Protein is a must-have for all humans, but particularly for Growing children. Protein snacks for kids need for various reasons, including muscular growth, immune system enhancement, energy for learning and play, and muscle repair after a little too much roughhousing.
Your child’s protein needs vary by age, gender, and weight. Still, generally speaking, children up to three years old should consume 13 grammes of protein per day, children four to eight years old should consume 19 grammes, and children nine to thirteen years old should consume an astounding 34 grammes of protein.
Good news: protein-rich foods of good quality are not only easy to whip up into snacks, but they also taste great. Achieving the recommended daily allowance of this essential macronutrient is easier when you buy protein snacks for kids that are high in protein. I have compiled a list of my favourite high-protein options for your children’s snacking pleasure!
Protein Snacks for Kids
Trail Mix
Trail mix is a fantastic choice for your children for numerous reasons. With trail mix, you can easily incorporate your children’s favourite protein-rich foods into a convenient snack. Preparing trail mix is a breeze; combine all ingredients and divide them into individual servings. When your children are hungry, they can grab one and go! If you’d rather not give your children anything containing any animal products, trail mixes are a fantastic alternative.
- Nuts like walnuts, dry-roasted edamame, raw almonds, cashews, pumpkin seeds, and sunflower seeds are great additions to a trail mix because they contain protein.
- Crackers, cereal (try a higher-protein cereal like Three Wishes), chocolate chips, dried fruits, and preferred seasonings and herbs are other entertaining additions to your DIY trail mix.
Also Read: Zesty Fat Burner: Fat Loss Juice Recipe
Cheese Sticks
Cheese sticks are a simple way to provide your children with protein. You can easily incorporate these pre-packaged foods, along with other delicious and healthy options, into your child’s diet to support their growth and development.
- Protein Grammes: 7 grams of protein are found in one typical pre-packaged cheese stick.
You can enhance the nutritional value of your children’s cheese sticks by serving them with some of their favourite fruits, veggies, or crackers.
Making your cheese sticks is an excellent alternative to buying them pre-packaged. Please put your child’s favourite cheese in little glass snapware containers and cut it into cubes. This way, they can quickly grab a piece, eat it, and store any leftovers. Although homemade cheese sticks won’t be cheap, they will save you a tonne of money compared to store-bought protein snacks for kids.
Also Read: Savor the Flavor: Authentic Vegetable Biryani Recipe
Peanut Butter
Many children love peanut butter. It’s adaptable enough to be included in many nutritious snacks for children and provides a fantastic amount of protein for their nutritional requirements. A few spoonfuls of this peanut butter spread is a fast and protein-rich snack, but if your child loves it, you may blend it with other healthy components.
- Protein Grammes: Peanut butter has 8 grams of protein per 2 tablespoons of consumption.
Healthy Supplements: You can make a delicious apple dip by mixing peanut butter into Greek yoghurt. Half a cup of this yoghurt contains 7.5 grams of protein. Another option is to top some whole-grain bread with it, then add honey and chia seeds for a simple protein snacks for kids.
If your child doesn’t like peanuts, try a different kind of nut butter. A two-ton serving of almond butter has 7 grammes of protein, while a two-ton serving of cashew butter contains 5 ½ grammes of protein.
Also Read: Mastering the Art of Zero Waste Cooking: A Sustainable Kitchen Revolution
High-Protein Cottage Cheese Bowls
To help your children obtain the recommended daily allowance of protein, Amy from Healthy Kids Recipes has prepared not one but two variations of a cottage cheese bowl. You can choose the one that best suits your child’s taste because she offers savoury and sweet options. Fruits and veggies abound in both bowls, and they’re also bursting with protein.
- Protein Grammes: Each bowl contains 17 grams of protein (the recipe yields two bowls).
Cottage cheese, cucumbers, cherry tomatoes, avocado, balsamic vinegar glaze, and all the ingredients except the bagel seasoning are needed to make the savoury cottage cheese bowl.
The Sweet Cottage Cheese Bowl calls for cottage cheese, granola, honey, nut butter (preferably peanut butter), berries, and a pinch of cinnamon.
If you’re still determining if you’ll enjoy cottage cheese, try Good Culture. Everyone here loves it! Cottage cheese can also be blended into a smooth sauce to increase its protein content.
Also Read: The Versatility of White Pasta: Recipes, Tips, and More
Almond Butter Protein Shake
The Almond Butter Protein Shake from Healthline is sure to be a hit with your child, especially if they prefer to drink their snacks rather than eat them. By combining cottage cheese with almond butter, this nutritious snack idea provides twice the protein of a typical snack. You have a simple, creamy, high-protein snacks for kids idea when you add fruit for sweetness.
- Protein Grammes: This smoothie contains 10 grams of protein, 7 grams from the cottage cheese and 3 grams from the nut butter.
- Things you’ll need: cottage cheese, almond milk, almond butter, and a ripe banana.
According to the tips, a substitute for nut butter would be peanut butter. Try adding a scoop of protein powder or various berry flavours for an even more potent protein snacks for kids.
Additional suggestions: A Guide to Making the Perfect Smoothie
Hard-Boiled Egg
The best ideas are sometimes the most complex ones. Eggs are rich in protein and several other minerals, including iron, vitamin B12, and vitamin A. Eggs are a complete protein snacks for kids because they include all nine of the body’s necessary amino acids. This simple, protein-rich lunch is ideal for children because hard-boiled eggs are easy for tiny fingers to pick up.
The protein content of one hard-boiled egg is 6 grammes.
Also Read: Banana Bliss: Quick and Easy Banana Pudding Recipe
Methods for Cooking Hard-Boil Eggs:
- Fill a saucepan halfway with cold water and add the eggs.
- Bring the water to a boil in a saucepan, then turn off the heat, cover, and simmer the eggs for 12 minutes.
- Take your time rinsing the cooked eggs under cold water.
Advice on flavour: Season your eggs with salt, pepper, paprika, chives, dill, or any spice you like (except from bagel seasoning, of course). Another option is to whip up some basic deviled eggs by combining the yolks with a dash of mustard, mayonnaise, and sweet relish before replacing the whites. My kids adore these!
Also Read: Vegan Soup Recipes
Peanut Butter Oatmeal Protein Balls
These tasty energy protein snacks for kids bites are perfect for those weekends when you want to make protein snacks for kids ahead of time. Thanks to the healthy combination of oats, coconut, chia seeds, peanut butter, honey, and chocolate chips, these are a sure crowd-pleaser. If you want to increase the protein content further, add a scoop of vanilla protein powder.
Your children will love this recipe since it mimics the taste and feel of traditional cookie dough. Their appearance, texture, and flavour mimic those of a tasty treat, making these nutritious snacks an irresistible temptation for your children. The best part is that you can make them in bulk and keep them in the freezer for easy access to protein snacks for kids at all times; they take 10 minutes to prepare with a cookie scoop.
- Protein Grammes: With 3.5 grams of protein per small protein ball (before protein powder), those bites can quickly build up!
The essential ingredients are all-natural vanilla protein powder, peanut butter, chia seeds, honey, salt, shredded coconut, and oats.
- Suggestions: You could combine all of the ingredients to form the balls, but if you want a smoother texture that would appeal to picky eaters, try mixing the oats and coconut in a blender first.
There is no shortage of protein-rich, kid-friendly snacks because common foods like nuts, peanut butter, and cheese are also high in protein. If you give these dishes a try, I would love to hear which your kids enjoyed the most!
Also Read: Fat Loss Juice Recipe
