Granola for kids: school lunchbox and after-school snack ideas

Every parent we know has the same 4 pm problem: the child is hungry, the only things in the house that they will eat without a fight are biscuits and chips, and dinner is three hours away. Granola solves more of this than you would expect, because it is crunchy, a little sweet, and can be dressed up six different ways.

The 150 g Snack Jar, the right size to try

Which granola for children

For kids we recommend Nutty Honey Crunch: oats, roasted almonds, pumpkin and sunflower seeds, real honey, cranberries and raisins, no whey and no refined sugar. It is baked in a home kitchen in Lahore in small batches, so it is fresh and there is nothing on the label you cannot pronounce. It does contain almonds, so it is not for children with a nut allergy, and the kitchen also handles wheat.

Nutty Honey Crunch, the 350 g Pantry Jar

Portion by age

Under 5: about 15 g, a small handful, and break the bigger clusters so nothing is a choking size. Ages 5 to 10: 20 to 25 g, two heaped tablespoons. Teens: the adult 40 g serving. Granola is filling, so a little goes a long way; a big bowl before dinner means dinner does not get eaten.

Dahi, granola and fruit: the classic granola bowl

Six ways to use it

1. Lunchbox crunch pot

A small lidded pot of dry granola clusters next to a fruit. It survives a school bag, does not melt in May, and beats a packet of chips on every count.

2. Yogurt cup

Flavoured or plain yogurt in a cup, granola in a separate small pot so it stays crunchy, and the child adds it at break. Works for kids who refuse plain dahi at home.

3. Banana granola "sushi"

Spread peanut butter on a peeled banana, roll it in granola, slice into rounds. Five minutes, looks fun, gone in two.

4. Granola on ice cream

One scoop of vanilla, a spoon of granola on top. Half the sugar of a sundae and the child thinks they won.

5. Trail mix

Granola plus a few raisins plus a handful of plain popcorn in a jar for the car or the cricket ground.

6. Smoothie topper

Banana, milk and a spoon of honey blended, poured into a glass, granola on top so there is something to chew. The easiest way to get milk into a child who will not drink it plain.

Winning over a picky eater

Do not announce it as healthy; put it out in a bowl at chai time and eat it yourself. Let them pick out the cranberries first if that is what they like. And keep the biscuits out of sight for a week; most children adjust faster than the parents do.

The 150 g Snack Jar is the right size to try it on a child before committing to the big jar.