When my son began preschool last year, I was a wreck over what to send for his “healthy snack.” You’d think that as a food writer, I would just have a cache of tricks up my sleeve — but I don’t. I worried constantly — was the snack I was sending substantial enough? Healthy enough? Would he be able to eat it neatly?

I drove myself a little crazy at first … and then I fell into a pattern: little cups of applesauce with a plastic spoon (I learned quickly that silverware was a mistake — then a spoon didn’t make it home), baggies of popcorn or goldfish, and juiceboxes.

It was boring, but it worked. However this year, I am determined to do better and am already off to a great start. In the past few weeks, I have discovered that Will happens to love hummus and carrots – SCORE! This has openned up a whole new world of potential snacks.

Here are a few ideas I have cooked up for this year:

• caramel with apple dippers — be sure to sprinkle the apples with lemon juice to prevent them from browning
• veggies with ranch dressing — fresh green beans, grape tomatoes, sliced peppers and cucumbers are all fun to dip
• roasted broccoli with cheese sauce — when you roast up broccoli for dinner, do a little extra and then send it for a snack with a few teaspoons of cheese sauce. Mmmm!
• fruit and dip — a fabulous fruit dip can be made from equal parts marshmallow fluff and yogurt with a splash of vanilla
• mini caprese — my son love caprese salad and with tiny balls of fresh mozzarella, sliced grape tomatoes and a smattering of basil — all dressed with a drizzle of olive oil and a sprinkle of salt, it’s perfect for a quick snack
• mini greek — like the mini caprese, create a Greek salad in minute with crumbled feta, bite size bits of cucumber, tomatoes and olives and a hint of dressing. Skip the lettuce though, since that will wilt.

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