• Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
  • Instagram
  • Facebook
  • Pinterest
  • YouTube
Search
  • About
    • Contact
    • Press
  • Recipes
    • All Recipes
    • Oatmeal Recipes
    • Smoothie Recipes
    • Salad Recipes
    • 100 Oatmeal Recipes + Whipped Banana Oatmeal
    • The Best Overnight Oats Recipes
    • Smoothie In A Bowl
  • Nutrition
    • Favorite Wellness Products
    • My Wellness Program
    • Top 10 Nutrition Posts
    • Healthy Mindset
    • Real Food
    • Weight Change
    • Becoming A Registered Dietitian
  • Home
    • Home Tour
    • Home Renovation Before And After
    • Renovation
    • Kitchen Organization Accessories
  • Skincare
    • My Skincare Routine
    • my beauty broadcast
    • Beautycounter Swaps
    • What Happened To Beautycounter?
    • How to Apply Skincare in the Right Order
  • Life
    • Mazen’s Birth Story
    • Birch’s Birth Story
    • Fitness
    • Wedding
    • Charlottesville
    • Travel
  • Courses
    • Digital Clutter Course
    • Bloom Wellness Program
    • Freebies
  • Shop

Kath Eats logo

  • Instagram
  • Facebook
  • Pinterest
  • YouTube
Search
  • About
    • Contact
    • Press
  • Recipes
    • All Recipes
    • Oatmeal Recipes
    • Smoothie Recipes
    • Salad Recipes
    • 100 Oatmeal Recipes + Whipped Banana Oatmeal
    • The Best Overnight Oats Recipes
    • Smoothie In A Bowl
  • Nutrition
    • Favorite Wellness Products
    • My Wellness Program
    • Top 10 Nutrition Posts
    • Healthy Mindset
    • Real Food
    • Weight Change
    • Becoming A Registered Dietitian
  • Home
    • Home Tour
    • Home Renovation Before And After
    • Renovation
    • Kitchen Organization Accessories
  • Skincare
    • My Skincare Routine
    • my beauty broadcast
    • Beautycounter Swaps
    • What Happened To Beautycounter?
    • How to Apply Skincare in the Right Order
  • Life
    • Mazen’s Birth Story
    • Birch’s Birth Story
    • Fitness
    • Wedding
    • Charlottesville
    • Travel
  • Courses
    • Digital Clutter Course
    • Bloom Wellness Program
    • Freebies
  • Shop
You are here: Home / Mom Life / 20 Healthy Packaged Foods For Kids

February 12, 2025

20 Healthy Packaged Foods For Kids

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! 

Healthy Packaged Foods For Kids this !

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: 
kids playing

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. 

Frozen waffles
Frozen waffles for kids

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!).

Kodiak cakes

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! 

Healthy Packaged Foods For Kids

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! 

Healthy Packaged Foods For Kids

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. 

Ready Pasta | Healthy Packaged Foods For Kids

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. 

Mac and Cheese

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). 

Freeze Dried Fruits + Veg | Healthy Packaged Foods For Kids

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. 

Ramen quick noodles

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. 

Healthy Packaged Foods For Kids

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). 

Food Pouches | Healthy Packaged Foods For Kids

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!

Apple sauce 

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! 

Tortilla chips

16. Peanut Butter Pretzels

Unanimously loved by grownups and kids alike! 

Peanut Butter Pretzels

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. 

Cereal

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. 

Saltine Crackers
Cheddar Bunnies Crackers

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. 

Healthy Packaged Foods For Kids

Please share some of your favorite snack ideas!

What are your kids favorite healthy snacks? 

More Posts On Feeding Kids

  • Baby Feeding: Solid Foods + Favorites
  • How I Got My Four Year Old To Eat More Vegetables
  • What My Kids Eat
  • Five Tips For Babies To Eat Real Food

Filed Under: Mom Life

Reader Interactions

Previous Post
My Favorite Kitchen Appliances: Love It Or List It
Next Post
Things I’m Loving <3

Comments

  1. Shana says

    November 13, 2019 at 7:28 am

    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!

    Reply
    • KathEats says

      November 13, 2019 at 12:47 pm

      LOVE THIS!!!!

      Reply
    • Kelly T says

      November 13, 2019 at 1:17 pm

      Question on the pancakes because my mind is blown – do you put anything down on the cookie sheet so they don’t stick?

      Reply
      • Shana says

        November 14, 2019 at 7:53 am

        I use cooking spray. You could use butter or whatever you normally use to prevent cookies from sticking!

        Reply
    • lisa says

      November 13, 2019 at 4:07 pm

      WOW this idea is amazing. Thank you for sharing. I am going to give this a try this weekend

      Reply
  2. Terry says

    November 13, 2019 at 8:37 am

    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!

    Reply
    • Lisa says

      November 13, 2019 at 5:00 pm

      These are awesome, highly recommend!!

      Reply
  3. Emily says

    November 13, 2019 at 8:39 am

    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 😀

    Reply
    • KathEats says

      November 13, 2019 at 12:46 pm

      Just added to my grocery list to look for them!

      Reply
      • Emily says

        November 13, 2019 at 1:08 pm

        Target had Kidfresh stuff 20% off on Cartwheel recently and we stocked up 🙂

        Reply
        • KathEats says

          November 13, 2019 at 1:21 pm

          Score!!

          Reply
  4. Charmaine Ng | Architecture & Lifestyle Blog says

    November 13, 2019 at 9:09 am

    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

    Reply
  5. Emily says

    November 13, 2019 at 9:14 am

    Those Whole Foods waffles are a staple for us – love all of the flavors!

    Reply
  6. Laura says

    November 13, 2019 at 9:23 am

    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!

    Reply
    • KathEats says

      November 13, 2019 at 12:45 pm

      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!

      Reply
      • Emily says

        November 13, 2019 at 1:16 pm

        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.

        Reply
        • KathEats says

          November 13, 2019 at 1:20 pm

          Thanks!!

          Reply
  7. Megan says

    November 13, 2019 at 10:06 am

    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!

    Reply
    • KathEats says

      November 13, 2019 at 10:21 am

      Great options! I’m going to look for those dinos

      Reply
  8. Beth says

    November 13, 2019 at 11:20 am

    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) 🙂

    Reply
  9. Elizabeth A Weber-Falk says

    November 13, 2019 at 12:37 pm

    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.

    Reply
    • KathEats says

      November 13, 2019 at 12:42 pm

      So glad!

      Reply
  10. Steph says

    November 13, 2019 at 3:09 pm

    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.

    Reply
    • KathEats says

      November 13, 2019 at 3:35 pm

      Love yogurt for a snack

      Reply
  11. Becky says

    November 13, 2019 at 3:25 pm

    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!

    Reply
  12. Carla says

    November 13, 2019 at 4:31 pm

    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.

    Reply
    • KathEats says

      November 13, 2019 at 7:27 pm

      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.

      Reply
      • Julie says

        November 14, 2019 at 8:01 am

        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!

        Reply
        • KathEats says

          November 14, 2019 at 9:12 am

          Thanks for clarifying! Makes sense. Variety is always the answer!

          Reply
  13. Morgan says

    November 13, 2019 at 7:25 pm

    We buy sous vide veggie (spinach and feta) egg bites from costco. They’re great for the baby and for us!

    Reply
  14. Theresa says

    November 13, 2019 at 7:40 pm

    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

    Reply
  15. Kelsey @ So Much Life says

    November 13, 2019 at 8:46 pm

    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. 🙂

    Reply
    • KathEats says

      November 14, 2019 at 9:14 am

      Congrats!!

      Reply
  16. Kendall says

    November 14, 2019 at 9:15 am

    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.

    Reply
  17. Sarah says

    November 14, 2019 at 2:19 pm

    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.

    Reply
    • KathEats says

      November 14, 2019 at 3:36 pm

      I used to hold it for him. He caught on pretty quickly – around that age!

      Reply
      • Sarah says

        November 14, 2019 at 4:04 pm

        Ok we’ll try that, thanks!

        Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




Primary Sidebar

Search

Topics to browse >>

Get my exclusive promos –>

    Footer

    hi! Im Kath.

    I'm a Registered Dietitian, healthy eater, and mom of two from Charlottesville, Virginia. Here you’ll find a healthy mix of real-life meals made from whole ingredients balanced with the pleasures of life, including buttercream frosting and good wine. Plus a sprinkle of nutrition, home life, beauty, parenting, and travel.
    about | privacy policy | contact

    Please note: nearly every link I post is an affiliate link. Thank you for supporting my blog.

    Recipes

    • Oatmeal Recipes
    • Salad Recipes
    • Smoothie Recipes
    • All Recipes

    Nutrition

    • Healthy Mindset
    • Real Food
    • My Wellness Program

    Life

    • Home Tour
    • Travel
    • Wedding
    • Charlottesville
    • Digital Clutter Course
    • Instagram
    • Facebook
    • Pinterest
    • YouTube

    Copyright © // 2025 Kath Eats
    Jump to top