This week’s Ultimate Recipe Swap features all kinds of lunchbox inspiration. As I mentioned in recounting our recent switch to packing lunches even though we’re home at mealtimes, I splurged a little on some sweet treats and fun snacks to include in the kids’ lunches. While shopping with me, FishBoy8 asked if we were going to Disneyland.
That tells you how “fun” those foods really were. Ha!
But at the same time, I realize that any progress we’ve made in reducing processed foods in our diet could be quickly wiped out on this new lunch packing venture. This month our breakfasts have all been homemade, made easy. So surely, I can do the same with convenient lunches, right?
Well, thankfully, Katie Kimball has helped me out in this area. Katie from Kitchen Stewardship sent me a copy of her eBook, Healthy Snacks to Go.
Katie sums it up well, in saying,
You’re starving. The kids are starving. It’s way past lunch and you haven’t even thought about dinner. You open up the cupboard and…all you see are ingredients. Uh oh.
Ain’t that the truth? It’s not hard to buy and serve “real food,” except that it’s, well, real food. It needs some preparation. And that is where a busy mom gets stopped in her tracks. Opening a box of super-hydrogenated, high-something or other is way easier.
Healthy Snacks to Go presents 30 better-for-you recipes that are easily portable. Several recipes caught my eye:
- Kitchen Stewardship Granola Bars
- Wheat Thin Style Crackers
- Applesauce (& Other) Fruit Rolls
My kids all love the processed versions of these foods, so I’m looking forward to experimenting in the weeks to come. I made a batch of granola bars (those beauties pictures) and am excited to see what kind of mix-ins our family likes best. Yum!
I’m not afraid to buy a box of crackers or a case of granola bars; in fact, I wouldn’t survive six hungry children without them. (Just keeping it real.) But, at the same time, I’d like to learn how to many more “convenience items” myself. As one reader put it, sounds like the theme of a freezer cooking day coming soon.
One of the things that I love about this cookbook is that Katie explains so much information about each recipe. I’m a novice when it comes to “real food” so I’m encouraged to learn while I cook. Each recipe is also marked by symbols to denote all sorts of helpful information, like gluten-free, costliness, portability, etc.
This week five LifeasMOM readers will each win a copy of Healthy Snacks to Go.
How to Enter
There are three ways to enter. Choose one or choose them all.
1. Leave a comment on this post, telling us your favorite healthy snack.
2. Visit and “Like” Kitchen Stewardship on Facebook. Leave a second comment here, telling me you did so.
3. Follow @KitchenStew and @FishMama on twitter. Tweet about this giveaway (such as, @FishMama is giving away Healthy Snacks ebook from @KitchenStew. Enter to win here: http://wp.me/pLlgS-2lo) and then leave a third comment here, telling me you did so.
Giveaway will be open until Sunday, August 29th, at 8 pm. PST. Winners to be chosen at random and notified via email. Please respond within 48 hours or risk forfeiting your prize.
THIS GIVEAWAY IS NOW CLOSED. Winners have been announced.
Disclosure: I received a complementary review copy of Healthy Snacks to Go. I was not compensated to publish positive comments. My opinions are my own. Please see my disclosure policy for more information.
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Our family loves fresh fruit and slices of cheese!
“like” Kitchen Stewardship on facebook
Ooooh, this book sounds awesome! We’re always looking for stuff we can “grab & go”, and stuff I can just throw in the bag, since DS is notorious for announcing his hunger at the most inconvenient times. Love this!
Hummus and veggies are a favorite of mine. My son loves cucumbers with ranch dip.
recently made chocolate chip granola bars that were way yummier than the store version, and much healthier (and cheaper) too!
Ditto what Carla said! I have to admit, I’m a junky snack food fan (for myself, not my kids), but my favorite healthy snack is hummus and carrot sticks. My two-year-old loves the hummus all on its own — just licks it right off the carrot
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Our favorite healthy snack is fruit, my youngest son even prefers it over cookies (he is strange, I know)
I love granola bars!
#2 done.
My favorite healthy snack is apple slices and peanut butter
#3 done.
We love pickles!! Sometimes homemade, though frequently from costco. They’re a bit higher in salt than some things, but very tasty and refreshing during summer. Carrots + hummus is also popular.
I comment, I like, I follow.
My favorite healthy snack: apples/peanut butter or apples/cheese.
My children love yogurt! Yogurt and banana and you would think I had fed them ice cream!
Fruit or granola bars are yummy!
Carrots. Mmm… but only because other yummies are so full of calories…
I like Kitchen Stewardship on FB.
I “liked” Kitchen Stewardship on Facebook
I “liked” Kitchen Stewardship on FB.
Fresh, local fruit is our favorite healthy snack! Recently found Bear Naked granola too – yum!
I follow Kitchen Stew and Fish Mama on twitter and I made a tweet. I’m @shondaet.
Does a bowl of cereal count as a healthy snack?
I love string cheese! Lately I’ve just been cutting mozzerella cheese into cubes and wrapping it in plastic wrap. Much cheaper than buying packs of string cheese. yum!
Fresh fruit! My only problem is keeping enough of it on hand to feed my six hungry children.
I love fruit! Any and all kinds!
I love cottage cheese on melba toast!
I ‘liked’ Kitchen Stewardship on Facebook.
I like to eat graham crackers with a glass of chocolate milk. Yummy!
Liked Kitchen Stewardship
Our favorite snacks are fruit, yogurt, and quick breads or muffins(although maybe those are more breakfast)
My fav is apples and peanut butter. A little ‘less’ healthy but still not toooooo bad is nilla wafers and peanut butter.
My daughter’s is veggies or fruit.
Healthy snacks, in our house, are fruits and veggies.
I already liked Kitchen Stewardship on FB
I follow you on Twitter as sweetsav1
I follow Kitchen Stewardship on Twitter as sweetsav1
We like a trail mix for snacks – it changes every time I make it!
My favorite snack is a yogurt fruit smoothie (any kind of fruit I have frozen).
I love fresh fruit–berries in particular. The only hard part about berries is keeping enough on-hand.
I love granola bars!!
I “like” Kitchen Stewardship on FB!
#2 done!
My favorite healthy snack would have to be either fruit or homemade granola bars. Fast and filling!
Fresh fruit and greek yogurt is one our favorite healthy snacks.
Another would be cheddar cheese melted on some crackers.
Our favorite healthy snack is apples and peanut butter!
I like kitchen stewardship on facebook.
Probably fruit and yogurt – maybe with some granola thrown in the mix.
My favorite quick healthy snack is sliced bananas covered in crushed graham crackers.
I “liked” Kitchen Stewardship on facebook.
cheese and crackers
My favorite “healthy” snack has been trail mix, however, I’m not sure how healthy it can be when I have to add some chocolate to the mix!
I love grapes…and popcorn
Hmmm, favorite healthy snack? I’d have to say plain organic yogurt with fresh fruit and a drizzle of honey. Though, carrots (especially fresh ones!) come in second for me.
Thanks for hosting!
Lea
I liked Kitchen stewardship on FB.
Any type of fruit makes a great snack. Also love just about anything with oats in it.
Hummus with whole wheat pita is my favorite healthy snack!
I “like” you on facebook!
Our favorite snack is pumpkin muffins. With and without chocolate chips. We even have them for lunch sometimes. Mmmm….In fact, I’m baking some now. Can you smell them???
I “like” Kitchen Stewardship.
A fav in our family is homemade baked pita chips and spicy hummus! Both are quick, easy and cheap to make
Liked Kitchen Stewardship in FB
I have a recipe for homemade fruit oatmeal cake bars that is wonderful. That is my favorite healthy snack.
Apples with PB is my go to healthy snack
I like Kitchen Stewardship on facebook!~
I love to salsa -> only down fall is the chips!!
fresh fruit!
My favourite healthy snack food is fruit! Love it! Dried fruit, fresh fruit, fruit leather…
This sounds like a great cookbook. Thanks for the chance to win. But, how could I purchase a copy, in case I don’t win?
Apples! I usually eat three a day:-)
I also just tweeted the giveaway, and I follow both of you!
We eat lots of nuts — especially peanuts.
Fresh fruit.
carrots….I like to buy them whole; they taste better…then I peel and cut.
I love granola bars. I would love to win so I can make my own!
One of my favorite snacks is crackers. I made some myself for the first time yesterday and they turned out better than I had hoped! I’d love a chance to learn more homemade snack ideas.
I’m a FB fan of Kitchen Stewardship.
Just found your blog and really enjoy it. Clicked like on facebook!
our fav healthy snack is smoothies w/ yogurt & fruit
(now if I just didn’t have to clean the blender every time…)
My favorite healthy snack is banana bran muffins.
Our favorite snacks are baby carrots or cheese and crackers.
My kids enjoy yogurt when we’re at home, and peanut butter crackers on the road.
my favorite healthy snack is fruit–i so love bananas and strawberries!!
I love trail mix, with nuts, dried fruit and M&M’s
“Like” Kitchen Stewardship on FB
I absolutely adore granola…oats, nuts, cranberries, raisins, dark chocolate chips. Mmmmm!
I’ve been “Liking” you on FB for a while now.
(Tanya Samudio)
scoop of peanutbutter!
Following you both on Twitter & Tweeted!
http://twitter.com/TheChattyMom/status/22206603805
I make “Playgroup Granola Bars” from AllRecipes.
My favorite healthy snack is cheese and crackers!
Or grapes – we go through tons of them!
The family favorite is baby carrots, which makes it my favorite. Cause how easy is it to slap a bag of those down on the table!?!
I love kale chips for a healthy snack!
Our family loves cut up cheese with grapes.
sukyee28@yahoo.com
Enter me please – my favorite healthy snack is fresh fruit or veggies (often with dip to match – either homemade fruit dip or sour cream with ranch).
We homeschool and have 6 in our crew of kiddos so these recipes look amazing!!!
I have been feeling the same way too! I really need some homeade convenience food for lunch! Would love to win
we love granola on top of yogurt
I am following both on twitter and I tweeted
http://twitter.com/sasiegirl
I liked Kitchen Stewardship on facebook.
A banana
i love fresh fruit!
tweet: http://twitter.com/thepajamachef/status/22207615892
My fave healthy snack is pretzels dipped into honey mustard. But I love granola bars when I’m out.
i like Kitchen Stewardship on facebook
we love any kind of fruit!
A favorite healthy snack would be apples with peanut butter. If I’m picking purely for taste I’d have to go with a Snickers bar. Just keeping it real!
I already like Kitchen Stewardship on FB.
Fruit and cheese are definitely a fav healthy snack. although homemade granola bars are perfect for car/school snacks!
We are all about raisins and dried cranberries in our house. So easy and portable!
got to be raisins
I think our current favorites are fruit, granola bars, and granola and yogurt.
My favorite healthy snack is hands down a piece of fruit and string cheese – yum!
Homemade granola bars is the preferred snack around here!
One of our favorite healthy snacks is apple slices dipped in peanut butter.
We love to have toasted whole wheat English muffins with a little cream cheese and sliced bananas. Mmmmm.
Our favorite to go snacks are homemade granola bars or homemade crackers, cheese and apple slices. Yum, we love snacky foods! Would love to add in some new recipes ; )
I’m a fan (“liker”) of Kitchen Stewardship on Facebook!
Nuts are my favorite healthy snack.
Crackers, cheese, and fresh fruit around here!
Would love more ideas of convenient homemade snacks!
Liked on FB
I’d like to say our favorite snacks are fruit and cheese… but mine is chocolate and the kids like gummy snacks.
Fruit is so easy. But the kids like cheese, too.
Cheese and crackers.
string cheese or fruit are super quick and easy peasy.
We love applesauce!
liked kitchen stewardship on FB
I recently tried this snack with my boys and we all love it! I keep frozen bananas in my freezer just for this.
I put frozen bananas in my blender and add some cocoa powder and vanilla and milk. It is so yummy! You can make it really thick or runny. And it’s so quick to make!
We love carrots here—with dip of course. Also almond butter.
following both on twitter and tweeted!
http://twitter.com/rbynmyrs
I made a batch of your breakfast cookies and they were sooo yummy. I’m on the look out for cheaper coconut oil…that stuff is spendy! but the cookies were so good they got me wanting to make other healthy snacks… I was searching online earlier for some, i’m going to check out this ebook!
I twittered about it @mrstracymartin
oh and I liked Kitchen Stew on facebook as well!!! (i’m an overachiever I know it!)
My favorite healthy snack is any kind of berry. Or peaches. Or plums. Oh, and kiwis. Just put me down for fruit.
I love popcorn, apples, and cheese! Or hummus and tortilla chips.
our current favorite snack are cherry tomatoes and fresh cucumbers from our garden! even better with hummus
Thanks for keeping it real! I love that about you, I couldn’t read your blog as a homeschooling mother of 4 with one on the way if you didn’t fess up to feeding your kids crackers and such! I’ve found some blogs totally depress me because everyone seems so perfect. That said this sounds like a fun book because I’m sure my children would benefit from less processed foods but I do need convenient lunch and snack items. One of my favorite healthy snacks is snap peas but the kids won’t eat them.
I”m always looking for great new healthy snacks for my kids! I’d love this!!!
I love to keep grape tomatoes around for a healthy portable snack.
I am not a cook by any means, however, I found a granola bar recipe that I couldn’t destroy and the kids loved!
our favorite healthy snack is homemade yogurt with honey
I was just looking at this ebook the other day and was considering it. I make most of my son’s snacks myself b/c of his food allergies – I’d love some new fresh ideas!
My favorite healthy snack is frozen grapes. My kids love peanut butter on banana slices.
Okay, I “liked” KS on Facebook – and I already like you.
Cheese is probably my favorite healthy snack!
I tweeted you too. And I already follow you and KS on Twitter.
Fruit!
Where’s the recipe for those yummy looking granola bars?
I tweeted about the giveaway – http://twitter.com/GirlstoGrow/status/22216294192
Love love love mini banana choc chip muffins for a snack. Its hard to stop at one though!
‘Liked’ kitchen stewardship on FB too!
Following you both on Twitter now too
Granola bars are definitely my go-to snack. I keep them everywhere…..my purse, the car, etc.
we love fruit!
It’s a tie between homemade granola bars and apples with fresh honey walnut butter!
And I “like” KS on fb!
Carrots and hummus!
Favorite healthy snack: any kind of fresh fruit
I guess our favorite healthy snack would have to be raw broccoli and carrots with ranch dressing. YUM! We all love it!
My favorite healthy snack are homemade fruit and nut granola bars! I love making healthy snacks and meals for my family.
I love veggies and hummus!
fruit for sure
my crew love nuts and cheese, plus tons of fruit!
Homemade muffins (does that count as healthy, not so sure!). I love granola bars, though, and those look amazing!
Love carrots with hummus….ANY variety of hummus, it’s all delish!! Thanks for the giveaway chance!
I ‘liked’ Kitchen Stewardship on FB
I tweeted your giveaway!!
apples with PB and some nuts
My kids really like apples and peanut butter for a snack. They also love commercial granola bars, so I’m interested in that recipe!
I already like Kitchen Stewardship.
our favorite healthy snack is frozen yogurt tubes – just as good as ice cream!
We’re struggling with this right now too, so this would be great!
I like fresh fruit for a healthy snack.
I love fresh fruit–fresh pineapple chunks are one of my favs. And I’m also a granola bar girl. Or yogurt. I guess I’m easy to please!
Almonds & some fruit or cheese. it seems to be our ‘go to snack’ all the time. We are out of it once again.
We love yogurt with granola mixed in or fruit! I am searching for a good made at home granola recipe!
My favorite snack is cottage cheese in a red, yellow or orange pepper.
yogurt w/ fruit is a definite favorite around here
My favorite homemade snack is granola and granola bars.
I “Liked” Kitchen Stewardship on Facebook.
Oh I know most people may say ewwww…..but I just love absolutely love Rice Cakes!!!
My favorite all time healthy snack is apples and peanut butter. I used to have this snack after school as a pre-teen and still eat it!
Easiest way–use an apple wedger—scoop some peanut butter.
Perfect crunchiness and delicious!
My favorite healthy snack is an apple.
Like Kitchen Stewardship on facebook.
My kiddos love to make peanut butter dip! I set out all the ingredient options (applesauce, honey, raisins, sunflower seeds, cinnamon, etc) and they choose and mix. We eat it with apples or crackers. yummy!
Follow Kitchenstew and Fishmama on twitter and tweet: http://twitter.com/hkittelson/status/22231588839
Fresh “summer” fruit or veggies & hummus.
We love granola and fruit smoothies.
Apples and cheese!
I “like” Kitchen Stewardship on FB.
My favorite healthy snack is fresh fruit.
My favorite healthy snack is cheese and crackers. Lately Ritz, but depending on my mood I also like Triscuits. I would love to win a copy!
Cheese & triscuits is my fave. Yum!!
Our favorites are fresh fruit, crackers and cheese. I’ve recently been making some of our own convenience foods, as well, and have been wanting to purchase this ebook. It would be awesome to win it!
I “like” Kitchen Stewardship on Facebook.
we love homemade yogurt parfaits
My favorite healthy snack is a nice, crisp apple!
I am following Kitchen stewardship on twitter! Thank you
My kids love it when I make them fresh fruit smoothies. I like being able to sneak in extra vitamins too.
Our family likes biltong (I think yo call it jerkey???) and dried fruit rolls as a snack. We’re South African btw.
My newfound favorite snack is a Larabar, which is usually just 3 ingredients…all real foods! Plus, it’s gluten-free, which is important to this newly diagnosed celiac!
I liked Kitchen Stewardship on FB!
carrots are the easiest healthy snack for me…always looking for new ideas. thanks for the giveaway
I “liked” kitchen stewardship on FB. thanks for the opportunity to win
Pumpkin Muffins – cake mix and pumpkin. Super easy, great to freeze, and yummmmmmy.
Liked Kitchen Stewardship on Facebook!
apples with peanut butter
I’ve “liked” Kitchen Stewardship on Facebook. :0)
We love apples and peanut butter and homemade granola bars!
Our favorite snack is dried apples and nuts!
We love any of the summer fruits!
We love fresh fruit, sharp cheddar, or all-natural peanut butter on Wasa crackers.
Some of our favorite snacks are apples and peanut butter, or cheese and crackers, or fruit smoothies. I am also on a mission to find some healthy snacks for lunch boxes that don’t come individually wrapped.
I “like” Kitchen Stewardship on FB!
my favorite healthy snack is grapes
i like KS on FB
i tweeted (MADMommyL)
We like grapes and cheese around here!
Fresh berries and granola bars!
“Like” on Facebook!
I love almonds, raisins and a couple of chocolate chips for a snack.
Granola, definitely!! I make a version of granola that has no honey (I’m allergic) or raisins (my husband despises them). It’s got dried cranberries and shredded coconut…my husband loves it!!
Refrigerator pickles, or nachos for me. Yes, nachos can be healthy, cant they?
I love granola bars!
I like you Kitchen Stewardship on Facebook!
We love trail mix, string cheese, and fresh fruit. (And we would LOVE to win this!)
Our family loves any type of crackers and cheese. I would love to try the wheat thin type cracker recipe!
My favorite healthy snack is fruit. I love making convience food from scratch. Thanks for the giveaway.
I love apple slices with cheese, or air popped popcorn.
nuts and fruit
I like kitchen stewardship on fb
I like to eat apple slices dipped in a small amount of healthy peanut butter.
I like Kitchen Stewardship on FB.
granola bars
I subscribe to KS emails as well, love them!
We like fruit, veggies with dip or whole wheat chocolate chip cookies
We all love granola bars
i’m an email subscriber
I like to eat the light wedges of Laughing cow cheese with multigrain crackers.
I liked the Kitchen Stewardship on Facebook.
baby carrots with homemade hummus…..YUMMMM!
liked on Facebook
just tweeted
My 4yo loves orange or apple “slushies” – we shake up some regular orange or apple juice in an “ice cream maker” bag that we got at the craft store on clearance for $2 – though you can probably do the same thing w just two nested ziplocs [and ice cubes and salt] – it just might take longer.
We have tons of fresh fruit for snacks nowadays, nectarines, strawberries, blueberries galore! What am I going to snack on when summer ends? Help! (I hope I win the giveaway!)
Fresh fruit is my favorite snack (with yogurt if I’m feeling really saucy).
I like Kitchen Stewardship on FB.
Following you and @KitchenStew on Twitter, also Tweeted the Tweet!
My son is the PICKIEST kid on Earth I think. He eats far too many things I wish he didn’t (Yes, I know, I buy them…), but we’re at a point of those things or nothing.
But, my favorite snack that he loves are dried veggies. He really likes corn and peas have been a hit too. And he loves muffins. Thanks goodness for muffins…
I am loving all the summer in season fruits in our area right now…peaches, blueberries and strawberries.
I like Kitchen Stewardship on Facebook
apples and peanut butter
I love granola bars with cranberries. yum!
We love popcorn. It’s our fave healthy snack!
And I like KS on Facebook!
One of my very favorite snacks is rice cakes with peanut butter and raisins or peanut butter and banana slices or peanut butter and jelly. Can you see a theme here? LOL
My favorite healthy snack is apple with peanut butter
I love Kitchen Stewardship. I recently found her blog and was so excited to find that she is “local” for me. I didn’t know she was on facebook, but now I do- and I follow there as well.
We’re gluten-free so it’s hard to eat anything that isn’t safe for us without breaking the bank, would you believe $5 for a very small package of cookies. So it’s mostly fruit, yogurt and cheese for us!
I liked Kitchen Stewardship foFB.
We love to snack on edamame and nuts!
Our favorite snack is fruit, with trail mix coming a close second!
I like Kitchen Stewardship on Facebook.
my current favorite is a fruit smoothie
Love the blog!! Our family’s favorite snack seems to be thinly sliced apples and peanut butter.
This is something that I have been looking for. I need ideas on good homemade snacks for my family. Like you we are also trying to get away from processed foods. Thanks.
My kids love apple slices with natural peanut butter.
Recently our favorite snack is strawberries!
Homemade yogurt is one of our favorite healthy snacks.
Hummus and crackers – Mmmmm!
I liked Kitchen Stewardship on FB
fruit-frozen or fresh-we love it!
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