7 after-school snack ideas for your children

No matter how old your child is, they look forward to coming home after a long day at school and eating their favourite snack before starting homework or going for tuition. The following are 7 easy to make recipes for snacks that your children will simply love. Adding these simple homemade snacks into their weekly routine can be a healthy choice.

OATMEAL COOKIES WITH COLD MILK

Ingredients

½ cup whole wheat flour
½ cup all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/3 cup vegetable oil
2/3 cup brown sugar
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla essence
½ cup oats

Method

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine flour and baking powder in a medium bowl and mix. Set aside. Combine oil, sugar, eggs, and vanilla essence in a big bowl. Add flour mixture and stir. Mix the oatmeal. Form a ball using 2 tablespoons of batter. Place on 2 parchment-lined baking sheets, 3.8 cm apart. Bake for 15-17 minutes, turning the pan halfway through, until lightly browned. Let cookies cool on a sheet for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

WATERMELON STRAWBERRY POPS

Ingredients

2 pounds seedless watermelon, diced

½ pound strawberries (halved and peeled)

½ cup sugar

3 tbsp fresh lime juice

Method

Puree the watermelon in a blender in several batches. Strain through a fine sieve into a large bowl. Make the strawberry puree and put it in a bowl. Add sugar and lime juice and stir until sugar is completely dissolved. Pour mixture into ten 3-ounce ice cream moulds and insert chopsticks. Freeze until pops are set.

CHICKEN SALAD BOWL

Ingredients

Chicken breast

Mozzarella

Red onions

Pepper

Cucumber

Green or black olives

Method

Cook the chicken breast, or cut it into smaller pieces for faster cooking. Just put olive oil in a frying pan and heat it so it does not burn. Mix 1 tablespoon olive oil with 1 tablespoon lemon juice and chopped fresh mint. Add to pan and mix with chicken. While the chicken is cooking, make the salad. Chop all ingredients and place in a large bowl.

For the dressing, add 3 tablespoons of olive oil, 1 tablespoon of lemon juice, a pinch of salt and pepper, and 2 tablespoons of vinegar. Mix and enjoy. 

WAFFLES AND ICE CREAM

Ingredient

1 cup of all-purpose flour

A pinch of baking powder

2 tbsp of sugar

A pinch of salt

1 egg

1 cup milk

1 tablespoon of melted butter

1 teaspoon of vanilla extract

Method

Make the dough. Place the wet ingredients in a large mixing bowl and mix. Pour into dry mixture and stir. Let it sit for a few minutes while you preheat the waffle iron. Only spray the waffle iron with oil before the first batch. Pour batter into preheated waffle iron and bake until golden brown. Carefully remove the waffles and repeat the process with the remaining dough. Keep waffles warm until ready to eat! Enjoy your favourite, flavoured ice cream. 

MANGO SMOOTHIE

Ingredient

2 ripe mangoes

1 banana

2 cups milk

1 cup yoghurt

Method

As with any smoothie recipe, simply add all ingredients to a blender and blend. However, remember that if you use frozen mango, you may need to use a pestle to press the mixture down for even mixing. Pour the mango smoothie into a glass, insert a straw, and enjoy this creamy, sweet, and delicious smoothie. 

CHOCOLATE CHIP MUFFIN

Ingredients

2 cups of all-purpose flour

1 tablespoon baking powder

A pinch of cinnamon

A pinch of salt

1 cup of light brown sugar

2 cups of milk

3 tbsp of vegetable oil

2 eggs

2 tsp vanilla extract

4 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips

Method

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Place the grill in the centre of the oven. Arrange the paper cups in a standard muffin tin. Set aside.

In a sizable bowl, mix the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt. Mix brown sugar, milk, vegetable oil, eggs, and vanilla extract in a medium bowl and whisk until well combined. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and mix well until there are no more flour streaks.

Add 3/4 cup of chocolate chips. Pour batter into muffin tins, filling each one to the 3/4 mark. Sprinkle the remaining ¼ cup chocolate chips over the batter, a few per cup.

Bake for five minutes at 425 degrees before turning down the oven to 350 degrees. Bake for an additional 13 minutes. Allow the pan to cool for ten minutes. Repeat with the remaining dough and chips. 

MARBLE PUDDING

Ingredients

1½ cups of milk

¼ cup of sugar

100ml fresh cream

1 tablespoon of gelatine

1 teaspoon of cocoa powder

A pinch of pink colour or strawberry jelly powder

½ teaspoon of vanilla essence

Method

Bring the milk to a boil in a thick-bottomed saucepan with the milkmaid. Once boiling, add vanilla essence and turn off the heat. Boil gelatine in 3 tablespoons of water and mix with milk. Add fresh cream and mix well. Divide into 3 portions and pour into 3 bowls. Mix one of these pudding mixes with cocoa powder. Pour pink paint into the second bowl and mix well. And so is the third cup. Place 3 scoops in each bowl. Place a ladleful of white pudding mix in the centre of the pudding mould. Pour the pink milk mixture on top and mix with cocoa milk. Repeat the mixture of white, pink, and cocoa until the end. Refrigerate for 4 hours to harden.