Best Snacks For Healthy Kids! (Healthy Hollywood)

Health-conscious celebs make it a top priority to put only the best foods into their bodies. And, for many that means eating a plant-based organic diet. Gwyneth Paltrow insists her family eat seasonally and locally, while Angelina Jolie reportedly demands all of her food is organic.

While most of us regular folks can’t afford to go totally organic, we can take baby steps to make sure we are putting the best foods into our bodies. As parents, we can all make sure are kids are having healthy snacks (at least most of the time).

Meet Zak Normandin, a father of three, who got frustrated with all the junky snacks for kids. So, he created a line of organic kid snack and cereal products called Little Duck Organics.

“I was quickly inspired to make snacks that met standards for parents (healthy, organic, no sugar added, Non-GMO), while they also happened to be fun and delicious for kids to enjoy,” Zak reveals to Healthy Hollywood.

“We only add clean, simple ingredients to our products. Our line of Tiny Fruits is a bite-sized snack made from 100 percent organic fruit with no sugar added. And, our line of Mighty Oats, an ancient grains based cereal, is made with protein heavy ingredients like quinoa, chia, millet, buckwheat and amaranth,” Zak explains about his ingredients.

Yet, even Zak understands kids aren’t going to eat healthy 100 percent of the time.

“Kids are going to go to birthday parties, and they’re going to eat non-organic ice cream cake. It’s just how it does. If your snacks aren’t 100 percent healthy, 100 percent of the time, the world wouldn’t end. It’s all about balance. But, when you’re shopping for snacks at the store, the ingredient list never lies.”

Zak shared one of his favorite healthy kid-friendly breakfast recipes.

Overnight Banana Peanut Butter Oatmeal Jars

Prepping breakfast the night before is a novel idea, but most of the time never happens because… well… pancakes are best served fresh. Here’s an easy recipe for a protein-rich simple breakfast.

Ingredients / Tools:

• 1 tbsp natural peanut butter
• 1 tsp honey or agave nectar
• 1/4 cup bananas, cut small.
• Ball Jars, at least 1-cup in size. [Use a bigger size to allow room for adding fresh fruit and other fixin’s]
• 1/4 cup Rolled oats [Not to be confused with instant oatmeal or steel-cut oatmeal. These oats lend themselves well to a hearty finished product]
• 1/3 cup milk [can be almond, soy or regular old 2 percent. Whatever you use daily.]
• 1 1/2 tsp chia seeds [plan ahead and order these online to cut costs, but they’re always available at most health food stores and in the organic section of most grocery stores]

Mix oats, milk, yogurt, chia seeds, peanut butter and honey into the jar. Once mixed thoroughly, add bananas and stir gently until combined. Seal with lid and store in the fridge, at least overnight If you’re feeling extra fancy, add fresh blueberries, bananas or raspberries on top before digging in!

For more on Little Duck Organics, check out www.littleduckorganics.com.

— Terri MacLeod