SALTY SNACKS:

Rye definitely inherited my salt-tooth. Most days he’d choose smoked salmon over ice cream, if given the option! (Weird kid, I know.) Here are some of his favorite, savory treats:

Seaweed Snacks: I’m particularly fond of SeaSnax brand, which roasts its seaweed with just olive oil and sea salt.

Pickles: Opt for the “real” kind, that’s naturally cultured and refrigerated (or sold in those barrels at your local farmers market).

Cheese Sticks: This is an easy protein for on-the-go snacking. Choose organic, grass-fed brands like Organic Valley.

Spelt Pretzels: It’s hard to find a kid who doesn’t love to munch on pretzels, but most store-bought varieties contain simple, refined flours and don’t offer much in the way of nutrition. Spelt is an ancient form of wheat that tends to be more easily digested than run-of-the-mill wheat and offers up more nutrients, as well.

Dry-Roasted, Sea Salt Cashews: Rye’s still working on getting his teeth, so most nuts require more chewing than he can handle. But cashews are a bit softer than other nuts, so he can often chomp a few of these before getting chewing fatigue 😉 .

Caviar (!): YUP – we feed our baby caviar. Wild salmon roe, to be exact. It’s salty (which he loves), easy to pick up and handle, and filled with healthy omega 3 fatty acids and even vitamin D (which makes me very happy). In my opinion, fish eggs are one of the healthiest things we can be feeding our kids. A little goes a long way, too – you only need about a tablespoon or so as a serving for a toddler. Pick some up at your local health food store or gourmet market, or order online from sites like vitalchoice.com.

SWEET SNACKS:

Larabar: When Rye wakes up in the morning, we take him into our bed where he nurses for a minute or two before immediately begging for a Larabar to kick off the day! He LOVES these (especially the Apple Pie and Peanut Butter and Jelly flavors). Choose varieties that only have dried nuts and fruits, and no added sugars.

Kind Fruit Bites: The same company that makes the beloved Kind Bars just started making these “fruit bites”. They only contain dried fruit and come pre-packaged, which make them super easy to throw into a bag.

Fruit Leather: Veggie-Go’s makes fruit leather that reminds me of the Fruit Roll-Ups I had as a kid, except these only contain ingredients like sweet potato, spinach, and berries (no added sugar of any kind!). My husband and I are stealing these from Rye all the time.

Coconut Banana Bites: The company Barnana makes these coconut banana bites that contain – you guessed it – just organic, dried coconut and organic, dried banana. They’re (relatively) soft and mushy and great for budding toddler teeth.

Banana and Almond Butter: This one is pretty messy and best left for at-home snacking, but Rye loves it when I slice up a banana and give him a little dish of almond butter to dip it into.

Smoothies: This has become our new favorite treat. Cool, creamy, and healthy (when you’re choosing clean ingredients), smoothies work well for those ice cream cravings on hot days (for kids and adults alike!). Rye’s current fave is banana, peanut butter, spinach, and almond milk (which we get from a local juice bar).