Hi. I have tried to incorporate healthier lc choices for my childrens meals and snacks and have run out of ideas. They used to snack on crackers (with hydogenated fat), pretzles, popcorn, crackers, sugary yogurt cups, string cheese etc. After school, they have a piece of fruit, string cheese or lunchmeat or a Zone bar (expensive and still kind of sugary). My kids hate nuts although 2 of them will eat peanut butter. So, I am trying to figure out some other alternatives. I am still sending the bad choices with them to school because of convenience. I would like to change this. I do not restrict thier cabs but try to give them better carb choices like oatmeal w/protein instead of the sugary cerals, yogurt smoothies w/added protein powder, fruit in place of chips at lunch and low-carb bread for sandwiches etc. Can anyone give me some economical ideas? We are on a very tight budget. It's become much more expensive to feed us all this way!

p.s. I have tried a few protein bar recipes and have not had success. They taste terrible to me!

With my kids, I guess I don't really try to lower their carbs, per se, just cut out the white flour and sugar.

Mine is a bit younger, so it can be easier.

They like peanut butter. Get the all natural kind (unles they see the jar they will never know the difference) and instead of bread cut a slice of colby jack cheese, spread the peanut butter on and fold it like a samwich. Fresh fruit, such as half an apple is also a great idea. You can send peanut butter along to dip the apple in if you like. String cheese is a good snack. The zone bars are loaded with sugars. You might want to see if your store has Pria brand. They have the lowest sugar of any I can find, no sugar alcohols an dbest of all, are usually priced under $1.

If you can convince them to eat celery, then stuffing a stalk of celery with cream cheese, or a peanut butter cream cheese mix would be good. You can also do tuna salad, chicken salad, or deviled eggs. Store bought mayo is pasturized so will be ok in a lunch box for the day, just don't try it with homade mayo. Take lunch meat and roll up cream cheese inside. If anyone likes pickles you can put one of thos ein the center. Still send samwiches with them, just read all the lables in the bread isle and try to find the bread with the highest fiber and lowest sugar. If you have time on the week end you can also experiment with making low sugar treats. There is a recipe for LC donuts that uses protien powder and no sugar. There is also a really good tasting one for peanut butter protien bars that is basicaly chocolate protien powder, peanut butter and splenda. We won't say what the finished product looks like onc eyou roll itinto little logs though
Read through the recipe forumon here for tons of ideas, and maybe invest in a couple of LC cookbooks.

My son is jsut starting Head STart where they serve "2 meals and 1 snack following the USDA guidlines" I shudder reading the daily menus. Cereal, milk juice and fruit for breakfast. A samwich or other bread product for lunch. Then a cookie, brownie, or other treat for snack most days. It's not somewhere you can pack the kids lunch either, and I think at that age the being different and jelousy from other kids could be a large issue (3-5 year olds)

Thanks! You have given me some good ideas. I use nature's Own Low Carb Bread for them and stay away from any white flour and sugar for the most part. I allow one "treat" a day along those lines. I tried using cream chesse with a bit of Splenda and cinnamon on low carb toast and that was a hit! I will look for the Pria bars for my son who goes straight to football after school and doesn't get home until 6:45 or 7:00. That's who I have been giving the Zone bars to but always felt uncomfortable with the amount of sugar. Best wishes!

My kids (9 and 11) also snack on jerky, cocktail pepperoni sticks, small amounts of popcorn, boiled eggs, sf jello and sf pudding made with whipping cream. I do let them have a sugary snack and pasta/pizza/milk and cereal on weekends-but my 11 yo won't go far off his plan.

What are coctail pepperoni sticks and where to I get them?

They are sold at Safeway here. The brand name is Oh Boy Oberto classics "Bite Size cocktail pepperoni snacks." They are 2 inch sticks of pepperoni-the kids just grab a handful and they are 2 carbs for 7 sticks. They do have nitrates/nitrites so they don't get them daily. They run around $3.69 for about 50 pieces. They go great with cheese sticks.

I'll look for them here. Thanks-they love pepperoni.

Want to watch the budget??? most of those snacks you listed are very expensive conveniet foods.

Here some ideas, that are healthier and cheap

We are talking kids here, right not a low carb dieter.

Celery with peanut butter, with just a few chocolate chips on top of the pean butter.

Celery with cream cheese, tons of flavours to pick from now, or go plain and top with raisins.

Sliced carrots, ( not the expensive baby ones) mixed in a bag with raisens. that was always a big hit.

Sunflower seeds ( shelled )

Fresh banana or a frozen one, sprinkle a few chocolate chips, put in the Microwave just enough til the choc starts to soften.

In a blender put a sliced up ( chunks ) of a frozen banana, Milk, any other fruit fresh or frozen, sweeten if you have to with honey or consentrated frozen orange juice ( it can be a cheap one ).
The more banana the thicker.
Bananas are so cheap, make sure they are ripe, peel them and store in the freezer in a big zip lock bag.
My 16 and 19 yr olds still head for the freezer for these all the time.

Oddly enough too, I can remember several times, I'd put a plate of raw veggies and dip out for the kids before dinner, when they had friends over, you would'nt beleive how fast those peppers cuc's carrots,ect went. Sadly,many kids never get offered that sort of thing at home.

Just have to add one thing, just spotted my 16 yr old eating one of his favorite after school treats, I buy the small boxes of 100% fruit juice only,( all others are crap), anyhow we keep them in the freezer, he eats them right out of the box frozen solid with a spoon, it's just like a snow cone. Or you can let them thaw a bit and thye are like a slurpee

Hope you get some ideas. Kathy

thanks, I have never frozen bannanas but will definately do so. I have been making smoothies with them as you suggestd for breakfast now and then. I was excited today when i found sugar-free chocolate syrup made with Splenda at Wal-Mart today. It's their brand. I mixed it with Smucker's Natural PB and it was like eating a PB Cup. Luckily my kids love salad, so they have that with dinner often. I will try a veggie tray as well. I forgot all about sunflower seeds!