Some Great After-School Snack Ideas

The lazy days of summer are certainly over and on the horizon are the sounds of the school bell dinging away well into the afternoon. But afternoon means one thing and one thing only…dismissal from class and the after-school snack.

Ah…to be a kid again. On second thought, being a kid certainly wasn’t always easy. School, homework, (in my day, bullies), and perhaps even that mean teacher that just wouldn’t grade me justly. It sure was a high point of my day when that final bell rang and my friends and I were eventually dismissed, which was when we all headed home most days. That was if we didn’t head to the park first.

And what could have warmed my heart more than a wonderful snack when I reached home? Nothing at all, that’s what. I remember, bolting the door to my parents’ house, wanting to shut out the world, and the first place I’d head was to the kitchen.

And what did I get to eat? That depended on my age, my frame of mind, and of course what was in the house, which in my case was a stocked fridge and pantry thanks to my parents.

Join us as we take a look at some pretty epic after-school snack and meal ideas that maybe you never thought to have

No order here folks. These are all spectacular and appropriate for the weary school-goer, dear readers.

Of course these depend on the age of children, as kids these days have so many things going on, it seems. But everybody could use a snack, right?

Right. So without further ado…

Milk and Cookies

Simple, yes, but oh so necessary. Sometimes, there’s no greater snack. Call it comfort food, call it an energy booster to get that homework done before dinner; I say good old Santa has the right idea.

And name your brand of cookie; they’ll all do.

Early appetizers

And hey…if your house is like mine when I was growing up, then there was always something cooking on the stove when I got home. One major thing was of course tomato sauce and of course meatballs.

Another epic snack is one of those meatballs covered in sauce; especially if your young boy or gal is headed to the gym before dinner.

And really, it doesn’t need to be meatballs. A chicken leg will do just as nicely.

A Sandwich

And of course this depends on how late dinner will be, but a sandwich, especially peanut butter and jam, would work wonders on staving off that appetite before dinner; especially with an ice cold glass of milk.

And now for some even unhealthier options

Hey, we all need a break sometimes and this one will probably win over a few teenagers, but when I was in high school and we didn’t exactly head home right away after school (sorry, Mom), we headed to two places in particular: 1- the corner store (which in Montréal is called a Depanneur—just think 7/11), and 2- a local diner where we could get 0.50 cent hot dogs (again…sorry Mom).

At the aforementioned Depanneur or corner store, you name it. We’d get anything from push pops to slushies, bags of chips and yes, even bags of penny candies.

At the diner, Mon Ami, which means My Friend, we’d load up on cheeseburgers, fries, or the aforementioned hot dogs.

And ‘My Friend’ indeed, good old Gerard was good to us, his apron dirty with grease, his hair slicked back with it too. And he’d laugh so hard when my friends and I would get to competing to see who could eat the most hot dogs.

He’d just bellow laughter behind the counter as he doled out the steamies, which is what we called the steamed hot dogs. He always gave a free ice cream to the winner. I really loved his vanilla soft serve.

Like I said at the beginning of this piece: to be a kid again, indeed.

Food for athletes

And if you’ve got yourself an athlete in training, then protein smoothies are probably a regular thing in your house. A nifty trick that perhaps isn’t really news to you is adding a cup of fruit puree to said protein powder and water. It does wonders, and always helped me when I was training hard for a belt in Karate. It ends up tasting much better too.

Fruit

“An apple a day, keeps the good old doctor away,” is the old adage and perhaps it also keeps you full while you wait for your favorite dinner. Heck, have two…they’re good for you.

Crudités

Cut up veggies are always a good idea. Just leave them in a Tupperware and your kids can grab them on their way in, blowing like the tornadoes they are. Just remember to stop them and remind them to kiss Mom (or Pop); after all, the food’s there because of her and Pops after all.

In the end, having something when coming home from the big bad world is perhaps the greatest comfort of all, for anyone. So snack healthy out there, but remember…food’s for the soul too, so treat yourselves as well, dear readers.

What kind of snacks do you love to have when getting home from work, school, etc.? Let us know in the comments.