I have to admit that one of my pet peeves is when my car transforms into a garbage can. It’s tough, though, when you’re on the go and want your little one to have a snack for the wrappers, napkins and crumbs not easily find their way onto the seats and floor.
I’ve always been a fan of rice cakes because they’re healthy, crispy and delicious. They’re great to top with all kinds of jam, almond butter or just some avocado slices, but even plain they’re yummy too. Kenya and I were rolling through the aisles of Whole Foods the other day and came across Kamut Cakes, a divine twist on these favorite of my snacks. “Put the brakes on, Kenya! Oh my goodness, wow!” These Kamut cakes are slimmer then your typical puffy rice cake and have an intense nutty aroma. They contain no sodium or preservatives and are higher in vitamins, minerals and amino acids than commercial wheat. The first week I bought them I was making all of our friends and their kids try them! (When I get passionate about a product, watch out!)
So now I buy bags of these by the truck load and always keep one pack in the car for a “no mess snack” for Kenya….and me!

Let’s be honest, giving nutritionally balanced snacks that are satisfying and filling can be tough. With so many high sugar and salt filled foods on the market, it’s hard to navigate what’s actually good and what’s crap. Trust me, just because it says “all natural,” “organic” or has bunny rabbits and Elmo all over it doesn’t mean that it’s going to be good for your little one.
That’s one of the reasons I love Lara Bars. If I had my way, everyone would make their own protein bars, but sometimes that’s not possible. There are tons of bar companies on the market, but most of them are full of sugar and words that I can’t even pronounce.
Lara bars come in delicious flavors like lemon, apple and cherry pie and my favorite, banana bread. The base ingredients are nuts and dates and most of them only have 3-4 ingredients. You can now buy them at almost every grocery and health food store. When you’re rushing in the morning or want to keep something healthy for you or your child in your bag, this is a perfect treat.

One of Kenya’s favorite treats is almond butter. On the rare occasion he’s not in the mood to eat anything, but I want to make sure he’s gotten enough protein for the day, I find almond butter to be the perfect snack. However, when you’re on the run, carrying a jar around with you isn’t the most convenient way to go.
I find “squeezy” packs to be a life savor. These individual packs have around 1 tablespoon of almond butter in them. You can just squeeze it on to a cracker, apple, banana or, as Kenya seems to love best, right into his mouth.
We’re huge fans of Barney Butter but, recently, several of my friends turned me onto Justin’s which has interesting flavors like “honey almond butter” or “honey peanut butter”, “cinnamon peanut butter” and “maple almond butter”. Can you say delicious and nutritious!

I thought Labor Day would be a perfect time to introduce a new, once-a -week post on weelicious, snacks. I’m not talking about potato chips and candy bars. Little ones need between-meal, healthy, high energy foods that help them run around and keep their bodies growing.
I want to present snacks that are easy to prepare and can just be tossed in your bag for whenever you need to jet out the door. For me, the most important part is that whatever the snacks are, they don’t turn your car into a bottomless garbage-pit.
Most of the snacks I write about aren’t “messy” or they come in travel safe containers.
Freeze-dried fruits are one of my new favorite finds. Different markets sell variations on the product, but Trader Joe’s recently introduced their own line and I think they’re AMAZING! These freeze-dried snacks contain only fruit — no sugar. The intense flavor comes from the process of freeze-drying the fruit so their natural tastes are concentrated. They come in mango, banana, rambutan and mangosteen. I mean, how often do you eat rambutan (a tropical fruit grown in Hawaii and southeast Asia)?! Ever?
I brought a few bags to a back-to-school party yesterday and the kids went crazy for them. Don’t you just love it when kids are begging for more fruit? And the best part was that I didn’t have to wash, peel or pit anything. Just unzip the bag and everyone gets to enjoy (even the parents were digging them)!

I scream, you scream, we all scream for…popsicles! OK, fine, I know 
that’s not how the song goes, but I promise you’ll have some seriously happy little ones after serving this treat (The picture of Kenya, above, gleefully holding his 2 popsicles was so much better then the actual shot of the finished product).

Why do all popsicle recipes have to have so much sugar in them? Not only is it bad for you, but you lose all the great, sweet natural taste of the fruit. I got the most 
heavenly strawberries from Harry’s Berries at the farmers market and decided to see if I could make popsicles (heaven forbid) without sugar. Not only was the end result delicious, I felt like they were totally superior to brands that I bought at the grocery with added sugar.

This recipe makes 12 popsicles for a fraction of the price you’d pay for a box of “healthy” or organic pops. In those, you only get 6 and spend more for the privilege. So these are tasty and a good deal too.

Strawberries are packed full of vitamin C and ellagic acid, believed 
to be help prevent cancer. The allergic potential for strawberries is high, though, so make sure to only give these to kids over the age of one without a history of food sensitivities. As always, ask your doctor first if you have any concerns.

I served these to kids at a swim party this week and you should have 
seen their eyes light up when I pulled them out. The best part was 
after they ate them, the little ones weren’t jacked up on sugar which 
made all the mommies and daddies VERY happy!

Strawberry Popsicles (Makes 6 Popsicles-depending on the size of your molds)

2 1/4 Cups Strawberries, stems removed
1 Tbsp Lemon Juice
1 Tbsp Honey or Agave

* If your strawberries aren’t very sweet you can add honey, agave or sugar to brighten the flavor (if you’re making these for babies until 12 months, do not use honey)

1. Place the strawberries, lemon juice and honey in a food processor or blender and puree.
2. Pour several tablespoons into the individual molds. (Follow the manufacturers directions for your mold).
3. Freeze overnight (or a minimum of 4-5 hours).
4. Serve.

We used these to make this recipe:

Cuisinart DLC-2 Mini Prep Plus Food Processor