Summer is finished – clearly evident from the way my normally sunny son came home from school the first day back. He was completely exhausted and cranky. I was surprised because he had been so excited to get back to school and see all his buddies.

But then I remembered back to my days of returning to school and remembered that going from a state of “play” to a state of highly-structured activity WAS tiring. And he was peevish because he was ravenous!

It got me to thinking about the kinds of snacks I had been giving him for during school and after school. Were they good enough? Was I giving in to my own need for convenience and trading that for proper nutrition for my darling boy? What kind of nutritious, great-tasting after school snacks could I give him?

I didn’t want to give him sugary stuff that would ruin his dinner, not to mention add to his already grumpy demeanour. I needed to know what kind of snack would work after expending all the mental and physical energy he does during a normal school day.

Usually, whatever is expedient and easily available in my cupboard is what I would let him have. And I genuinely try to find good, nutritious after school snacks that are easy, but let’s face it. Any type of snacks you buy in the grocery store are processed, usually chock full of sugar, and the fat content can be, or is, quite high.

In carrying out some research, I found out that anything I can create at home is going to be so much better nutritionally for him than anything I can buy at the store already processed, packaged and ready to go. This is not rocket science, but we do get so caught up in doing what seems to be faster instead of what is better.

Not that I don’t cook, but I do have a heavy work load, kid load, and husband load that needs handling everyday. Having said that, you must know, I do it all with joy. My family means everything to me.

So, because of that joy, I started making some of these wonderful after school snacks recipes that absolutely didn’t take that much more time out of my day and the results are long lasting and I have a happier kid and hubby!

Some of the ideas for after school snacks don’t need an oven, just your imagination for variations on the theme. Other ideas that you can find on my Easy Appetizer Recipes website, you can make ahead and store, like the sweet breads and snack mixes. Try out different combinations of ideas to see what fits with your child. Kids love variety and you can do so much with a lot less effort than you think. If you put love first, everything else is easy!

Here are some non-cook ideas with apples and bananas for after school snacks you can try with various spreads:

• Apples and cheese – cut apples in slices and serve with a little slab of cheddar cheese.
• Apples and peanut butter – spread peanut butter on a slice of apple.
• Apples and apple butter – dip sliced apples in apple butter
• Apples and cream cheese with raisins – spread cream cheese on an apple slice and dot with a twosome of raisins . Create a happy face with the raisins.
• Banana slices with chocolate sprinkles or any kind of sprinkles – my son loves this. Slice up bananas and put on a small plate. Sprinkle chocolate sprinkles or any type of edible sprinkles that you have handy over the slices.
• Banana slices and peanut butter – put a dab of peanut butter on each banana slice. For a variation, try almond butter.
• Banana slices with apple butter and raisins – put a dab of apple butter on each banana slice and dot with a raisins.
• Banana slices in milk and sugar – an old-fashioned favorite of mine. My mom used to serve this to me, her Mom used to serve it to her. Slice up bananas and put in a bowl, cover slightly with milk and top with a sprinkling of sugar or sprinkles. Kids love it!

For more great ideas for snacks for your kids and family, just follow the link below in my bio box to the Easy Appetizer Recipes website.