With a two grand-kids starting first grade, a granddaughter in middle school, and two young adults in college, having snacks on hand it important! I certainly have a huge range of ages and appetites to please with back-to-school snacks this school year.
Wish I could say I have one of those idyllic families that simply agrees on everything. The truth is we have a bundle of big personalities, personal tastes and dietary needs. This can make dinnertime difficult to plan, choosing a restaurant to dine at near impossible, and figuring out what to have on-hand for back-to-school lunches and snacking a real conundrum!
First and foremost, to me, is finding snacks that offer some nutritional value to my growing family. They might love to have a bowl full of candy, but I want to ensure they are fueling up for the long school days.
It would be wonderful if we had an unlimited budget to buy an endless variety of snacks, but we don’t. Working within our pocketbook limitations means finding things that everyone enjoys that’s also a nutritious snack, is my main mission.
Fortunately, there’s one no-fail snack option we all love and agree on 100 percent of the time – healthy ones! Everyone is on board with enjoying all-natural good-for-you and good for the planet snacking.
This year, we found three new awesome back-to-school snacks we all love. Do check them out and let us know about your favorite healthy snack finds, too!
MAXINE’S HEAVENLY COOKIES
Cookies are always a hit around our home. I love to make homemade ones, but don’t always have the time. It’s important to find alternatives that I can trust to have a great homemade taste. And ones that aren’t full of chemicals.
This is why I’m so happy to discover Maxine’s Heavenly Cookies this year! Maxine’s Heavenly just won “Best Chocolate Chip Cookie ” in Good Housekeeping’s 2022 Healthy Snack Awards. Their cookies taste homemade and are healthier versions of family favorites.
For us, it is love at first bite! These delicious cookies have amazing flavor. It’s clear they are made with love and care.
Along with containing ingredients you can understand, Maxine’s Heavenly cookies use coconut sugar and dates to sweeten. They’re also completely vegan, gluten-free and low glycemic.
Do you prefer crispy cookies or soft baked? They have both! Our favorite so far are the Crispy Chocolate Chip. I’ll be picking up boxes of Walnut Banana Bread and Pumpkin Pecan Spice soon. Think those will be fantastic fall flavors!
KAZOO TORTILLA CHIPS
Chips and salsa are a staple in our home. We absolutely go through multiple bags of tortilla chips each month. Kazoo Tortilla Chips are our new go-to. We not only love the flavor and crunch, we love their sustainable side, too!
Saving at least 16 gallons of water per bag of chips, Kazoo Snacks makes the world’s very first water-saving tortilla chip made from upcycled corn germ. Because of the corn germ, Kazoo is higher in essential vitamins, enzymes and healthy fats than traditional tortilla chips.
Each bag they make, Kazoo reduces their water footprint by at least 20 gallons! It’s fantastic to find a chip that not only tastes great, but one that is highly eco-friendly. They have a goal of saving 1 billion gallons of water and are well on the way. For every bag you snack on, you contribute to making that goal happen.
We think their mission is great! And we think that taste great, too. Win-win-win all around!
SIMPLY DELISH CHOCOLATE KETO PUDDING
I don’t about your crew, but my kids and grand-kids (and even hubby!) are all chocolate pudding fans. The trouble with run-of-the-mill puddings is they are often full of sugar, preservatives, and artificial ingredients.
Though we don’t follow a KETO diet, we absolutely love the principles of KETO, especially reduction of sugar and carbs. Finding Simply Delish Chocolate KETO Pudding is a delight!
The pudding is available in instant pudding and a new ready-to-enjoy version. The new ready-to-enjoy Chocolate Keto Pudding is a cool, smooth chocolate treat with 0 grams of sugar, just three net carbs, and only 100 calories. Best of all, it’s kid approved!
Simply Delish is a global brand that believes that every person should enjoy a dessert that nourishes their body and feeds their soul. The line of Keto Certified, guilt-free desserts satisfies cravings without the calories and carbs. In addition to a variety of puddings, they offer plant-based gelatins, too.
The Keto Pudding and Jel desserts are all-natural, made entirely with NON=GMO Verified ingredients, containing no preservatives or artificial colors. They are entirely keto, plant-based, gluten-free, vegan, fat-free, sugar-free, lactose-free, cholesterol-free, and kosher and halal certified.
When their lunches are packed with goodness like this and they are all off to school, it’s a great feeling knowing I’m not only sending them off with love, but also some delicious snacks they love.
And as the morning ebbs on and I wait for their return… it’s lovely to enjoy a little quiet time with a cup of tea and delicious Maxine’s Heavenly cookie (or two)!
