Healthy After-School Snacks For Kids

Kids have a case of the after-school munchies? Try these healthful, no-cook snacks. They're easy and fun to make, and depending on your child's age, require little or no adult supervision.

Snack Kebobs. Cut raw vegetables or fruit into chunks. Skewer them onto thin pretzel sticks. (Note: To prevent discoloration, dip apples, bananas or pears in orange juice after they're cut.)

Veggies with Dip. Cut celery, zucchini, cucumbers or carrots into sticks or coins. Then dip them into prepared salsa or lowfat dip.

Banana Pops. Peel a banana. Dip it in yogurt, then roll in crushed breakfast cereal, and freeze.

Fruit Shake-Ups. Put 1/2 cup lowfat fruit yogurt and 1/2 cup cold fruit juice in a non-breakable, covered container. Make sure the lid is tight. Then shake it up, and pour into a cup.

Pudding Shakes. Use the same technique for making fruit shake-ups, but instead mix 1/2 cup cold milk with 3 tablespoons of instant pudding.

Sandwich Cut-Outs. Using cookie cutters with fun shapes, like dinosaurs, stars, and hearts, cut slices of cheese, meat, and whole-grain bread. Then put them together to make fun sandwiches. Eat the edges, too.

Peanut Butter Balls. Mix peanut butter and bran or corn flakes in a bowl. Shape them into balls with clean hands. Then roll them in crushed graham crackers.

Ice Cream-Wiches. Put a small scoop of ice cream or frozen yogurt between two oatmeal cookies or frozen waffles. Make a batch of these sandwiches ahead, and freeze them.

Ants on a Log. Fill celery with peanut butter or cream cheese. Arrange raisins along the top.

PBJ Crackers. Spread peanut butter and any flavor of jelly on a reduced-salt cracker.

Fruit Juice Popcicles. Pour any kind of fruit juice into popcicle mold or ice-cube trays (with toothpicks for handles) and freeze.