One of the questions I get asked often is,

“What are some good snacks I can send to school with my child, and for when we have shared snack day?”

Here are some great, healthy and fun snacks for children – many of these I find at Trader Joe’s, in organic form for less money.

Please note – certain foods are especially important to buy organic, due to especially high pesticide residue.  Chemicals are even more toxic to children than they are to adults, so it’s especially important to pay attention to these foods.  I will include the list below also for your reference.

• Cut up raw vegetables (broccoli, cauliflower, jicama, carrots, celery, organic edamame (shelled or unshelled), sugar snap peas, snow peas, cucumber, bell peppers)
• Organic cheese and whole grain crackers
• Organic cheese sticks
• Organic raisins
• Peanut or almond butter on crackers or celery
• Hard boiled egg – organic
• Nori sheets
• Hummus and veggies or crackers
• Raw nuts (cashews, almonds)
• Shredded raw coconut flakes
• Organic dried cranberries
• Peanut butter on organic apples
• Organic applesauce
• Grape tomatoes
• Dried fruit with no added sugar or sulfites
• Air or stove popped popcorn – plain, or a little sea salt, or you can season it with a little parmesan cheese and sea salt
• Rice cakes made from organic brown rice – can put some peanut butter on this also
• Organic yogurt in a stick
• Raw sunflower seeds
• Raw pistachios (no colorings)

Top foods to buy organic because of high concentration of pesticides:

• Apples
• Berries (strawberries, raspberries, blueberries)
• Grapes (and also raisins)
• Bell peppers
• Potatoes
• Lettuce and other greens such as spinach, kale, or collard greens
• Dairy
• Meat
• Tomatoes
• Cucumbers
• Corn
• Soy

Please post a comment and tell me what you think of this list and feel free to ask me any questions – I’ll be answering questions and reviewing comments personally.