Your little one is growing, in mind and body, which means appetites are often demanding to meet each stage of physical, social, emotional, and intellectual development. As children grow, there’s no doubt appetites will flare and little ones will get hungry between meals. However, instead of reaching for processed and packaged snacks filled with loads of sugar, artificial flavors, and empty carbohydrates, why not opt for a snack that’s healthy?

Here’s an assortment of healthy snack options to fill growing tummies with goodness:

1. Veggie sticks and hummus
Dice up a colorful array of raw vegetables. Try celery, carrots, bell peppers, cucumbers, mushrooms, grape tomatoes, broccoli, and cauliflower for all the veggies of the rainbow. Kids love pairing their veggies with a dip, and luckily there are plenty of healthy dip options! For instance, hummus offers a thick, creamy dip option that sticks well to sticks…and it’s made with more healthy ingredients (i.e., chickpeas, lemon, garlic) off of which offer a healthy triad of fiber, folate, and antioxidants. If your kids don’t like hummus, try a yogurt based dip and mix with garlic, dill, and lemon.

2. Peanut butter and banana toasty quesadillas
Quesadillas are more than just savory. You can whip up a sweet and satisfying dessert quesadilla for the kiddies by spreading a whole wheat tortilla with creamy or chunky peanut butter and sliced bananas. Choose an all-natural peanut or almond butter and slice up a banana for a snack that’s chock full of protein, vitamin B6, fiber, and potassium. Cut in triangle slices and pop in the toaster oven for an ooey-gooey satisfying snack.

3. Ants on logs
No, you’re not actually feeding the kids insects. However, little ones like creative snack names, which is why this snack, which consists of celery sticks, smeared with a bit of peanut butter and sprinkled with raisins will be a huge hit. Not only does this snack serve up an impressive array of healthy fats, fiber, and protein; it’s a sneaky way to get your little ones to eat more vegetables.

4. Fruity smoothies
A sweet and delicious fruit smoothie is always a hit. Plus, it ensures the children are getting a decent serving of fruit and healthy nutrients all blended up into a frothy, colorful snack sized option. Start with some natural sweetness by adding frozen blueberries, strawberries, cherries, or raspberries to your blender. Add some plain yogurt or unsweetened vanilla almond milk, a touch of vanilla extract or honey, and sneak in a few veggies (i.e., a handful of spinach), healthy fats (i.e., avocado or coconut oil) and blend until delicious.

5. Healthier devilled eggs
I always keep a bowl of hard-boiled eggs on hand in the fridge for busy mornings and quick snack options. However, you can dress them up for the kids by devilling your eggs into a yummy and nutritious snack. Start with a hardboiled egg, which offers the perfect combination of protein selenium, riboflavin, and vitamin B12. De-shell then cut your egg in half. Scoop out the yolks into a separate bowl and mix well with mashed avocado, hummus, or yogurt, diced dill pickles, and spices. The kids won’t even notice the absence of mayo as they’re gobbling these bite sized snacks up!