5 Healthy and Delicious Snacks for After-School Sports

It's halftime and the home team is down by two. What's going to get the players recharged and ready to take the lead in the second half?

This school year, mix up your kids' Gatorade regimen with fun and creative homemade snacks. Instead of feeding them orange slices or hard-as-rock granola bars, give them something that tastes good and is good for them to enjoy during after-school-sports. Just as kids need their shin guards and cleats for the game, they also need to fuel their bodies with nutrients to be successful at sports. Before, during, and after their games, it's important to feed the little athletes things that will give them the protein, carbohydrates, vitamins, and minerals they need in their everyday diet - and it goes without saying that it should taste good, too.

Related: Healthy Back to School Snacks for Kids

These recipes have everything your kids and their bodies crave - whether it's protein-packed soy clusters for them to snack on during a break in the game or cheesy mini pizza rolls to treat them with after a win. It's time to start feeding our kids food that is both tasty and healthy, and these recipes will ensure that they can't wait until it's your week to bring the snacks for the game.

Chocolate and Peanut Butter Trailbars Recipe
Many athletes will quickly recite to you their favorite protein or energy bar. While this one has not been sent to a lab or tested for performance, after many iterations this bar has become a favorite. I hope you love the divine combination of peanut butter and chocolate. After all, what's not to love?

INGREDIENTS
2 cups oats
1 cup granola
1/2 cup almonds, chopped
1/2 cup pretzels, broken
1/3 cup dried dates, pitted and chopped
1/2 cup coconut syrup
1 cup peanut butter
1/4 cup butter
1 cup chocolate chips

DIRECTIONS
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Mix all ingredients in a bowl. Press mixture into a lightly greased 9 inch by 13 inch pan. Bake for 15 minutes. Remove from the oven, sprinkle the chocolate chips over the mixture and return to the oven for 2 minutes. Finish by spreading the softened chocolate chips into a thin layer covering the bars.

Recipe Details

Servings: 28
Cuisine: American

Notes and Substitutions:
*Recommended to use fair trade chocolate

Gone Fishin' Snack Mix
Packed in individual sandwich bags, this snack mix will ride easily with you to the game, and is a great way to gift your kid some candy after a big win. In addition to the candy, kids are getting the carbohydrates they need from the oat cereal, so theyll be ready for practice the next day.

Click here to see the Gone Fishin' Snack Mix Recipe

Soy Nut Clusters
Packed with protein, these nut clusters will easily tromp popcorn in the snack department, and are easy to carry with you to the game.

Click here to see the Soy Nut Clusters Recipe

Black Bean Mango Salsa
Most kids are adverse to salsa because they think its too spicy or they just cant stand tomatoes. This recipe uses a few chunks of sweet mango to trick them into liking it, while getting their fruits and vegetables at the same time.

Click here to see the Black Bean Mango Salsa Recipe

Caramel Maple Yogurt Dip
This dip proves that getting your kids to eat their fruits is as easy as making them dip-able. Theyll enjoy getting their vitamins from the apple and banana because of the caramel and maple flavored yogurt, which incidentally, is a great source of dairy.

Click here to see the Caramel Maple Yogurt Dip Recipe

-Anne Dolce, The Daily Meal

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