If your kids are ravenous when they come in the door from school, you know how important after-school snacks can be. Read on for a handful of great ideas for keeping the snack selection interesting, with help from our friends at Hans Dairy. 

If you have school-aged kids, you’ve experienced the post-3pm hangries (hungry + angry!). Your kids seem exhausted, out of patience and argumentative. What’s the deal? Shouldn’t they be happy that the school day is finished?  

Chances are, they’re just hungry. And there’s no way they’re going to make it all the way to dinner time without a fuel-up. 

The good news is, you can usually navigate the after-school crash by having a great-tasting, nutritious snack ready to go. If it’s already prepared when they come home, you can head hunger-related meltdowns off at the pass. If your kids are in after-care or extracurriculars, just be sure to send an extra snack in their lunchboxes to make sure they have enough energy for the rest of their day. 

Read on for tips for assembling a balanced snack, with some fun ideas for keeping things interesting. 

Making the Perfect Snack 

First things first: Not all snacks are created equal. In order for a late-day nibble to give your kids an energy boost, it needs a few things: protein, healthy fats and carbs. The aim is to keep blood sugar stable, which is easy to do with this balanced approach. If a snack is too high in sugar, it will spike your child’s blood sugar (which may seem like a burst of energy, but it will be short-lived and leave kids feeling unsatisfied and moody).  

Yogurt Can Be Your Best Friend 

Loaded up with fruit, granola and a drizzle of honey, yogurt ticks all the boxes. If you’re at home, you can set up a parfait bar with toppings so kids can make their own (less complaining this way!). If your kids are at an activity, you can send an insulated container of yogurt, to keep it chilled throughout the day, with toppings in containers on the side so it can be assembled on the fly. Hans Dairy’s line of dahi, an Indian-style yogurt, is perfect for this balanced snack. It’s available in 3.2 percent milk fat, 2 percent milk fat and 2 percent lactose-free. 

You can also try making frozen yogurt bark, which is similar to the chocolate treat you’ve probably sampled before. Spread the Hans Dairy yogurt of your choice on a large, rimmed baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Sprinkle fresh berries and chocolate chips over top, then pop it in the freezer for a few hours to harden. Break into irregular pieces and serve. 

Smoothies Aren’t Just for Drinking 

A smoothie is a great start to an after-school snack. Served with a side of cheese and crackers or veggies and dip, they’re an easy and delicious option. But they’re also more versatile than you might think. For a cool and refreshing treat, freeze Hans Dairy smoothies or lassis in popsicle or ice cube molds with a little sprinkle of granola on top and it’s an all-in-one snack kids will love. For an amped up yogurt popsicle, try making Hans Dairy’s yummy Blueberry Yogurt Pops. 

Try Rice Pudding as a Cozy Snack 

If your kids have never tried rice pudding, they’re missing out. Hans Dairy’s Kheer, an Indian-style rice pudding, is creamy and dreamy, and not too shabby on protein either. Add sliced bananas and a sprinkle of cinnamon for a customized twist. As with the yogurt parfait hack, you can send this to school or an after-school activity with mix-ins on the side. Or, for something extra special, give this recipe for Rice Pudding Paradise Tarts a try. 

When your kids are a little bigger, they can easily make these snacks on their own. Teaching them to recognize the signs of a hunger crash, plus easy ways to conquer a snack attack, is a great life skill. For more fun and healthy recipes, visit https://hansdairy.com/recipes/.