Check out these top healthy organic snack boxes for kids and parents in 2024. Nutritious, delicious, and convenient options for the whole family!
Why Choose Organic Snack Boxes for Your Family?
Did you know that about 70% of parents admit they struggle to find healthy snacks their kids actually enjoy? The battle usually lies between nutrition and taste. But take heart in knowing you are not alone! Keep reading to discover various options to make your snacking world that much easier! Organic snack boxes are changing how families snack, offering a balance of health and tastiness. So, keep reading to see what option may work best for your family!
Benefits of Organic Snacks for Children’s Health
You may be wondering what the actual benefits of choosing organic options are… It’s a valid question since organic is more expensive! So let’s take a look.
Organic foods offer less exposure to harmful chemicals that are often found in foods grown with growth stimulants and pesticides. Although organic products may not always look as bright or perfectly shaped, it’s actually a good thing! This means that these products are free from harmful chemicals used to fertilize as well as artificial colors, flavors and preservatives – all things you don’t want your children consuming if possible.
Organic options also often boast a higher nutrient content which in turn positively affects our immune system. They can even reduce the risk of certain allergies. So, with these various benefits in mind, continue reading for even more reasons to choose organic!
Convenience
Snack boxes are a simple and enjoyable way to have ready-to-eat snacks available all week! This helps busy parents save time during the day on choosing and preparing snacks for their little ones. Having pre-prepared snack boxes also makes it easy to grab and go for snacks that can be eaten anywhere, anytime!
Additionally, these boxes can be prepared in a way that offers portion-controlled options so your little ones can practice consuming healthy portion sizes and avoid over-snacking. Whether you choose a subscription of snack boxes or want to try out some DIY options, these snack boxes can easily be incorporated into weekly or bi-weekly meal planning to avoid frequent trips to the store.
Environmental impact of organic options
Not only is organic a healthier option for you and your family, it is also better for the environment. Purchasing organic foods helps promote sustainable farming which in turn helps to reduce pollution that stems from pesticides, fertilizers and other chemicals used in farming. Organic farming usually uses less energy during production and encourages people to eat more local and seasonal products. So do your part for your family and the earth!
Variety and exposure to new, healthy foods
We all know it can be really difficult to get your little ones to try new foods, but variety in nutrition is a really good thing! Organic snack boxes can be helpful in introducing children to new things and they might just help out the pickiest of eaters. Choosing organic foods helps provide a wider range nutrients from different food sources unlike grabbing a processed snack full of unnecessary sugars, preservatives, and ingredients you can’t even pronounce. You can often find better alternatives for common food allergies when shopping organic as well. Start encouraging new foods from a young age and spark your child’s curiosity for diverse snack options!
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Top Organic Snack Box Subscriptions for Families
Organic snack subscription services
With so many options on the market, I decided to narrow down my favorites and give you my top 3. Keep reading for a rundown of why these are my most recommended!
Urthbox
- This is a monthly subscription that gets delivered to you. It offers NON-GMO organic snacks and drinks. I love it because you can customize your order by choosing from 1 of 4 box sizes (number of snacks per box is disclosed before purchase). You can also choose whether you prefer classic, gluten free, vegan or keto. If you decide you want a break or want to cancel the subscription, all you have to do is log into your account and pause or cancel the subscriptions, no strings attached! Who doesn’t love that?
Great Kids Healthy Snacks
- This monthly subscription box is delivered before the first day of each month. You have the option of selecting a 20 or 30 piece snack box, or if needed, a gluten free box. This is a small business, so you can even email the owner to make them aware of any specific allergies and they will do their best to accommodate. Their snacks are organic and all natural, making it a great healthy option for you and your family! Take the thought out of shopping and hand it over to someone else! Again, this subscription can easily be cancelled before the 15th of the month to avoid being charged for the next subscription box.
Thrive Market
- Although Thrive Market does not offer pre-assembled snack “boxes,” they do offer a variety of organic and sustainable snacks with no artificial colors or flavors that can be delivered to your door. So, you can shop online and buy as many of each snack as you want and assemble your own “boxes” based on the snacks you love most. For Thrive Market, you do have to set up a membership, BUT you then get access to snacks and all other groceries/products they sell. They have a low price promise, meaning they will match a lower price if you find that somewhere. As a member, you will be saving up to 30% on high quality organic and sustainable products. They even promise that if you do not make your annual membership fee back in savings they will credit you the difference in Thrive Cash. So, what’s there to lose?
What to Look for in a Family-Friendly Organic Snack Box
Nutritional balance and ingredients to avoid
When choosing snacks, or any food for that matter, it is important to know what you do AND don’t want to see on the nutrition label.
Start by seeking out whole food ingredients (foods in their natural organic form) with as little processing as possible. Having a balanced diet means also incorporating balanced snacks. So, try to get in a variety of proteins, healthy fats, and complex carbs while looking for options that offer vitamins, minerals and fiber.
It is good to avoid added sugars (especially high fructose corn syrup), preservatives, and artificial colors and flavors. Other things you should try to reduce intake of include high amounts of sodium, trans fat and hydrogenated oils (a type of fat food manufacturers use to keep food fresh for longer periods of time).
Age-appropriate organic snack options
Focus on providing age-appropriate snacks for your children. For example, you 4 year old shouldn’t be snacking the same way as your teenager! Take a look at the following tips for ensuring your little ones are snacking well!
Toddlers (1-3 years):
Offer options that are easy to chew such as organic fruit in small bite-sized pieces or purees. In my opinion, at this age you should stay away from sugar all together. They don’t know what they are “missing” if you don’t offer sugary treats from the start. Instead, you can offer them nutrient dense foods that are vital for their rapidly growing bodies! This also helps encourage healthier eating habits for the future.
Preschoolers (3-5 years):
Start introducing more and more textures and flavors. By this age, most children should be able to eat independently, so providing snacks that encourage them to continue self-feeding and developing fine motor skills are a plus!
School-age children (6-12 years):
Older children need more sustained energy to help them get through the school day, especially since it is likely they are not allowed to eat small snacks anytime they want. Strive for protein packed snacks that will help your kiddos stay fuller longer. This is a great age to give snacks with more complex flavors.
Teenagers:
Teenagers need to eat… a lot! They are often leading active lifestyles if involved in sports or other after school/summer activities and they are likely hitting some growth spurts as well. So don’t be afraid to offer your teens higher calorie snacks (this does not mean fill them up on sugary treats just because it’s high calorie!). Make sure the options are nutrient dense and offer plenty of protein, healthy fats, carbs and other nutrients such as calcium and iron that will give them sustained energy and not a sugar crash afterward.
Portion sizes and packaging
We know how easy it is to snack away without realizing how much we have eaten. That is why child-appropriate portions are important in snacks to help avoid overeating. A great way to do this is by choosing individually wrapped snacks such as granola bars. Make sure if you are packing a snack for the littles that it can be easily opened by them. Opt for resealable and eco-friendly packing as often as possible!
Check out this blog post for 8 sustainable food storage containers including kid-friendly lunch/snack boxes.
Fun snacks that kids will love
Don’t forget to make it fun! Teenagers will probably care a lot less about how the snacks or snack boxes appear. But your younger kids will LOVE a fun and engaging snack box that grabs their attention from the start. Eating healthy doesn’t have to, and SHOULDN’T be, boring. Use some of the following tips to draw in your snackers!
- Choose snacks that boast bright and varied colors such as an array of fresh veggies/fruits. Cut these into fun shapes like starts, hearts, etc.
- Throw a dip in there like greek yogurt with ranch seasoning for a healthy veggie dip or greek yogurt with honey for a sweeter fruit dip!
- Anything in mini version is fun for kids or adults, so think of healthy snacks you enjoy as an adult and make it “fun” sized.
- Offer seasonal snacks like a healthier pumpkin muffin (check out this recipe) in the fall or fresh watermelon skewers in the summer. Don’t forget you can alter the recipes to have less sugar. I suggest forgoing the crumble topping on the muffins to reduce the amount of sugar.
DIY Organic Snack Boxes: A Fun Family Activity
Benefits of creating your own organic snack boxes
Creating your own snack boxes comes with plenty of benefits. One of the most obvious may be the price. Subscriptions can get expensive, but when you are assembling yourself, you can generously cut the cost. DIY boxes also give you the freedom to choose exactly what you want to go in the box, allowing you to control the ingredients and nutrition your family consumes. This is especially a great option for families that may have certain allergy restrictions. An added bonus is that you can guarantee the freshness since you know exactly how long has passed between assembly and consumption.
DIY boxes don’t have to be an added stress to the parents. Get your kids involved in helping make the boxes!
Tips for selecting and storing organic snacks
One of the first things you should do when choosing organic snacks is read labels carefully to ensure that all the ingredients are organic. There are many products that may boast 70% or 95% organic ingredients meaning not all are. Once you have narrowed down your options, try to choose as much of a variety as possible including flavors as well as textures. Stick to whole food and nutrient dense options rather than something that has been overly processed. Buy in bulk when possible since it usually helps to save a few dollars. Then, package any open snacks in airtight containers to ensure freshness.
Creative packaging ideas for homemade organic snack boxes
There are many sustainable ways to make homemade snack boxes! Some of my favorites are using Bento boxes since they come prepared with separate compartments.
You can also use re-usable silicone storage bags like these for snacks such as homemade trail mix.
Get creative with it! You can even use a simple re-usable box and place colorful silicone cupcake liners to separate the snacks inside. Let the kid’s decorate their own box the way they like it. The options are endless when it’s DIY so have some fun and involve your family in the creative process!
Involving kids in the snack selection and preparation process
We’ve talked about letting the kids help out with choosing or creating their snack box. But it is also important to involve the kids in choosing what snacks they will enjoy / would like to try. Try out some of the following tips and see what works best for your family!
Let the kids go shopping with you and help you choose out fresh fruits and veggies.
Give your kids age appropriate tasks in the kitchen such as washing fruits/veggies and measuring out various ingredients.
Provide pre-selected (by you) ingredients and have the kids put together their own snack combinations. You can even have them come up with a creative name for their combo!
Challenge your family to try a “snack of the week” or even “snack of the month” in order to encourage new foods.
Sure, you can meal prep these snack boxes for your kids and send it off with them. But I can almost guarantee that the more you involve your kids in the preparation process and encourage fun and engaging exploration of snack creations, the more likely your kids will be to try new and nutritious organic snacks!
Balancing Treats and Nutrition in Organic Snack Boxes
Understanding serving sizes and nutritional information
In order to ensure our family members are receiving appropriate portions and nutrients, it is important to understand the basics about serving sizes and nutritional info.
Incorporating a mix of fruits, vegetables, and proteins
Balance, balance, balance! It really is about balance. It’s a good rule of thumb to incorporate as many colors of the rainbow into our diet as possible, including our snacks. Not to mention, it looks way more fun this way! When possible, try to pair fruits with a protein such as a banana with peanut butter or an apple and some nuts. Use hummus, guacamole, or greek yogurt dip as a way to sneak in extra protein into dips for veggies! You can even sneak veggies into all time favorites like muffins with zucchini… shhh you don’t even have to tell the kids! Check out this recipe!
Dealing with picky eaters and introducing new foods
If we aren’t picky eaters ourselves, we probably know of one..or a few. Our kids may very well fall under that category. So just HOW do we get them to try new things? Try incorporating some of the following tips little by little to see if you notice any changes (even the slightest bit) in your picky eaters.
- Let your kids get involved in the preparation process and make it as fun as possible.
- Start by introducing a new food that is similar to something you know they enjoy.
- Encourage trying a bite of something new but do not pressure them.
- Offer new foods alongside their already established favorite foods.
- Lead by example! They are much more likely to try something if they see you eating it first!
- Offer choices to give them a sense of control over the situation.
- Be patient and don’t give up! It may take a few tries – or a bunch – and that is OKAY.
Organic and healthier options for special occasions
We all want those sweeter treats from time to time and that is totally okay! Remember, it’s about balance. But even when we are craving something sweeter, it’s great to go for a less processed, organic/naturally sweetened option. Check out the ideas below and take note of which ones you might like to add to your snack possibilities!
- Fruit desserts like organic apple pie or organic berry crumbles.
- Organic fruits with dark chocolate.
- Homemade “nice”cream made with frozen bananas, your choice of milk (I prefer almond), and natural/organic peanut butter.
- Homemade popsicles made with organic fruits
- Baking your favorite treats with natural sweeteners like dates, maple syrup or honey rather than refined sugar.
- Homemade energy balls with organic oats, dates, peanut butter, chia seeds and chocolate chips if desired!
So there you have it! There really are so many options when it comes to choosing healthy organic snacks! Whether you opt for a subscription service or decide on a DIY snack box, you now know how to make snack time nutritious, delicious and simple for your whole family. Remember, the journey to healthier eating doesn’t have to be overwhelming. It truly can be fun, tasty and simple. Let’s get snacking!