Quick & Easy, Nut-Free, Kids Snack Idea

Protein, Fiber, and Antioxidant-Packed Snack Cups

Great for busy days! Just mix and store in the fridge.

All I can really say about this post is YUM. Really, honestly, SUPER YUM. The creamy cheese bites paired with the tartness of the gooseberries, the crunch of the pumpkin seeds, and the sweetness of the cranberries and dates... oh I could go on. And, believe it or not, I originally created them with my kids in mind! Because while I've certainly enjoyed my fill, they're totally perfect for families on the go.

Oh, and I can't forget: there's an AMAZING contest at the end of this post, so don't miss it!



In an ideal world, my kiddos would eat sitting at the table, slowly savoring each morsel of food and actively appreciating how each piece nourishes their bodies... and maybe one day we'll get there! But for now, it's kinda up to me to make sure they're getting the healthy nutrients their bodies need. And in a busy household with young kids, that often needs to happen in a rush!

I whipped up these snack cups in about 10 minutes (and single-handedly finished off two of them in the next 10!). All of the ingredients offer great nutritional benefits. These little cups pack in a lot of power with plenty of antioxidants, vitamin-C, protein, fiber, and more! This is a perfect, quick snack to sustain the healthy energy of kids of all ages.

Even though my kids don't have nut allergies, many of their friends do, and because of that, they like having nut-free snacks when they are going to be spending time with other kids. But, you could easily adapt this recipe to include some dry nuts if allergies aren't a concern for you. Also, just a reminder to be diligent about checking the ingredients for allergens. For example, after listing the ingredients on these particular dates, there's a disclaimer saying they "may contain traces of nuts," so I'd never include those in a batch I was sharing with a nut-allergic child.

There's really no need for formal instructions here, it's just a quick and easy mixing together of ingredients. But here's the basics:

Protein-Packed Nut-Free Snack Cups

• Arla Dofino Cheeses (cut into chunks): I used Edam and Gouda--I wasn't sure how the kids would react to the "fancy" flavors, but they surprised me by loving both varieties! I truly love the Arla Dofino brand--they use NO added hormones or preservatives!
• Dried Fruits: I used gooseberries, cranberries, and dates
• Seeds: I just stuck with pumpkin seeds!
• Snack Containers: I used 6 oz. glass containers

• To create your yummy, healthy, cups, just mix your ingredients together, separate among your containers, seal, and store in the fridge! They've been perfect for us on the busy days that we need to really get moving to make it to after-school activities on time.
   

I may or may not have grabbed a cup for breakfast on a particularly chaotic morning this week :)

Even my picky three-year-old gobbled his up... well, he gobbled the cheese and cranberries, I should say. Still working on that openness to try new foods! But I was happy enough with that healthy punch.

My girls love that they can grab them themselves, and have even made some cool suggestions for additions to future batches (e.g., yogurt bites, dry cereal, chocolate chunks, M&M's... well, we'll see about that last one).

You can grab plenty of these healthy ingredients at your local grocery store, so head on out! But before you do, be sure to enter Arla Dofino's Facebook Sweepstakes, where one entrant will win a semester’s worth of Arla Dofino Cheese AND a Genuine Thermos lunch kit!

Happy snacking!

Looking for more healthy and fun kids ideas? Check out Bento-Style Kids Lunches and Healthy Alternatives for Classroom Parties.

And hey, are we connected yet? If not, find me on Pinterest, Facebook, and Google+, and Bloglovin so we can start sharing ideas together!