We all want to eat and enjoy nutritious foods, but time can often be a limiting factor. With back-to-school season in full swing (and looking differently for everyone this year!) preparation is key to maintaining a well-balanced routine. While healthy muffins and roasted vegetables can be great options, we have some ideas for days you can’t even think about turning on the oven.
These no-bake snack recipes come together quickly and are healthy, minimal meal prep options to add to your lunchbox — or refrigerator — this fall.
Try These Easy No-Bake Snack Ideas
Drizzled Fruit Kebabs
Trying to add more produce colors into their diets? Try serving snacks on a stick. Fruit kebabs can be customized to your child’s favorite fruits but can also be an exciting way to try new fruits. Consider grapes, strawberries, blueberries, watermelon, pineapple or cantaloupe and add some blocks of cheese in for more protein. Or, serve some veggies on a stick. Craving something a little sweeter? Drizzle on some melted dark chocolate – mixed in with our Collagen Peptides – for a burst of flavor.
Matcha Yogurt Parfait
Layer fruit and yogurt in a cup or mason jar and top with granola or nuts and seeds. To keep it seasonal, make it red, white and blue in the summer, and add in layers of pumpkin puree in the fall. Looking for an easy a.m. fix? Try whipping up this Breakfast Parfait.
Filling Oatmeal Bars
Sick of seeing all the hard-to-pronounce ingredients making up the bars on the grocery shelves? Create your own! Combine quick oats, peanut butter and maple syrup or honey and press into a baking pan. Transfer the pan to the freezer until firm, and then cut into bars. Add in chocolate chips, dried fruit, pumpkin puree or cocoa powder to switch up the flavor. Take a look at this recipe for a full tutorial.
Homemade Trail Mix
To make a homemade trail mix, choose your favorite nuts or seeds, cereals and dried fruits, and mix them in a large container for a grab-and-go option. Some easy combinations include peanuts, raisins, sunflower seeds and popcorn, or almonds, pumpkin seeds, dried mango and cereal. For additional flavor, try roasting your nuts ahead of time. Or, if you want to follow a recipe, we love these Homemade Trail Mix Bites!
Decadent Overnight Oats
Take some oats and mix them with your milk of choice, some chia seeds, yogurt and fruit in a small mason jar or Tupperware® container. The oats will absorb the liquid and flavors overnight, making for a great on-the-go breakfast or lunchbox item. Otherwise, this yummy Almond Cookie Overnight Oats recipe is sure to be an instant hit!
Sweet Energy Bites
There are endless combinations you can put together with just a few ingredients. A simple mixture of oats, honey, peanut butter, chia or flax seeds and raisins produces a tasty, no-bake energy bite that fits perfectly in a lunch box and doubles as an after-school snack. Switch out the peanut butter for almond butter or sunflower seed butter, add chocolate chips or coconut flakes, or mix some Dark Chocolate Blackberry Collagen Peptides in to change things up. If you're looking for a step-by-step recipe, we love this Coconut Chocolate Chip Energy Bites one!
