I find afternoon snacks to be essential in the day of my children.  Whenever possible I use the afternoon snack as an opportunity to get more calcium in my children's daily diet.  Pair breads and muffins with low fat yogurt, a glass of milk or slice of cheese.  Here are 25  healthy snack options.

1. Sliced Apple and Dip (peanut butter, yogurt or both: mix equal parts peanut butter and vanilla yogurt together until smooth)
2. Whole Grain Bread with Hummus (white bean or chick pea)
3. Mini Black Bean and Cheese Roll ups served with salsa
4. Peanut Butter and banana sandwiches with honey
5. Yogurt, Fruit and Granola Grape Nuts
6. Fruit and Cereal Bars
7. Cranberry Oat Bars
8. Oat and Apricot Clusters
9. Fruit and Muesli Slices
10. Hawaiian Toasties on Whole Wheat Bread: whole wheat bread, one slice each of ham, pineapple and cheddar cheese. Put under broiler in toaster oven until melted.
11. Fruit and Cheese with Whole Grain Crackers and Nuts (optional)
12. Yogurt Smoothies assorted flavors virtually any fruit, 100% fruit juice, yogurt and milk will produce a great smoothie. Here is a tip: Freeze your favorite smoothie juice in ice cube trays. Use the juice cubes instead of ice cubes when making your smoothie. Here is another tip. Any leftover smoothie mixture, pour into freezer pop molds or paper cups and freeze with the stick in it of course. Now you have a frozen smoothie pop whenever you are looking for a sweet treat.
    • Strawberry Mango
    • Peach and Blueberry
    • Pineapple and Banana
    • Orange and Vanilla
    • Mixed Berry Blast
13. Strawberry Oat Muffins or Blueberry Oat Muffins
14. Banana Bread
15. Pumpkin Muffins
16. Cup of Soup and ½ a grilled cheese sandwich
17. Small bowl of pasta with tomato sauce
18. Small bowl of brown rice and black beans
19. Whole Grain Muffins
20. Bowl of Hot Oatmeal with fruit and honey
21. Cottage Cheese toasted on whole wheat bread with either cinnamon or salt and pepper on it.
22. Tomato Cheese Melts: whole wheat bread, one slice each of tomato and Swiss cheese. Put under the toaster oven’s broiler until melted.
23. Hearty Yogurt Nut & Seed Bread with Cream Cheese (or with a bit of butter and a cup of soup)
24. Whole Wheat Apple Cheese Bread
25. Oat Cookies and Milk

Information was provide by Beth Ann Bentley, founder and president of iLunchBox.com, an online resource with kid-tested lunches and parent tested tricks, tips and recipes for a successfully packed lunch, for the speed of life.