Football season is right around the corner, which means tailgating season is too. This is the time of year when you and your family will spend hours in the parking lot outside of a football stadium. Your kids will chase each other and throw the pigskin around, while you socialize and hope it’s not one of your kids who end up damaging someone’s car.

For as much fun as tailgates are, they are also infested with unhealthy and greasy snacks such as nachos, hot dogs, and sweets. Even though these snacks may be fine for them to consume occasionally, they aren’t what you want them to eat every Saturday and Sunday this fall.

To help you get through this tailgate season, below are several kid-friendly tailgate snacks. Hopefully, they lead to fewer tummy-aches and a more nutritional diet than last season.

Chips and Salsa or Guacamole

Dips are a staple of any quality tailgate. However, a majority of them include cheese and refried beans. That’s probably not what you want your kids to have when they’ll be in the sun all day and visiting the restroom is more difficult than usual.

That’s why healthy dips such as salsa and guacamole are so great. Kids love them, they fit in with the tailgate theme, and they’re generally healthy—especially if you make them yourself.

To make your own salsa all you need are the required ingredients. Cut them up, mix them together, and then your kids have a healthy snack. The same goes for guacamole.

At the end of the day, if you don’t have enough time to make salsa or guacamole yourself, you can always run to the store and pick them up. This option may not be as healthy as if you had made it yourself, but it’s still better than your child eating over a pound of cheese.

Wraps

Wraps are delicious, easily eaten on the go, and can be prepared in advance. But the best part is that as long as you make them using the right ingredients, they are healthy.

Some of the best healthy ingredients to use are whole wheat tortillas, chicken, lettuce, tomatoes, and maybe a light mayonnaise. All of these combine to make a great snack or meal for you kids.

They can be served whole or cut up into pieces — that is, as long as they are wrapped tight enough.

Hummus

A snack that’s been growing in popularity over the past few years is hummus. This creamy dip is made up of mostly chickpeas (garbanzo beans), turmeric, and garlic — all of which are nutritional. Paired with pita bread, this snack becomes a complete protein.

Typically, hummus is purchased from the store but you can make it yourself if you have a food processor or a powerful blender with sharp blades.

Either way, this is a tasty snack that isn’t very messy. Even if your kids accidentally drip some on their pants, it’s easily wiped off.

Snack Bars

Snack bars are essential at any kid-friendly tailgate. They contain the necessary nutrients to keep your kids energized, while fitting conveniently in their pockets. (Except for the bars that contain chocolate. Those melt!)

Today, there is a wide variety to choose from and there’s usually a large section of snack bars at any grocery store. Just make sure to get the ones that are meant to fuel your kids and not the bars that will give them a sugar rush.

Vegetable Chips

Given all of the dip-related snacks on this list, wouldn’t it be great if there was a more enjoyable healthy snack to dip with than carrots or celery? Well, why not try serving them veggie chips along with their dip?

When you make a vegetable a chip, it does lose some of its nutrients but it’s still healthier than many of the potato or tortilla chips available at the grocery store.

In a pinch, veggie chips can also be purchased at the store. But they are easily made at home and are healthier when they are. You can also use a variety of vegetables to make veggie chips. Some popular choices are zucchini, beats, and even kale.

Popcorn

A problem with most tailgate food is that it’s messy and a lot of it ends up wasted in a trash can. That’s why popcorn is such a great snack: it’s biodegradable, so your kids can grab a handful and if they end up dropping it on the grass, it’s not a big deal.

Popcorn can also be a fairly healthy snack as well. People are just so accustomed to drenching it in butter that it’s often considered unhealthy.

Today, many brands are making healthier popcorn to snack on. Additionally, you can pop it yourself, so you can control how much it’s salted.

Each snack mentioned in this article is there to make this tailgating season more fun and less stressful. They each have their own unique nutritional value, while also being convenient to distribute amongst several children. Just make sure you prepare enough because you don’t want to run out when one of your kids is asking for more.