While fresh food is always ideal, packaged foods aren’t all bad. Here is a list of healthy packaged foods for kids that mine, now ages 6 and 12, love!
I originally published this post in 2019, when Birch was just over one year old and Mazen was seven! I thought it was due for an update since the boys are now 6 and 12. Their preferences have morphed over the years, and there are new healthy packaged products that we enjoy!
Here’s what life was like then:
But back to food!
Ideally, kids eat lots of fresh real foods.
Fresh fruits, whole grains, dairy, vegetables (I try!), proteins; It’s kind of funny how they are opposites when it comes to food prefs.
- Birch: loves fruit, few veggies, won’t eat any meat!
- Mazen: great protein eater (sardines! smoked oysters!), good at veggies, won’t eat any fruit!
- Both love ice cream, milk, yogurt, and all grains (like oatmeal cookies or muffins!)
I always try to use up the fresh foods before reaching for freezer or pantry backups. First, because I want to use up what could spoil but second, because I believe fresh food is best. That said, sometimes the fresh food is running low and the kids still have to be fed! These are 20 great options for healthy packaged foods for kids that I rely on when my fridge is looking bare.
You might also like:
- Dinner Recipes to Make With Kids
- Healthy Breakfasts My Kids Love
- How I Got My Four Year Old To Eat More Vegetables
- What My Kids Eat
20 Healthy Packaged Foods For Kids
1. Frozen waffles
Frozen waffles have always been a go-to. We used the ones on the left when Birch was a baby because they were small and easy to grab. And now we like the protein waffles from Whole Foods. Yes, there is butter and syrup involved, too. These are a staple for school day breakfasts.
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- Baby Birch
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- Big Boys
2. Pancakes
We LOVE Kodiak cakes in this house! Everyone eats them. The buttermilk flavor has always been my favorite. These are a go-to on weekends when we make a big batch for everyone (If you don’t have a mix, you can try Whole Wheat Sheet Pan Pancakes!).
3. Frozen Pizza
My kids have always loved pizza! This one below is one we served to Mazen for years because of the added spinach (Warning: it does give kids garlic breath!). Birch prefers plain cheese. Can’t win them all!
4. Chicken nuggets
Neither of my boys have ever been big nugget eaters. Not because I am holier-than-thou, but they just don’t go nuts for them like other kids do. I have tried lots of different kinds! A friend recommended this brand to me and it has some pureed veggies and whole grains for a little boost. I used it more when the boys were younger but I’m keeping it on the list!
5. Ready Pasta and basically ALL pasta
Birch is made of pasta – it’s his favorite food. We cook his on the stove top most of the time, but I found this at Wegmans (most of the foods in this post are from Whole Foods). It’s just pre-cooked and vacuum packed pasta that you heat in the microwave. It was kind of amazing how fast the pasta was ready with not a dish to do! I added butter and parmesan; pesto works too if your kids like it. Or red sauce, of course.
6. Mac and Cheese
We love Annie’s products, and their mac and cheese is a fan favorite. The ingredients are simple and they have a variety of styles. We particularly love the protein added varieties called Super Mac.
7. Freeze Dried Fruits + Veg
Raspberries, strawberries, blueberries, pea pods! Freeze dried foods are great for the lunchbox and/or if you’re running low on fresh (or if they are out of season / crazy expensive).
8. Ramen + quick noodles
Now that Mazen is old enough to do some basic cooking, we’ve explored the world of noodles and ramen. He is a fan of Fly By Jing noodles, and this is great if we need a “kid dinner” for him.
9. Bars
My kids aren’t huge granola bar eaters, but we do like Clif Z bars for kids (and the Wegman’s knock off), and these oats and chocolate ones from Whole Foods. They go on a kick of liking a certain bar and then getting sick of them. Birch loves Nature Valley bars, too! He calls them “crumbly bars,” haha.
10. Fruit Strips
My kids go gaga for fruit snacks but we only buy those on occasion. We have these strips more often for a really quick energy option. I like the organic ones from Whole Foods or these hearty ones by South Forty. I often reach for these as a pre-workout snack myself!
11. Pouches
Of course – the little kid staple. These were on the list back in 2019 and they are STILL on the list because it’s a great way for picky eaters to get nutrition. We still use veggie pouches for B as a way to get greens in him (along with green smoothies).
12. Microwave Popcorn
A great after-school option that everyone likes! So easy they can DIY.
13. Apple sauce
Classic package snack unless you have time to make soft cinnamon apples!
14. Yogurt of all kinds
My kids must be snobs because Noosa is their favorite yogurt! But they do like plain and vanilla. Birch likes little yogurt drinks by Stonyfield, too.
15. Tortilla chips
While you might not put these in the “healthy” category, I think tortilla chips are better than most (like the Takis Mazen is always trying to get me to buy – eek!). We eat a lot of tortilla chips around here (myself include) and these Zack’s Mighty Chips are super thick and so crunchy!
16. Peanut Butter Pretzels
Unanimously loved by grownups and kids alike!
17. Cereal
I think cereal with milk is a great kid snack! Little carbs, little protein from the milk. Our kids tend to like more basic cereals like Cheerios, Oatmeal Squares, or Chex vs. all the mixed up or sugary ones out there. I look for cereals with minimal added sugar.
18. Crackers
We make peanut butter saltine sandwiches for Birch, or occasionally buy cheddar bunnies or gold fish to satisfy a salty craving or when we need some individually wrapped snacks for an event.
19. Trail Mix
Adding this to the list even though neither of mine are huge trail mix eaters. Because they should be! We always have trail mix and nuts on hand. For the longest time, if Mazen asked for a bedtime snack, I’d offer him almonds and carrots because it’s somewhat of a boring snack. A test to see if he was really hungry. I love the trail mix in snack packs for easy grab and go.
20. Jerky sticks
Chomps are Mazen’s favorite snack! While they are expensive, I know he’s getting wholesome protein and they are made with grass-fed beef.
If you need a little pantry organizing help for your kids snacks, check out this post for some of the bins we have and love to decant and keep snacks easy to reach: Pantry Organization Favorites.
Please share some of your favorite snack ideas!
What are your kids favorite healthy snacks?
Shana says
Unsweetened applesauce cups are a favorite in our house. Not exactly packaged, but I also make a huge batch of pancake mix that just needs some milk, vanilla, and oil added to it for super fast pancakes and waffles. I recently discovered I can take about four cups of pancake batter, pour it onto a cookie sheet (with sides) and bake it at 350 degrees for 20-22 minutes. Then I use a pizza cutter to cut them into pancake sticks! We freeze the sticks and pull out 2-3 at a time to heat and eat. LIFESAVING!
KathEats says
LOVE THIS!!!!
Kelly T says
Question on the pancakes because my mind is blown – do you put anything down on the cookie sheet so they don’t stick?
Shana says
I use cooking spray. You could use butter or whatever you normally use to prevent cookies from sticking!
lisa says
WOW this idea is amazing. Thank you for sharing. I am going to give this a try this weekend
Terry says
My son liked the Kidfresh nuggets and other foods when he was younger, but as he got older we switched to Bell & Evans chicken nuggets and tenders also at Whole Foods, real chicken, not processed and my husband likes them too!
Lisa says
These are awesome, highly recommend!!
Emily says
The Kidfresh meatballs are delicious too! Sometimes I even add them to my own homemade ramen or sneak a bite! For my one year old, I’ll take a waffle and spread it with some whole milk yogurt or fruit & veggie pouch as well 😀
KathEats says
Just added to my grocery list to look for them!
Emily says
Target had Kidfresh stuff 20% off on Cartwheel recently and we stocked up 🙂
KathEats says
Score!!
Charmaine Ng | Architecture & Lifestyle Blog says
How I wish I could get some of these products where I live! I swear you guys in the US have the best groceries, haha! 🙂
Charmaine Ng | Architecture & Lifestyle Blog
http://charmainenyw.com
Emily says
Those Whole Foods waffles are a staple for us – love all of the flavors!
Laura says
I’ve seen the precooked pasta at our grocery store but it just seems weird to me. I don’t know what my hang up is about it! My son also loves pouches and generally gets one a day when we get home from daycare. We do frozen blueberries that are slightly defrosted and those get gobbled up! Cheerios are another staple!
KathEats says
Frozen berries always seem like a choking hazard to me, so I like the idea of defrosting them some so they are a little mushy. I’m going to try this soon!
Emily says
If they have “wild blueberries” frozen where you are I’ve learned those are 2 times smaller than normal blueberries (like pea sized) and my one year old’s favorite thawed too.
KathEats says
Thanks!!
Megan says
I buy my 12 month old frozen veggie patties (I like the Dr Praegers or Golden brand) – he loves the spinach and zucchini varieties. We also buy Alexia sweet potato tots, which are the perfect shape and texture for a young toddler! Also, this probably doesn’t count as “packaged”, but an awesome short cut is rotisserie chicken – we rely on that a lot!
KathEats says
Great options! I’m going to look for those dinos
Beth says
I love this list!!
My daughter also love the Earths Best Meatballs and the kid fresh meatballs (I also cut these up and toss them into Annie’s Mac and cheese for extra protein) 🙂
Elizabeth A Weber-Falk says
This was a great post. My children are grown but I they are busy and when my husband is hungry he’s hungry NOW. You gave me some ideas for fast and easy and for on the go meals and snacks. Thank you.
KathEats says
So glad!
Steph says
We always keep the small bottles of strawberry and blueberry Activia in the fridge. The kids think it’s a mini yogurt smoothie and the probiotics are great for them! I never have trouble selling one of those after school or while I’m making dinner.
KathEats says
Love yogurt for a snack
Becky says
The kidfresh Chicken Meatballs are ADDICTING. I eat these myself with a bit of pasta, bone broth and spinach as a quick and dirty wedding soup!
Carla says
This was a great post. I have a 2 year old and a newborn so I’m totally always looking into this. What do you think about the recent report about pre-packaged baby foods (including purées and puches, even for some organic brands) having toxic metals? I totally rely on pouches for nutrition for my toddler but now I’m a bit more wary. Love those pea crisps, and so does she! KIND has some simply pressed all-fruit/chia bars my toddler digs.
KathEats says
My instinct tells me whatever news story said there are metals in pouches was being a bit dramatic for the news. But I could be wrong? I’m not too worried though.
Julie says
FYI – The metals that were detected, some of which are naturally occurring and some are increased due to pollution, are coming from the soil in which the crops are grown, so this isn’t a problem exclusive to packaged foods. Homemade foods will have similar metal concentrations as their packaged counterparts. But, my takeaway from that report is that as long as you are feeding your child a varied diet and not sweet potatoes for breakfast, lunch, and dinner every day, they will be okay!
KathEats says
Thanks for clarifying! Makes sense. Variety is always the answer!
Morgan says
We buy sous vide veggie (spinach and feta) egg bites from costco. They’re great for the baby and for us!
Theresa says
My kids love the frozen cauliflower pizzas we get from Costco! Also applegate farms pretty much everything, their frozen breakfast chicken sausage and turkey pepperoni are faves in our house. The Trader Joe’s maple chicken breakfast sausage is on point as well
Kelsey @ So Much Life says
Thank you for this! I just gave birth to my first (2 weeks ago!) and now I’m scouring your blog and researching healthy eating tips for kids so I can make sure my transition into solids in a few months helps him eat as many healthy foods as possible. 🙂
KathEats says
Congrats!!
Kendall says
I know people already talked about meatballs, but we are really into the turkey meatballs at Trader Joes. They are great! We also eat a lot of crunchy chickpeas. I am trying to get my kids to eat any kind of beans…so it’s a start.
Sarah says
How did you teach Birch to eat the squeeze pouches himself? My little James is 9 months and I would LOVE it if he could do this himself haha.
KathEats says
I used to hold it for him. He caught on pretty quickly – around that age!
Sarah says
Ok we’ll try that, thanks!