It’s zero-hour. You can hear the kids crashing into the house after school, and they’re on the hunt for food. You don’t want them to fill up on empty calories before dinner, but you understand they need a little something to tide them over.

Never fear! We’ve come up with five surefire ways to keep your child fueled up and satisfied until dinner, with nutritious, delicious snacks that are good for them, too!

• A pre-dinner pizza can be a great after-school snack. Just pop a Rustic Crust Crispy Thin Crust into the oven! Skip the meat, go light on the cheese, and offer mushrooms, tomatoes, and other veggies as healthy toppings. Cut the pizza into small wedges and serve as a snack (you don’t want them to fill up before dinner!).
• What about smoothies? Power up that blender and encourage your child to be inventive. Orange juice, yogurt, fruit, ice cream, milk – you name it. Be sure to have large plastic tumblers and straws on hand – and stand back!
• We found a great granola mix recipe on FoodNetwork.com you can make in advance. Mix
• Got leftover fruit from all those smoothies? Again, we spotted this great snack on FoodNetwork.com: Create a fruit dip mix with 1 cup of low-fat sour cream and 2 tablespoons each of brown sugar and lime juice; sprinkle with cinnamon sugar. Thread fruit onto skewers and serve with the dip!
• For a high-protein snack, spread wedges of Rustic Crust Ciabatta Flatbread with hummus and top with assorted veggies for a quick, easy and filling snack!

The key to surviving after-school snack attacks is to plan ahead and be sure you have options ready for ravenous kids who can’t wait for dinner. Stay calm — and stay committed to healthy snacking!