Welcome to the 31 Days of Learning event! We have 31 posts from today to the end of March – each from a wonderful parenting blogger, and each giving our kids something wonderful to learn and/or do with us. Don’t forget to sign up to our newsletter for all the posts in our event; you can also bookmark the event page of course too!
Today we have Petra from A Mum Reviews. Take it away Petra!
My children are always extremely hungry and a bit cranky after school and a snack always helps. Over the past few months, we’ve made energy balls together nearly every week to have as an after-school snack. I love doing this with the children for a few reasons.
Why energy balls are a good after school snack?
There are a few reasons why energy balls are a good after school snack:
- Great way to talk to your children about healthy eating and nutrition as you choose the ingredients to go in. You can discuss each one and talk about why it’s good for you and what it will do in your body,
- Healthier snack option than pre-packaged options. I don’t follow a strict recipe (I will share what we do further down) but all ingredients are healthy except for a few chocolate chips which add a treat feeling to an overall healthy snack. The kids love them thanks to the chocolate chips. But the majority of ingredients are really healthy and ones that they might not normally eat,
- Making these creates a lot less waste than individually wrapped snacks and reducing waste is an important topic to discuss with your children these days too, and finally
- They’re really cheap to make as well!
Energy Balls for kids
These are a great after school snack for kids, and while you are making them you can even help them to learn about healthy eating too. Talk to them about the ingredients that you are using and how they effect your body.
This makes 14 large balls - as the ones pictures here.
You can roll these in coconut, instead of the sesame seeds if you want, and vanilla essence is also a great addition to the recipe too.
Ingredients
- 200ml Oats
- 4 heaped tablespoons of peanut butter
- 1 bag chocolate chips (100g)
- 2 tablespoons of sesame seeds
- 2 tablespoons of chopped nuts
- Tablespoon of hot chocolate powder
Instructions
- Mix the nut butter with the oats and add vanilla or hot chocolate powder/cocoa at this stage too, if using. If needed, add a bit of water to loosen up the texture.
- Add the bits – chocolate chips, nuts, coconut, seeds, etc. – and mix well
- Roll into balls and roll these in sesame seeds or desiccated coconut if you wish. This makes them less sticky to hold
- Chill for a few hours before eating. I use airtight boxes and they last for at least 4 days, but have usually been eaten by then!
My children love the activity of making these and know that it’s a healthier option than shop bought snacks as we always talk about the ingredients as we make the energy balls. They love that they get to have a few chocolate chips within their snacks. This is something that I don’t mind at all. Plus I know that they’re getting a snack that’s full of energy and nutrients that are important for growing children.
Thanks so much to Petra for sharing this with us. Do check out her site, A Mum Reviews, for lots of other great ideas and inspiration for mums.
If you are looking for more great content, we have some wonderful recipes on the site for you to make yourself or with your kids – why not take a look?
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Some more thought on great recipes for lunch for you and the family.
Cake, dessert and biscuit recipes for kids and the family
If you are suck for what to do for dessert - we can help!
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The marriage of fish with Spanish chorizo brings a flavorful dish to your table with every meal. Enjoy this delightful Spanish Chorizo and roast cod with capers and tomato tonight.
If you want to take a look beyond this article, then how about checking some of these out instead?
Healthy after school snacks
If you are looking for other great healthy after school snacks - why not try some of these out?
50 Healthy After School Snacks | Feels Like Home™
Some wonderful ideas here from Feels Like Home to give you plenty of ideas for after school.
The ABCs of Healthy After School Snacks
Have a little fun with your after school snacks with an ABC of ideas from this blogger!
10 Healthy After School Snack Ideas
Who doesn't like an apple kebob? A few more ideas for you - just in case we didn't already give you enough!
Thanks again for popping over today. And do make sure you sign up for the newsletter for more wonderful ideas from now on!
Thanks for coming to see us and take care,
Helen
Petra
Petra runs the blog A Mum ReviewsA Mum Reviews which is a review and lifestyle blog. Petra is Swedish but lives in Sheffield and is a mum of three girls. Her hobbies include design of all kinds, books, good food and travelling.
You can also find her on the following socials as well - helping us all out:
A Mum Reviews
Monday 2nd of March 2020
Thank you so much for sharing my recipe! :)
Charlotte Stein
Monday 2nd of March 2020
Looking forward to making these for myself as well as the kids!