Mum shares healthy snack recipe that toddlers 'can't stop eating' – people are 'obsessed'
A mum has shared her recipe for a healthy snack she says her toddlers ‘can’t stop eating’.
Meaghan Williamson is known for sharing inspiration for nutritious snacks for kids on her Instagram page. She posts recipes and has even published her own recipe book called Ready, Set, Snacks.
The mindful mum believes the secret to happy toddlers is snacks. She posted a reel showing how to make one of her toddlers’ favourite nutritious snacks - date bark.
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She titled the reel: “POV: The snack my toddlers can’t stop eating” and added in the caption: "Let me tell you the secret to happy toddlers. Snacks. Lots and lots of snacks! But almost everything you buy at the store is filled with unnecessary ingredients and fillers.
“Most of them barely contain any protein but are packed with sugar. That’s where I come in. The key is to give them a snack with a balance of protein, healthy fats, and carbs.
“This can help keep their blood sugar steady between meals-and, let’s face it, between meltdowns! Here’s an easy way for your toddler to have a nourishing snack that they’ll love and that’s easy for you to make.”
Meaghan’s recipe calls for 20 pitted dates, peanut butter, hemp seeds (or something else like peanuts or pumpkin seeds), 2/3 cup of dark chocolate, two teaspoons of coconut oil and sea salt for sprinkling. She starts by slicing each date vertically down one side without fully cutting them into halves and removes the pits.
Next, she lays the dates flat on a parchment-lined baking sheet in rows of five, slightly overlapping each other. She uses another piece of parchment paper to place on top of the dates covering them.
She then gently presses down on the dates using a glass to create a uniform layer before removing the parchment paper on top. After this, Meaghan spreads a layer of peanut butter evenly over the flattened dates before sprinkling hemp seeds on top.
She then uses a small pan to melt the dark chocolate with coconut oil over low heat until the mixture is smooth. The next step is to pour the melted chocolate over the peanut butter and seeds, making sure to do this evenly.
To finish off the date bark, sprinkle a pinch of sea salt on top, place the baking sheet in the freezer for 30 minutes or until the bark is fully set and once it is frozen cut or break the bark into pieces, ready for toddlers to enjoy. Meaghan’s Instagram reel has amassed an incredible 3 million views, 56,700 likes and 1,800 comments.
The top comment reads: “Made it and added peanuts. Ate all in one day. It was delicious for sure.” Another fan said: “Date bark is ELITE!”
A third Instagram user shared: “I’ve made multiple batches of this over the last fortnight and I’m OBSESSED. I mixed my crunchy peanut butter with dark chocolate instead as I just had it at home. So easy and a much better snack than super processed alternatives.”
There are multiple varieties of dates but the medjool date is one of the most well known, as it has a sweeter and stickier taste and texture than others. Dates have a range of health benefits as they are rich in antioxidants, high in fibre so support gut health and contain the minerals magnesium and calcium, according to BBC Good Food.
