Use peanuts to make Gorp. My favorite snack in high school.

Now that the rhythm of the school year is settling in, you might be looking for some new ways to feed hungry mouths when they arrive home from school. Giving them something nutritious and tasty will keep them away from empty sugar and carbs.

Most kids like peanut butter, so finding almost anything and putting peanut butter on it is a hit. One of my favorites is peanut butter and banana (also great for a sandwich). A good way to make this a less messy treat is to cut the banana into bite sized piece and then put a dollop of peanut butter on top, making them easily munched finger food.

Also, frozen bananas make a great substitute for syrupy popsicles. Just peel them, put them in a plastic bag and pop them in the freezer. Take one out and wrap in a paper towel or cut into bit sized pieces and serve.

Gorp was one of my most favorite foods in the world when I was in high school. I could chow down on a large bag of it, especially after swim team practice. Gorp is just peanuts, raisins, and chocolate chips. You can get healthier chocolate chips at your natural foods stores. They will be made with whole sugars, no high fructose corn syrup, and no hydrogenated oils. Of course sprinkle the chips in just enough to keep it interesting. This is a high calorie snack, so, unless you’ve got an athlete coming home, make the portions small.

Drinking water is the best thing, but many kids just won’t do that. So, buy high quality organic juices and put them in small cups ready for them to grab. Buying the sippy boxes should be saved for when traveling in the car, as they are costly. Organic juices don’t have any added sugar, food coloring, or flavors.

When offering your child fruit as a snack have it cut up into easily managed pieces. A whole apple is hard for a small mouth to bite into, so cut it in eighths and remove the core, stem, and blossom end. They’ll happily munch it down.

Prepare your own dips using soaked nuts or yogurt and different herbs & spices. Then, if you have a dehydrator, make up some carrot and zucchini chips for them to dip with. If you don’t have a dehydrator you can just use carrot and zucchini sticks.

Have a bowl of cherry or grape tomatoes ready for them to pop in their mouth.

Take bread, spread a thin layer of mustard (if they like that), place a slice of tomato on top of that, then place a thin layer of organic cheese over the top. Pop them in the broiler when they walk through the door and serve them up piping hot, mini-pizza type, open-faced sandwiches.