Healthy List of Store Bought Snacks For School Holiday Parties

It’s that time of year, isn’t it? Classrooms are celebrating all across the country and if your schools are like the ones my boys go to, it’s pre-packaged all the way. Parents are no longer allowed to bake cookies or prepare fruit and veggie trays for classroom parties. All snacks for holiday parties must be store bought.

While I would much rather make a homemade snack for the first grade holiday party, I understand where the school is coming from. Who knows what Mrs. Smith’s kitchen looks like with regard to cleanliness or what allergens might be in Mr. Livingston’s cookies! If I have to purchase store bought snacks, I’m going to make sure to get the ones with the least amount of preservatives and additives in them. Here’s my healthy list (and tips) for what store bought snacks to buy:

1. Choose bakery over shelf. Items from the bakery section of the grocery store are usually made right there in the store. To check this, read the label. If the cupcakes you’re holding say that they are from a bakery that is located across the country from you, they snuck their way into the bakery department with their great packaging. Food baked in your local store doesn’t contain preservatives that make it last for several months while sitting on store shelves. If you’re going to purchase baked goods such as cookies and cakes, always look in the bakery section for labels that contain the name of your grocery store

2. Though expensive, don’t overlook fresh food trays. Food trays that are put together in your grocery store follow the same rules as above. Fruit and vegetable trays, sandwich trays, and cheese and cracker trays that have your grocer’s name on them are fresher than other pre-packaged food items. Fresh food trays are not meant to be stored in the produce department for weeks at a time, which makes them a healthier choice for your parties.

3. Cut Out the HFCS. High fructose corn syrup is a corn-based sweetener that is often used in pre-packaged foods because it’s less expensive than sugar. While studies show that it’s very similar to sugar, its long-term effects are not yet known. My thoughts on the subject are to stick with what is natural, and you can’t get much more natural than sugar.

4. Sometimes, we don’t have a choice. If you have to buy pre-packaged, here’s a quick list of my favorite go-to snacks:

Angie’s Kettle Corn – Angie’s is gluten free with no high fructose corn syrup (HFCS), and it tastes just like the fresh kettle corn you buy at the fair!

Pirate’s Booty – Another gluten free and HFCS free snack, Pirate’s Booty is a baked puffed rice and corn snack that tastes similar to cheese puffs.

Danimals yogurt – Drinkable and portable yogurt with no HFCS and minimal sugar, Danimals is trying to keep it healthy with these yummy snacks. We love to freeze them as well.

String Cheese – Most kids love string cheese. It’s fun to eat and super yummy. It has to stay refrigerated, so keep that in mind when buying it for a class.

What are your favorite snacks to bring to school events? Did I skip over your favorites?

Becca Ludlum was born and raised in upstate New York and currently lives in Arizona with her amazing husband and two sons, Michael and Jack. You can find her in a middle school classroom two days a week, and in her kitchen the other five. She’s a master recipe-tweaker and can often be found re-baking a recipe multiple times while trying to reach perfection, which is just fine with her co-workers and neighbors who reap the benefits. Read her personal blog at http://ourcrazyboys.com.