Got kids? Then you know about the summer snack dilemma.

Home from school, they're in and out of the kitchen, hovering at the refrigerator to rummage for nibbles on the way to the pool or the soccer field. The question: How to keep their snack consumption relatively healthy and their appetites from destroying your budget.

We all know those kids aren't going to eat celery sticks, but nutritionist Anne VanBeber, head of Texas Christian University's Department of Nutritional Sciences and mother of an 11-year-old and a 15-year-old, has some ideas. She suggests grab-and-go low-cal snacks with a high-color, high-crunch factor.

"All of these foods are easy to grab," VanBeber notes, and they require minimal preparation. "If I don't have these foods in the refrigerator or pantry ready to eat, then we tend to eat less healthy, higher-fat options."

GOOD-FOR-YOU SNACKS

1. Bagged ready-to-eat baby carrots.

2. Bagged ready-to-eat sugar snap peas.

3. Smoked almonds, a good protein snack.

4. Bell pepper strips: Pick different colors of bell peppers — red and yellow are particularly sweet and have high visual appeal — wash them, cut them into strips and store in a baggie in the refrigerator.

5. Cherry or grape tomatoes: Wash them, mound them in a small serving dish and leave the dish on the counter.

6. Yogurt- or chocolate-covered raisins, especially the dark-chocolate ones, which are higher in antioxidants. These should be eaten sparingly, but they are a good alternative to higher-fat, higher-calorie candy.

7. Frozen grapes: Wash the grapes, take them off the stems and freeze them in a freezer baggie for a refreshing snack.

8. String cheese sticks: These are usually made from low-fat mozzarella and are a good protein source.

9. Small containers of yogurt, also a good protein source.

10. Low-fat, higher-fiber crackers such as Wheat Thins or Triscuits.