Toddlers. They be crazy. Crazy hungry, too. I absolutely adore my littles, but seriously, the endless snacks can be totally exhausting and downright overwhelming.
It’s all too easy to pick up a Costco size bag of Pirate Booty and toss that to them like birds all day long. But I really do try to feed them healthier options and save that for special, extra desperate times.
Being a gluten free family can add some elements of “inconvenient,” but we have found some really easy ways to make this work.
When my firstborn entered toddlerhood, I found myself struggling to find gluten-free toddler snacks that he would enjoy. Especially when I try to eat more whole foods than processed foods.
And I didn’t and don’t always have time to bake a delicious muffin, which is, like, 99% of toddlers’ favorite snack.
When I make muffins as a gluten-free toddler snack now it’s a special treat and extra exciting!
I want to share with you 7 of my go-to snacks I rotate through every week. All week.
Some of these are so simple, you might shake your head. But when you’re trying to feed hungry toddlers all day and you have to feed them gluten-free snacks, some times you need to be reminded of the simple foods that save your life.
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These are my go-to gluten-free toddler snacks that require zero oven time
- Trail mix. Y’all, I make our own trail mix using items from Winco’s bulk section, and it’s the BEST! I get to alter it however I want and I know exactly what’s in it (which, guess what? There are NO hydrogenated or yucky oils. Boom!). It’s a very filling snack that is actually time consuming to eat, too, because mine like to pick out each nut and raisin. Healthy snack + short mama break = so much yes.
This trail-mix has dry-roast peanuts, raw pumpkin seeds, sliced raw almonds, unsweetened shredded coconut, no-sugar added raisins, and dried fruit my sister brought us from thailand - Sliced fruit or berries. Yep. That easy. Apple, pear, strawberries, blueberries, peaches, watermelon. You name it. Chop melons and other larger fruits earlier in the week to make this extra simple. Let them eat it with mini forks and it’s even better for some reason #toddlerlogic
- Veggies with homemade ranch. My kids LOVE this one! Seriously. Ranch is magical in making everything edible. I’m pretty sure it could make dirt taste good. Again, pre-chopping veggies for the week makes this snack the bomb for busy days! I also home make a lot of ranch for the week, too.
- Cheese cubes. I don’t know why my kids love this so much. Any time you serve a food in a shape that’s not normal, it gets extra exciting. I just cube cheese and put it in a bowl. Again, break out the mini forks for extra sophistication.
- Yogurt. Sooooo easy! So simple. We use whole fat plain yogurt in our house because I believe in healthy fats. But use whatever you want! I mix yogurt with a little bit of raw honey and a dash of cinnamon or vanilla for an extra treat. Then I scoop it into reusable squeezy pouches or their cute little snack cups and, voila! Snack, done.
- “Ants on a Log.” Did you ever have these as a kid? It’s just celery sticks with peanut butter and raisins (aka ants) on top. I use peanut butter that I make myself in my food processor (I’ve used this one for years as an affordable option!) with just dry roasted peanuts, a tablespoon of avocado oil, and a dash of Himalayan salt. If you like sweeter peanut butter, adding in raw honey is a delicious option!
- Gelatin jigglers (Jello, but homemade). Jello is like Bandaids to me. It’s general term, but I know it’s a brand. So, it’s jello, but it’s not. Because it’s not actually Jello brand. Get it? It’s this SUPER easy recipe that uses grass-fed gelatin, 100% juice, and water. That’s. It.You do need at least 30minutes for it to chill, so it’s better to make it in advance of the hungry toddler tantrums (anyone else have a threenager that gets massively hangry? Anybody?) For the best and easiest recipe, go HERE https://bodyunburdened.com/homemade-healthy-jello/
So there you go. Some gluten-free toddler snack ideas that are healthy, easy and don’t require baking.
What are your favorite go-to toddler snacks?