"I’m hungry, and there’s nothing to eat!" If you’re the parent of a teenager, you probably hear that refrain several times a day. Teenagers seem to be constantly hungry, foraging through the refrigerator and cupboards for a snack. At meals they might seem to be eating machines.

Active, growing teenagers require huge amounts of nutritious food to keep them healthy and happy. To accomplish this takes a bit of strategic planning and shopping.

First and foremost, provide three satisfying, healthy meals each day.

Breakfast is often a quick affair, so bagels with cream cheese, hot cereal with fruit, or yogurt and fruit smoothies make good choices.

Lunch can be packed the night before. Remember, teenagers don’t want to tote around thermoses and lunch pails, so it may take some creativity to get the food they need in their backpacks. Hearty sandwiches, fruit and nuts, vegetable snacks, and granola bars make convenient take-along foods that can be eaten between classes or in the quad.

Dinner cooked in a crockpot can ensure that a warm dinner is ready each evening. Teenagers can help with the preparation by making a salad or side vegetable to go along with the main dish.

Snacks are critical to keeping teenagers well fed. They must have plenty of snack foods to keep them away from junk food. Here are some ideas I use to keep my growing young adults happy.

• Cut up celery and place it in an inch of water in a jar in the refrigerator. The teenagers can smooth peanut butter or cream cheese on top.
• Baby carrots, already peeled are healthy. Serve them with hummus dip or ranch dressing.

• Keep plenty of fruits on hand for teenagers to grab on the go. Excellent choices are kiwi, strawberries, grapes, apples, bananas, oranges, tangelos, pears, and peaches.
• Fruit and yogurt smoothies are quick to make. Mix 1 cup of yogurt, one fruit, and a teaspoon of wheat germ or flax bran with six ice cubes in a blender. It makes a tall, satisfying shake.

• Choose whole grain crackers and provide sliced cheeses, such as provolone, muenster, cheddar, or swiss to top them with.
• Cheese sticks make good snacks.

• Trail mixes can be store bought or mixed at home. Include nuts and dried fruits such as raisins or craisins.
• Chex party mixes can be made from cereals and nuts and they are always a big hit.
• Popcorn can be topped with cheese, nuts, garlic powder, or any other imaginative topping.

• Buffalo wings and chicken strips are always popular.
• Salami with crackers and cheese satisfies those hunger pangs.

Every teenager will have different tastes. But one key to keeping them happy is to have large quantities of fast, easy to prepare snacks available that will satisfy a ravenous hunger. If you have more ideas for healthy snacking, please comment.

Suzanne Pitner loves to cook, knit, and teach. She has won several Editor’s Choice awards as a feature writer at Suite 101 and she maintains the TeacherWriter blog.