Healthy, shelf-stable snacks for kids
September 21, 2014 3:19 PM Subscribe
Please suggest very healthy, shelf-stable snacks I can donate to my son's 3rd grade classroom.
My son's teacher is soliciting donations for shelf-stable snacks for my son's classroom. (They also get fresh fruit donated through a local program.) Can you suggest some snacks?
My preferences:
- Very, very healthy (high poverty area, I'd like a good balance between calories and nutrition)
- Must be completely shelf stable
- no peanuts (other nuts ok, yes I checked)
- not a chip
- good value for money, in terms of number of servings. I'd likely be able to spend up to $50 but I would like that to stretch into at least 24 or more servings, if possible (and it may not be).
- I would like it to ship directly from Amazon. (We don't have a Costco and I'm not a BJs/Sams member, but I am looking for bulk pricing and this seems to be the way to go.)
- Kids from all backgrounds should be excited to eat it. I don't like wasting food, and I don't want the kids to have the stigma of the "cheapo donated snacks".
My son's teacher is soliciting donations for shelf-stable snacks for my son's classroom. (They also get fresh fruit donated through a local program.) Can you suggest some snacks?
My preferences:
- Very, very healthy (high poverty area, I'd like a good balance between calories and nutrition)
- Must be completely shelf stable
- no peanuts (other nuts ok, yes I checked)
- not a chip
- good value for money, in terms of number of servings. I'd likely be able to spend up to $50 but I would like that to stretch into at least 24 or more servings, if possible (and it may not be).
- I would like it to ship directly from Amazon. (We don't have a Costco and I'm not a BJs/Sams member, but I am looking for bulk pricing and this seems to be the way to go.)
- Kids from all backgrounds should be excited to eat it. I don't like wasting food, and I don't want the kids to have the stigma of the "cheapo donated snacks".
Are those cheese cracker packages (e.g. this but there are other brands) too unhealthy? They're full of sodium but kids like 'em...
posted by barnone at 3:38 PM on September 21, 2014 [1 favorite]
posted by barnone at 3:38 PM on September 21, 2014 [1 favorite]
My first inclination is popcorn (boom chicka pop or SkinnyPop) - calorie claims aside, popcorn is a really healthy snack (whole grain!), and these are fairly low in terms of added salt, and I think most of the fat in those actually comes from the popcorn itself, not the added oil.
posted by obfuscation at 3:40 PM on September 21, 2014
posted by obfuscation at 3:40 PM on September 21, 2014
ClifKid Bars
Sprout Crispy Fruit and Veggie Chews
If you think they'd be game, Roasted Seaweed
Sweet Potato Crisps
Veggie Chips
Black Bean Chips
Nutella and Go
Almonds and dark chocolate.
I'm kind of glad dinner's in the oven...
posted by Ruthless Bunny at 3:46 PM on September 21, 2014
Sprout Crispy Fruit and Veggie Chews
If you think they'd be game, Roasted Seaweed
Sweet Potato Crisps
Veggie Chips
Black Bean Chips
Nutella and Go
Almonds and dark chocolate.
I'm kind of glad dinner's in the oven...
posted by Ruthless Bunny at 3:46 PM on September 21, 2014
Babybel cheese.
It does not require refrigeration. It's nutritious. However, if kids are lactose intolerant, this is not a great option for them.
For about $50, it looks like you could get 2 bags of 28 cheeses each. That's 56 individual cheeses. Or for a little less money (so you can also have money for shipping, I guess), you could do one bag of 28 Babybel cheeses plus one set of 24 individual serving Almond Butter packets. Both are healthy and high protein and it gives the lactose intolerant kids a lactose free option.
posted by Michele in California at 3:46 PM on September 21, 2014 [2 favorites]
It does not require refrigeration. It's nutritious. However, if kids are lactose intolerant, this is not a great option for them.
For about $50, it looks like you could get 2 bags of 28 cheeses each. That's 56 individual cheeses. Or for a little less money (so you can also have money for shipping, I guess), you could do one bag of 28 Babybel cheeses plus one set of 24 individual serving Almond Butter packets. Both are healthy and high protein and it gives the lactose intolerant kids a lactose free option.
posted by Michele in California at 3:46 PM on September 21, 2014 [2 favorites]
Unfortunately, I think that the reason healthy snacks are so hard to come by in some areas is that they're mostly not shelf-stable. Canned vegetables don't really count as snacks, since you have to open the cans and heat them up.
You could try kale chips or dehydrated green beans, but you still have to deal with the conflict between salty+oily=yummy / unsalted=less yummy.
posted by amtho at 3:47 PM on September 21, 2014
You could try kale chips or dehydrated green beans, but you still have to deal with the conflict between salty+oily=yummy / unsalted=less yummy.
posted by amtho at 3:47 PM on September 21, 2014
Also - maybe you could combine the dried green vegetables above with an instant citrus drink - vitamin C increases mineral absorption, and the dark green vegetables give you lots of potential minerals and vitamins. Also, the flavors can go together well -- but you'll need to find a way to limit the sugar.
posted by amtho at 3:49 PM on September 21, 2014
posted by amtho at 3:49 PM on September 21, 2014
Are granola bars insufficiently healthy? Most kids like them, they're shelf-stable, and you can get name-brand ones for about 25-50 cents each if you buy large enough boxes. The nutritional profile varies a lot from brand to brand even flavor to flavor, but assuming you're okay with carbs, they're usually not too bad.
posted by jacquilynne at 3:49 PM on September 21, 2014
posted by jacquilynne at 3:49 PM on September 21, 2014
I really like Kind bars for easy and healthy: this one doesn't have peanuts. Low sugar trail mix, or just packs of the ingredients usually found in trail mix - non-peanut nuts, dried fruit, sunflower or pumpkin seeds, etc.? This one looks pretty good, despite the sugared cranberries. More variations on the nuts+fruit theme - cashew butter & crackers & raisins/dried cranberries, or something like that?
posted by milkweed at 3:49 PM on September 21, 2014
posted by milkweed at 3:49 PM on September 21, 2014
You might also be interested in this previous question.
posted by Michele in California at 4:00 PM on September 21, 2014
posted by Michele in California at 4:00 PM on September 21, 2014
Fruit pouches are popular with kids, and you can easily find ones that are 100% fruit, or a fruit-veg mix. They're also cheap--Amazon has a pack of 48 apple/mango pouches for $23, so if you wanted, you could get those and pair them with something else--cheese, seed-based crackers, etc.
Single serve pouches of nut butter or hummus and pretzels might work. They're maybe not super healthy, but they've got protein, good fats, etc, and they're not full of sugar.
No sugar added dried fruit mix, or fruit and nut mix, might work. I'm not immediately seeing a fruit/nut mix on Amazon, but have purchased things in the past that were full of dried fruits, sunflower seeds, pepitas, and almonds. Or you could buy a bag of dried fruit, and a bag of seeds/nuts, and then either combine them yourself into single-serve bags or let the teacher dole them out.
posted by MeghanC at 4:01 PM on September 21, 2014 [2 favorites]
Single serve pouches of nut butter or hummus and pretzels might work. They're maybe not super healthy, but they've got protein, good fats, etc, and they're not full of sugar.
No sugar added dried fruit mix, or fruit and nut mix, might work. I'm not immediately seeing a fruit/nut mix on Amazon, but have purchased things in the past that were full of dried fruits, sunflower seeds, pepitas, and almonds. Or you could buy a bag of dried fruit, and a bag of seeds/nuts, and then either combine them yourself into single-serve bags or let the teacher dole them out.
posted by MeghanC at 4:01 PM on September 21, 2014 [2 favorites]
Response by poster: Are granola bars insufficiently healthy?
The problem with most granola bars (Kind included) is that despite not having peanuts in them they still say some version of "may contain peanuts" or "manufactured in a facility that processes peanuts" or some such, and she can't use those.
posted by anastasiav at 4:03 PM on September 21, 2014 [1 favorite]
The problem with most granola bars (Kind included) is that despite not having peanuts in them they still say some version of "may contain peanuts" or "manufactured in a facility that processes peanuts" or some such, and she can't use those.
posted by anastasiav at 4:03 PM on September 21, 2014 [1 favorite]
Does shelf-stable mean "a month or so in a moderately climate-stable classroom" or does it mean "suitable for stocking your survival bunker"?
My kid loves, like, adores, all kinds of dried fruit--apples and mango are particular favorites. With a food dehydrator you could even make your own.
Dry cereal can also be a good snack--you could get some very healthy cereal in bulk and package it up into fun single servings.
posted by The Elusive Architeuthis at 4:12 PM on September 21, 2014 [1 favorite]
My kid loves, like, adores, all kinds of dried fruit--apples and mango are particular favorites. With a food dehydrator you could even make your own.
Dry cereal can also be a good snack--you could get some very healthy cereal in bulk and package it up into fun single servings.
posted by The Elusive Architeuthis at 4:12 PM on September 21, 2014 [1 favorite]
This may be too low in calories (40-45 calories per bag), but freeze-dried fruit may be a good option. I've had Brothers-ALL-Natural Variety Pack Crisps (there may be other URLs of similar things) and enjoyed them. $26.40 for 24 servings right now.
posted by skynxnex at 4:16 PM on September 21, 2014 [1 favorite]
posted by skynxnex at 4:16 PM on September 21, 2014 [1 favorite]
Is this something that would be served to all the kids, or items that would go in a stash that kids who didn't bring a snack can pick from? If the latter, it's probably going to be a harder sell for super-healthy stuff like, say, kale chips or seaweed. It it's a "you get what you get" situation, you might have better luck.
From my experience with a group of fairly low-income K-4s:
- Jerky (probably turkey for calorie consciousness). Kids go apeshit over jerky.
- Things that you can dip or spread. Almond butter and graham cracker packets, or almond butter intended to be served with apple slices or bananas?
- Shelf stable hummus, depending on how adventurous the kids are / if they have eaten it before. Wild Garden is one brand. The squeeze-packet aspect is very exciting.
- Fruit snacks are very popular. They are kind of crap nutritionally, but the Clif Kids brand is moderately acceptable and, again, kids looove them.
posted by charmcityblues at 4:19 PM on September 21, 2014 [4 favorites]
From my experience with a group of fairly low-income K-4s:
- Jerky (probably turkey for calorie consciousness). Kids go apeshit over jerky.
- Things that you can dip or spread. Almond butter and graham cracker packets, or almond butter intended to be served with apple slices or bananas?
- Shelf stable hummus, depending on how adventurous the kids are / if they have eaten it before. Wild Garden is one brand. The squeeze-packet aspect is very exciting.
- Fruit snacks are very popular. They are kind of crap nutritionally, but the Clif Kids brand is moderately acceptable and, again, kids looove them.
posted by charmcityblues at 4:19 PM on September 21, 2014 [4 favorites]
If you're looking for single servings, you might like these fruit leather snacks. For $20, you get 48 individually wrapped pieces. They're made from fruit so obviously on the more sugary side, but they seem to be actual fruit puree so they're better than a lot of super processed, high sugar snacks. I've eaten them and liked them.
If this doesn't have to be single serving, what about almond butter and crackers? (On preview, I see that charmcityblues already mentioned this.)
posted by litera scripta manet at 4:26 PM on September 21, 2014 [1 favorite]
If this doesn't have to be single serving, what about almond butter and crackers? (On preview, I see that charmcityblues already mentioned this.)
posted by litera scripta manet at 4:26 PM on September 21, 2014 [1 favorite]
Oh, and forgot to add:
- Applesauce pouches or cups (if cups, include spoons).
- Small cans of fruit with pop tops (again, spoons).
- Some companies make smoothie pack things that are shelf stable. May be too pricey, though.
- Pudding is frequently shelf-stable. Sort of high in sugar but also packs a calcium / vitamin D punch that kids may be missing.
- Horizon organic milk cartons. Comes in plain / choc / vanilla, with a straw, super enticing.
- Juice boxes with vegetable juice. Better than straight juice, usually, and pretty appealing to kids.
- Crackers: graham, ritz, triscuit... basically anything to go with spreadable things. Not sure how important single-serve is, and crackers can be tricky to find in single servings without gimmicks.
posted by charmcityblues at 4:26 PM on September 21, 2014
- Applesauce pouches or cups (if cups, include spoons).
- Small cans of fruit with pop tops (again, spoons).
- Some companies make smoothie pack things that are shelf stable. May be too pricey, though.
- Pudding is frequently shelf-stable. Sort of high in sugar but also packs a calcium / vitamin D punch that kids may be missing.
- Horizon organic milk cartons. Comes in plain / choc / vanilla, with a straw, super enticing.
- Juice boxes with vegetable juice. Better than straight juice, usually, and pretty appealing to kids.
- Crackers: graham, ritz, triscuit... basically anything to go with spreadable things. Not sure how important single-serve is, and crackers can be tricky to find in single servings without gimmicks.
posted by charmcityblues at 4:26 PM on September 21, 2014
Bobo's Oat Bars are pretty good. I think they're vegan, too. And they sell by the case. I like the Original and the Apricot, but they've got all kinds of flavors.
posted by letahl at 4:29 PM on September 21, 2014
posted by letahl at 4:29 PM on September 21, 2014
We regularly feed our kid cashews and dried cranberries, which we buy in bulk containers that would fit your servings and cost parameters, and last at least a month in our house.
posted by vignettist at 4:47 PM on September 21, 2014 [1 favorite]
posted by vignettist at 4:47 PM on September 21, 2014 [1 favorite]
Oatcakes are mostly just oats. I don't know how well that would rank for "excited to eat it" (my kid loves them, but). I'm having a hard time finding them on Amazon, but if you could combine them with those little restaurant-size packets of Cheez Whiz or jam, that might be a good blend of "nutritious" and "treat"?
posted by kmennie at 5:15 PM on September 21, 2014
posted by kmennie at 5:15 PM on September 21, 2014
This spread is popular as an add on for my kids (maybe on a day they have apples).
That online price is crazy expensive but you can get it at some Super Targets, waiting for a sale and/or using your 5% RedCard discount.
posted by Buttons Bellbottom at 5:34 PM on September 21, 2014
That online price is crazy expensive but you can get it at some Super Targets, waiting for a sale and/or using your 5% RedCard discount.
posted by Buttons Bellbottom at 5:34 PM on September 21, 2014
Best answer: Parent of a child with a peanut allergy here. I'm going to assume there is a peanut allergic child in that classroom or in the school, so I am going to list only snacks here that are ACTUALLY 100% peanut-free. Allergen advisory labels that warn for cross-contamination, like "may contain peanuts" or "made on shared equipment with peanuts," ARE NOT REQUIRED by law. All such labels are totally voluntary and not every company chooses to use them. So just because a snack does not have a "may contain peanuts" label does not mean that snack is actually peanut-free, unfortunately. The snacks I am listing here are all items I've researched to verify that they're actually peanut-free (as in, not made on shared equipment with peanuts), and all things that I actually feed my son. If you get these items they should be genuinely safe for the peanut allergic kid(s) at the school to EAT, not just to be in the same room with. And that would be a really wonderful thing for you to do. (Imagine trying to get healthy food for a kid on a low income-- and then imagine trying to get healthy food for a kid on a low income when your child has a life-threatening food allergy and can be made seriously ill by even traces of an incredibly common food that's present on shared equipment with literally thousands of common packaged food items, many of which don't even come with a warning label. Not easy. Not good.)
GoGo Squeez applesauce pouches
Blue Diamond almonds (these are packaged in a peanut-free facility-- note that regardless of labeling, most tree nut brands are NOT SAFE for children with a peanut allergy to consume because there is an EXTREMELY HIGH RISK of cross contamination with peanuts)
Craisins dried cranberries (the cranberries ONLY-- the Craisins trail mix is not peanut-safe)
Sunbutter snack packs
Go Raw snack bars
Skinny Pop popcorn
Enjoy Life Plentils chips (Okay, these are chips, but they are made out of lentils not potatoes so I thought they might be okay.)
Enjoy Life trail mix
Superseedz pumpkin seeds
Gerbs sunflower and pumpkin seeds
Don't Go Nuts granola bars
Dare Breton crackers (look for the ones with the peanut-free symbol)
posted by BlueJae at 6:59 PM on September 21, 2014 [14 favorites]
GoGo Squeez applesauce pouches
Blue Diamond almonds (these are packaged in a peanut-free facility-- note that regardless of labeling, most tree nut brands are NOT SAFE for children with a peanut allergy to consume because there is an EXTREMELY HIGH RISK of cross contamination with peanuts)
Craisins dried cranberries (the cranberries ONLY-- the Craisins trail mix is not peanut-safe)
Sunbutter snack packs
Go Raw snack bars
Skinny Pop popcorn
Enjoy Life Plentils chips (Okay, these are chips, but they are made out of lentils not potatoes so I thought they might be okay.)
Enjoy Life trail mix
Superseedz pumpkin seeds
Gerbs sunflower and pumpkin seeds
Don't Go Nuts granola bars
Dare Breton crackers (look for the ones with the peanut-free symbol)
posted by BlueJae at 6:59 PM on September 21, 2014 [14 favorites]
(Oh I should add that I've seen all of those things on Amazon at one time or another, but I linked to the company websites in most cases so you can see the different varieties, sizes, etc. that are available. )
posted by BlueJae at 7:04 PM on September 21, 2014
posted by BlueJae at 7:04 PM on September 21, 2014
Roasted chickpeas (The Good Bean) are just a little over your price target but seem like they meet your other criteria. Actually one reviewer says each 2.5-oz bag is 2 servings, which would put it well within your price range, but might be a pain for the teacher to split them up,
posted by lakeroon at 7:41 PM on September 21, 2014 [1 favorite]
posted by lakeroon at 7:41 PM on September 21, 2014 [1 favorite]
How kind of the teacher, and you for donating. Schools probably prefer pre-packaged over home-made, for a number of reasons. I hate the extra packaging, but single servings of applesauce, mandarin oranges and pudding are likely to be popular and acceptably nutritious. This company has peanut-free snacks. Big Lots often has single-serving fruit cups at good prices, close to expiration sometimes.
posted by theora55 at 11:38 PM on September 21, 2014 [1 favorite]
posted by theora55 at 11:38 PM on September 21, 2014 [1 favorite]
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posted by lizifer at 3:35 PM on September 21, 2014