Reposting in honor of the upcoming school rentrée!
We spent the summer in the US and among the many (many!) things that I noticed were different ‘back home’ from life in Dakar was the diversity and ease of snacks for kids. I loved it.
While we don’t have as many single-serving, grab-and-go options here in Senegal, there are some good, healthy treats available – although they may take a bit more planning and effort… and $$.
Here are a few ideas from our kitchen. Please share yours in the comments!
- Tortilla + peanut butter
- Tortilla + Laughing Cow cheese
- Tortilla + hummus
- Tortilla + shredded Gouda or mozzarella, heated to make a quesadilla
- English muffin + peanut butter + honey
- English muffin + Laughing Cow cheese
- English muffin + Laughing Cow cheese + jam
- English muffin + salami or ham + cheese
- Cheese sticks (made by cutting mozzarella from CDA)
- Wedges of Laughing Cow cheese
- Babybel cheese
- Cucumber slices + Laughing Cow cheese
- Pear slices + Gouda slices
- Banana + peanut butter
- Apple slices + peanut butter
- Carrot sticks + hummus
- Pita triangles + hummus
- Dried apricots
- Dried prunes (may have pits)
- Dried mango
- Dried banana chips
- Dried coconut pieces
- Raisins
- Sandwich bread + yogurt (either as a dip or spread on the bread)
- Hard-boiled egg
- Popcorn
- Lait caillé, plain or with chopped fruit stirred in
- Pretzel sticks
- Rice cakes
- Digestive biscuits, plain or with chocolate
- Grapes (seedless available)
- Clementines or mandarins
- Plums
- Cherry tomatoes
- Melon slices
- Tamarind pods (have seeds)
- Crêpes, plain or with jam
- Frozen fruit smoothies
- Frozen yogurt cup + spoon
- Frozen seedless grapes
- Frozen pineapple chunks
- Frozen mango chunks
- Frozen peas, thawed (I know. But my kids love them.)
- Slice of salami or ham rolled around cheese
- Leftover pizza margarita (order an extra just for this reason!)
- No sugar added applesauce cups (Hypermarché or CityDia)
- Trail mix: peanuts, raisins, dried coconut pieces, cereal…
- Veronique’s peanut brittle
- Granola bars (ingredients easily available)
- Rolled energy bites (oats, peanut butter, dried coconut, cocoa…)
Snack tips for Dakar
Ziploc baggies are available at the American Food Store, as a variety of US snacks such as Goldfish, raisin boxes, etc…
Marie’s Kitchen makes and delivers THE BEST tortillas and English muffins. She can also make whole wheat banana bread or apple bread.
Veronique’s peanut butter and brittle are amazing. And she delivers too. (Following recommendations of Senegalese friends and based on a few experiences, we don’t give our kids peanuts or cashews sold on the street. But we love Veronique’s peanut goodies!)
Shady Shack hummus freezes great. Order in bulk and stock up.
Use the plastic ‘bissap baggies’ from your local buutik to freeze single servings of fruit.
Dakar Eats 
We like to eat cilantro pesto on rice cakes…. this makes a healthy, heavy metal detoxing, gluten-free, casein free snack! YUM!
I juat want to thank you for telling me about yum Yums…you are awesome!
– Corn muffins from mix (american store) that they make in mini-tins and then put sprinkles on as if they were cupcakes
– Ice pops made from any juice in a reusable ice pop mold
– mango (any fruit) + yoghurt blended and put back in old yoghurt glasses for smoothie cups, let kids put sprinkles or spoon of marmalade on top
– avocado toast
– smoked fish on toast- we buy the espardon at la gac boucherie (my kids love it)
– madelaienes from any bakery with marmalade