year-old even let me know, “Mommy, I love them. They are yummy in my tummy.” For kids who don’t usually clean their plates, that was a tell-tale sign this snack is now a staple in our rotation.
Edoughble
My daughters and I enjoy baking together. Without a doubt, at the end of every bake session, the question I always get is “can we lick the batter?” I loved doing this when I was young, so I understand where they are coming from. But because of the raw egg, I limit how much they taste.
With Edoughble, an all-natural, edible cookie dough, I no longer have to ration the dough. Now, the girls and I can eat as much cookie dough as we want without ingesting raw ingredients.
We tried the following flavors: Cookies N’ Dreams, Birthday Bash, Milk N’ Cookies, Chocolate Chip off the Ol’ Block, and Chocolate Chip off the Ol’ Block Non-Dairy. We also got the Dough-It-Yourself Kit (DIY Kit) that came with Oreo cookies, sprinkles, and chocolate chips. I think it was at this point in our taste test my seven-year-old told me she thinks I have “the best job ever.” I have to agree!
Jeni’s Splendid Ice Creams
Simply put, Jeni’s is the Rolls Royce of ice cream, unlike any I’ve ever tried. It’s creamy, flavorful, made with whole ingredients and dairy from grass-pastured cows and without synthetic flavors or food additives.
Yes, it’s still ice cream, but the lack of chemicals and artificial flavors makes me feel better about indulging. And indulge we did, trying: Blackout Chocolate Cake, Cookies in Cream, Salted Peanut Butter Chocolate Flecks, Gooey Butter Cake, and the newest flavor—Buttercream Birthday Cake.
I wish I could pick a favorite, but one tasted better than the next. The thought behind every flavor combination is obvious as soon as the spoon hits your mouth. Even the flavors that felt basic like the Cookies in Cream tasted anything but basic; for example the vanilla flavor was on an entirely different level.
Full Heart… and Full Stomach
This roundup is one of my most special and tastiest assignments to date because I got to marry my two passions, parenting and writing. Oh, and snacks—so I guess my three passions! Having the chance to involve my daughters in this experience leaves me with a full heart… and a full stomach. Add these brands to your pantry today, your family will thank me later!
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