Healthy kids snacks to pack for the zoo and other day trips

by | Jul 10, 2019

Kids snack nutrition tips by Calgary Registered Dietitian Lindsay Rieger

Summer is in full swing around our busy, bustling household. For us, summer consists of lots of outdoor socializing with family and friends, plenty of camping, lots of time for creativity (aka- darling children, I’m not entertaining you for two months straight so head outside and figure it out) and of course plenty of day trips to the zoo, Calaway park and our local lake.

Buying snacks and meals at these places- especially when you have a lot of mouths to feed adds up. Not to mention, you’re far less likely to make solid nutritional choices.

When it comes to packed lunches and day trips, experience has taught me that showing up with a run of the mill, bagged lunch generally results in heavy campaigning for ‘zoo dogs’ (hot dogs) as they are commonly referred to among my clan. For this reason I try to up my game a bit.

Here are a couple packable healthy kids snacks or picnic items that curb the request for ‘zoo dogs’ during our days out…

Packable healthy kids snacks:

peanut butter and banana wraps
cream cheese pin wheels
beef jerky – we make our own but there are plenty of healthy varieties out there
dried fruit
corn on the cob- my kids never miss a chance to devour this summer staple
hummus and vegetables
tzatziki with pita, cucumbers & grape tomatoes
edamame beans (cooked, cold with a sprinkle of salt)
air popped popcorn
watermelon, blueberries, peaches- ’tis the season…. finally!
frozen yogurt tubes- by the time you get to them they will either still be frozen or nice and cold
cheese, ham and tomato kabobs
apple and cheese quesadillas
AND FINALLY, if it’s a special day out I almost always make room for a treat of some sort. As always, I think the most important lesson we can teach our children is moderation, balance and more important what this looks like on a daily basis… and if that means a ‘zoo dog’ once in a while so be it.

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Healthy kids snacks to pack for the zoo and other day trips

Kids snack nutrition tips by Calgary Registered Dietitian Lindsay Rieger

Packable healthy kids snacks:

Looking for more healthy meal and snack ideas and healthy living advice by our Registered Dietitian team?

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