The perfect fridge and pantry clean out! The after school snack tray is a great way to feed hungry kiddos and clear out some space in your kitchen.
For more great ideas for post-school snacks for the kids, head on over to these posts: Easy After School Snacks for Busy Families, 10 Healthy Snacks You Can Prep in Advance, and (my favorite) the Everyday Cheese Board!
After School Snack Tray
I feel like it’s a cool thing for every restaurant nowadays to have some kind of charcuterie or cheese board. There’s fancy cheeses and intricate meats and things like toasted nuts and pepper jellies. I mean, sounds pretty darn great if you ask me, but they aren’t exactly the most kid-friendly platters. Enter: my version of kids’ charcuterie, the after school snack tray!
This simple set-up is the best thing to happen to you, promise! (Especially if you’re used to hearing, “I’m hungry!” a hundred times after school.) When I take 10 minutes to throw some of the contents of the fridge on a little tray, they tend to eat more fruits and veggies that way, I clean out my produce drawer, and it’s just fun for everyone. They win a great snack, and I win less whining and a less packed fridge/pantry. It’s also great for movie nights and when friends come over.
What do you put on an after school snack tray?
Everything! Anything! Literally. Whatever you have in the fridge that’s on its final leg, anything that’s been lingering in the pantry. I load them up with lots of fruits and veggies, boiled eggs, hummus, cheese, deli meat, crackers, pretzels, nuts, trail mix, or chocolate chips for a pop of fun. When it’s out and ready to be picked through, I find my kids are way more open to choosing to eat produce than if I were to try to force it.
What can you do with leftovers from an after school snack tray?
You can just store the leftovers in a container in the fridge. It’ll already be prepped and ready to use in lunch boxes or as a side for a meal at home — or even for tomorrow’s snack tray!
What are good times to make a snack tray?
After school is just a hungry time in many homes, I think, so this is very handy around that 3 o’clock hour when it’ll still be a while until dinner. You can also make one for movie nights or when friends come over!
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After School Snack Tray
- Prep Time: 10 min
- Total Time: 10 min
- Yield: serves 6-8
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Pin RecipeDescription
The perfect fridge and pantry clean out! The after school snack tray is a great way to feed hungry kiddos and clear out some space in your kitchen.
Ingredients
- Assorted fruits
- Assorted vegetables
- Protein: boiled eggs, hummus, cheese, meat roll ups
- Carb: crackers, pita chips, pretzels
- Something fun: seasonal candies, chocolate chips, trail mix
Instructions
- Arrange the fruit, veggies, and other items on a cookie sheet or serving tray.
- Let the kids eat right off the tray to their hearts desire.
Notes
- Not much of a real recipe, this is just a great way to clean out the produce drawer and little odds and ends. Use what you have.
- Store leftovers of your snack tray in a box in the fridge, and use it later to fill in a meal or to add to lunch boxes since it’s already prepped and ready to go.
- Category: snack
- Method: no bake
- Cuisine: American
Keywords: snack, snack tray, after school snack, healthy snack
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Other great after school snack ideas:
- 27 Tasty After School Snacks Ideas
- Easy After School Snacks for Busy Families
- 10 Healthy Snacks You Can Prep in Advance
- Healthy Homemade Snack Bars Recipe (like a homemade larabar)
- Cheesy Chili Lime Popcorn
- 8 No-Bake Oatmeal Energy Balls
- The Life Changing Magic of the Veggie Box
- Easy Healthy Rainbow Popsicles
After school snack trays are a game changer for cleaning out your lingering produce and snacks, and to feed hungry kiddos after a long day at school!
About Melissa
I have a lot going on, and I’d much rather spend my time enjoying my messes than fretting about what I’m going to make for dinner. Over the past few years, I’ve nailed down a few strategies that helped me keep my kitchen running like a well-oiled machine, so I started Bless This Mess to help other mess-loving parents solve the nightly dinner delimma—no stress, no drama, just really great food your whole family will love. Read more...
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I love this idea and whatever doesn’t get eaten can go back into the fridge