GIVEAWAY – Adding Berries to the School Snacking Routine

Attempting to provide healthy snacks for school and lunchboxes can be a bit of a minefield. Whilst obviously I want the girls to eat well, life in general and the madness of our daily routine can sometimes get in the way of even the best laid plans, leaving us opting for quicker options that can instantly quash any exclamations of “I’m starrrrrving” during the school run.

The school holidays, Erin’s first 6 week holiday since starting school last September, absolutely flew by. Now that Erin is back and has started Year 1, the start of the day madness has officially begun. Our mornings pass by in a bit of a blur, with Mike and I both madly getting ready for work, whilst trying to both girls washed, dressed and fed before we bustle out the front door at 7.50am, with a nursery run, school run and work commute before we get to sit down and eat ourselves!

Sometimes it is hard as a busy family to not only find time to provide Erin with a healthy nutritious breakfast, but also give her suitable food both for her school lunchbox and then a snack for when she gets home. With her now doing gymnastics and dance clubs before and after school, those healthy snacks are becoming more and more important to help give her the energy to last throughout the entire day.

Can we build Berries and fruit into our after school snack routine?

I am not going to lie, given the choice of snack, Erin will nearly always opt for a sugary option – chocolate, biscuits, or crisps, and whilst they may be suitable as an occasional treat, I do worry about the affect of sugar on her teeth and overall health. I also notice that these sugary snacks often have a noticeable negative effect on her behaviour, probably due to the slump in energy levels once the effects of the processed sugar has worn off. It’s a hard balance, but this year I am making a conscious effort to bring more fruit into her daily routine.

It appears I am not alone! Research from British Summer Fruits (the body which accounts for 95% of the UK grown berries supplied to UK supermarkets) revealed that almost half of parents (47%) find it difficult to maintain a healthy snacking routine whilst their children are at school. 23% of parents surveyed (nearly a third!) didn’t think that schools are doing enough to encourage healthy eating. Less surprising perhaps, was their finding that 65% of children are hungry when they get home from school. Without some planning therefore, it can be easy to opt for the quick and easy option like packet of crisps or a biscuit, but with a little bit of forethought it doesn’t need to be that way!

Berry and Fruit Based After School Snacks

With a bit of inspiration from British Summer Fruits I have been looking into some quick and easy ways to incorporate berries into Erin’s after school snacking routine, ditching the naughty options for some healthier fruit based snack choices instead. Whist some of the options do require a bit of preparation, the majority are very quick and easy to make and as they are fun and creative, Erin has been far more keen to engage and tuck in than if I just served unprepared fruit alone.

Berries are the perfect snack for school children because they are easy to eat, take up a small amount of space in a lunchbox and are packed full of nutrients. Not only that, but research from the University of Reading revealed that eating Strawberries, Blueberries, Blackberries and Raspberries can improve reaction times, stabilise mood and maintain focus as well as sustaining cognitive function hours after consumption.

Here are the berry related snacks we have been enjoying this week:

Make your own Berry Skewers / Fruit Kebabs

We have had lots of fun with this one – a really really simple idea, but the difference in appeal is pretty amazing. Not only are these Berry Skewers really yummy and full of goodness, but are a great supervised after-school activity, where children can enjoy threading the skewers themselves and creating their own pretty fruit kebabs (great for hand eye coordination!). You can use cocktail sticks, but obviously be aware they have sharper ends and therefore will need to be more closely monitored. We use coffee stirrers instead which are rounded at the ends, making them ideal for small hands. Combined with a tub of Greek yogurt for dipping (with a little honey added to make it taste slightly sweeter for Erin’s palette) these Make your own Berry Skewers have been a real hit.

Berry Jelly

I am yet to meet a child who doesn’t love jelly, and with sugar-free options available, they are a great option for as a tasty after school snack. Again Erin is a very visual eater, and is much more likely to try something if it looks bright and appealing. We made our jelly a little more exciting by adding in raspberries to the mix before we left it to set, using fun shaped moulds like the cloud one above. Erin and I made this together, and it was a fun after school activity which she could reap the benefits of the following day.

Frozen Blueberry Bites

These yoghurt covered blueberries are super quick and easy to make and simply need to be frozen in order to set. I tend to prepare them the night before so the yoghurt is fully hardened, and then pop into a small container which can be served a handful at a time. These Blueberry Bites are perfect to enjoy straight from the freezer as an after school snack (just giving them a minute or two to thaw slightly) and are ideal for satisfying a sweet tooth without a sweet or chocolate in sight!

Frozen Yoghurt Berry Bark

My favourite from the week and the biggest hit with Erin was the Frozen Yoghurt Berry Bark (pictured below). The Frozen Yoghurt Berry Bark is a fab way of enticing even the most reluctant of fruit eaters to eat berries as these sheet based layers of yoghurt looks surprisingly like slabs of chocolate!

To make, simply pour a large pot of sugar free yoghurt onto a parchment paper lined baking tray and spread out with a spatula to create a relatively flat smooth layer. Next, sprinkle berries all over in a random design before popping into the freezer for around 6-8 hours (overnight works well).

Once removed from the freezer, crack the bark in a random fashion to create small shards or pieces which can be enjoyed one or two pieces at a time – perfect for munching on after school whilst waiting for tea! These are also great for siblings to share and snack together.

Overall, we have really enjoyed creating some of these fun berry snacks for Erin, and it’s definitely helped open my eyes to just how easy it can be to incorporate healthier options into her after school snacks. The next time she tells me she’s hungry after school, I know I can quickly whip up a healthy treat that will be both satisfying and nutritious, and none of it breaks the bank, actually costing far less than the pre packed alternatives. The challenge now is trying not to eat them all myself!

Do your children like their berries? What other fun ideas do you have to improve their after school snacking routine? I would love to hear them!

To celebrate the start of a new school year and the fact that all these wonderful seasonal berries that are in our supermarkets right now, we have a fab giveaway for you to enter below. Five winners will each win some Seasonal Berries Fruit Pots (as pictured below) and a £25 Smiggle Voucher, so you can treat your kids to some funky new lunchbox or rucksack to house their after school snacks!

To enter simply use the Gleam app below. GOOD LUCK!

British Summer Fruits Smiggle Giveaway

UK Entrants only. Giveaway closes 11.59pm on 14/10/18. Our standard giveaway terms and conditions and privacy policy applies. By entering this giveaway you are deemed to have accepted the terms held within. GOOD LUCK!