Healthy snacks for teens...

belleuosus

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Feb 15, 2013
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Hi all!

My bf and I visited his cousin yesterday. She has 3 boys ranging in ages from 11 - 16.

Most of the food she keeps in her house for snacks are junk food like frozen burritos and corn dogs, Doritos, Ramen Noodles, etc.

I understand that most of the time teenage boys eat a lot and often, but there have to be healthier alternatives, right?

Any of you have/had teenage boys? What kind of foods did you keep in the house for them to eat as snacks or quick meals?
 

Gerry

Banned
Apr 8, 2013
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In my opinion junk foods are not good for teenagers. But commonly they don't pay attention to their eating routine. At result they add more weight and got digestive problems. Always try to eat organic diet.
 

teenage_parent

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Apr 15, 2011
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everything you mentioned is a staple college cuisine.

my parents stored lots of sliced fresh fruits back when i was younger. they also found alternatives to unhealthy chips that i liked. i like chips and there was no way i would stay away from it so they found alternatives like organic chips.
 

akmom

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May 22, 2012
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Uh... what kind of organic chips? Organic potato chips or corn chips are still not healthy. Just because it was grown without pesticides doesn't mean it's nutritional or balanced.

Apple chips or banana chips are good. Freeze-dried fruit is incredibly delicious but also pretty expensive.
 

cybele

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Feb 27, 2012
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Sweet potato chips are good... sure they aren't healthy, but they taste good and have the pseudo-health thing going for them...

Okay, I just really like sweet potato chips.
 

Xero

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Mar 20, 2008
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I don't really know why you're asking, since they aren't your kids and I don't see calling up your cousin and dictating what groceries they should buy turning out well. Valid question, though.

But my kids constantly snack, and where they do occasionally have the unhealthy stuff, I mainly try to keep around healthy snacks and there are tons of good options. Cheese cubes, string cheese sticks, yogurt (greek yogurt even better), fresh fruit, favorites around here are always apples, bananas, and berries (also sometimes oranges, kiwi, and others). Veggies are always good too, popular around here are celery, carrots (small and large), tomatoes, and cucumber. If your kids aren't big on veggies, you can make them more appealing by accompanying them with veggie dip. You can buy them premade, or you can go even healthier and make your own by using fat free sour cream and mixing in a packet of ranch seasoning. Same goes with fruit, they sell fruit dip, and you can just use flavored greek yogurt, super healthy. You can make your own zucchini chips in the oven super healthy, hard boiled eggs, beef or turkey jerky, peanut butter or cream cheese or hummus on crackers, fruit smoothies, freeze dried fruit is yummy and easy and stays good long (banana chips are my favorite lol), nuts like peanuts and cashews and mixed and my kids LOVE sunflower seeds.

For small easy meal type things I like to keep around healthy sandwich and wrap materials, salad mixes, breakfast burritos that I make myself and then put in the freezer. There really is a lot of easy stuff to keep around, to keep from eating junk. I try to keep healthy home made stuff around too when I can, like oatmeal muffins and cookies etc.

If they must have chips, I try to go with the baked ones or gold fish they are a little bit better but not much lol. They really like the Nature Valley granola bars too.

Don't get me wrong though, my kids do occasionally get junk. I'm not a health nut nazi, but it's definitely not a regular thing around here at all.
 
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akmom

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May 22, 2012
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I'm pretty sure Greek yogurt is just regular yogurt that has been hung from a cheesecloth to drain. I make my own yogurt, and if I'm short on containers, I make it "Greek yogurt" so that I'm not wasting space on whey. If you drain it properly, it'll be the texture of cream cheese. What's in the store is usually more like regular yogurt, just a little less whey and a tad more expensive. It technically has more protein because each tablespoon contains more yogurt and less water. But you can achieve the same thing by straining regular plain yogurt.

If you're going the yogurt route (which is big in our family), you can make it a lot healthier by sweetening it yourself instead of buying the flavored kind. Half or a whole banana per cup of yogurt is plenty. And you can add way more fruit than Yoplait does. (I'm always so disappointed with the meagre amount of minced fruit in the bottom of those little cups!) If you do actually make your own, you can make it less sour by not culturing it as long. Four hours is enough to make it set, but it will only be slightly tangy. If you're lactose intolerant, you'll want to let it culture all the way. Oh, and if you want to make it fat free without adding high-carb thickeners, you can just simmer the skim milk longer before you culture it; let it stay at 185 F for a full 30 minutes. The fat free yogurt in the store uses thickeners.

Cybele, sweet potatoes have lots of vitamin A. That has to count for something. According to Gerber labels, it has more than carrots or squash!
 
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cybele

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Feb 27, 2012
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Wonderful I can go on believing that my packaged, salted chips are healthy for me, HAHA.

Greek yoghurt is better for cooking with because of the consistency, I know that.
 

Xero

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Mar 20, 2008
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I have no idea what Greek yogurt is or how it is made, just that it is yummy and on the healthier side lol. I have added fruit to mine, too. It's very good like that.
 

jollysmith123

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Jun 5, 2012
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[FONT=&quot]I think the kids should be kept away from eating junk food as it can affect their health. It’s better to offer them some healthy snacks like Apple slices spread with peanut butter and sprinkled with raisins,Banana sliced in half and spread lightly with peanut butter,Bean burger on a whole-grain bun with lettuce and tomato,Bean burrito, Black bean dip with whole-grain crackers, Cheese toast, Cut-up vegetables with low-fat ranch dressing etc.[/FONT]
 

cybele

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Feb 27, 2012
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Crazy question, what's the deal with ranch? Everything on pinterest has ranch dressing in it, even things like pasta sauce.

It's pretty uncommon to come by here so it fascinates me.
 

akmom

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May 22, 2012
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It's a popular salad dressing and dip for crudites. Some people put it on everything. I don't really like it. It's basically spices like powdered buttermilk, onion and garlic infused into a milk and mayonnaise base. So... not at all healthy. I let my kids eat it with salads and raw vegetables because it makes them like it. But there are definitely tastier and healthier dressings and dips, so I have no idea why Ranch is so popular. Have you tasted it?
 

cybele

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Feb 27, 2012
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Nope, you really have to hunt around to find it here. Some supermarkets have it but it's bottom shelf stuff, so nothing that they expect to really sell.

Pretty much anything with balsamic in it is all the rage here at the moment.
 

akmom

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May 22, 2012
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The balsamic vinegar and olive oil blends are getting popular for salads here too. And veggie dips that are yogurt or sour cream-based. But you still only see Ranch, bleu cheese or Thousand Island dressings in salad bars at restaurants. Not sure why they think people who eat salads would want a high-cholesterol sludge for a dressing. Italian dressing or a nice vinaigrette would taste so much better with it.
 

cybele

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Feb 27, 2012
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Now you have really surprised me, haha.

Here the bog standard options are usually French, Italian and Caesar. That said, the benefit of living just outside of Melbourne is that Melbourne is the food-snob capital of Australia, so even that is dying out.
 

Xero

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Mar 20, 2008
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Weird, at most salad bars I am used to seeing ranch, Caesar, French, and Italian. I have never been to a place that did not have Italian at all, that I can remember.

I like ranch sometimes, not on salads but to dip veggies in and stuff. I have a yogurt based recipe to make my own that's infinitely healthier than the nasty bottled stuff though lol.
 

akmom

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May 22, 2012
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Hmm... it's not bad, but it's really really strong. I think I'll need to dilute it. I'm using 8 teaspoons of the Ranch powder per cup of yogurt and 1/2 cup of milk. Is that what's in a packet? I googled it and it says a packet has 16 servings at 1/2 teaspoon apiece, so I figured the whole packet had 8 teaspoons. Is that what you used? We don't actually have the packets for sale here, but I picked up a canister at Costco's last time I was in the city, so that's what I'm using.
 

Xero

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I'm not sure I actually bought a different brand, but I'll have to check. I don't add the whole packet though, because like you I found it was too strong (salty kinda)! I would just say to add until you like it. :) I have directions somewhere to make my own ranch mix too HAHA but haven't gotten that far yet.