Family Friday

Today’s prompt word is “Snack.” What if I told you, just a few weeks ago, I thought I was going to snap if I heard the words “can I have a snack” again!?!?!?

It’s summer break and all my kids seem to want are snacks, snacks, snacks and more snacks! They can be loading their dinner dish into the dishwasher and already be asking me for a snack…really!?!?!?

I decided I had to change my approach on the whole snack thing. If I can’t beat ’em join ’em, right!!?!

So, I hit up Costco and bought “snacks.”

I’m fine with them snacking. I just don’t want them to be eating crap all day long. So, if they are going to be snacking, it’s going to be healthy food.

I bought baby carrots, cucumbers, celery, apples, cuties, string cheese, humus cups, applesauce…and the dreaded fruit snacks.

In order to prevent myself from being in the kitchen each time they wanted a snack, I decided to do a little “meal prepping” for them.

I bought a bunch of ziplock snack baggies and “cup” size Tupperwares.

Immediately, when we got home, I washed, dried and cut up ALL of the produce (except the apples and cuties).

I made an assembly line and filled each little snack size baggie with a veggie (I just do this with the veggies because the fruits don’t tend to last as long this way.) I have been rotating the veggies so it’s always something new. Some weeks it’s cucumbers, some weeks its celery etc.

I now have a snack drawer in the fridge that they can grab and go snacks as they please.

(They still need to ask, but it’s prepped and ready to go for them.)

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I will also “prep” some fruit cups for them. I use the little 1-cup serving size tupperware and will fill them with blueberries, strawberries, applesauce etc. This way, it’s easy for them to can grab a cup when they want a snack.

They enjoy this so much, they can even make their own lunch if they choose to:

FullSizeRender 59 — cucumber, tuna salad with celery, cheese, turkey and a cutie

The meat can even be bought in individual serving sizes and is the good “hormone free” etc. from Costco. They are easy to grab and go too.

This has become a favorite lunch of theirs because they can build and create their own combinations like this one:

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Having these healthy foods prepped and ready to go has been great for the days we want a grab and go snack for the pool or the beach.

We just have to throw a few baggies into our cooler and we are ready to go!

During the school year, I always write a little “love note” in my sons lunchbox when I pack it. He looks forward to it each day and I enjoy doing it for him. One day this summer, he was the one that packed our beach snacks in the cooler. It melted my heart when I found the “love note” he left in my picnic basket:

Not only does this teach the kids that they can be independent, it teaches them the importance of eating nutritious.

Now, if only I could get Lexi to eat her veggies! I bought her a “healthier” dog food that had real vegetable pieces in it. She eats around the vegetables or carries them across the room and leaves them piled up here. (shake my head!)

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