Snack time. I have a love/hate affair with it.
My kids seem to whine for snacks anytime they are not snacking and then anytime they are, they whine for more or for different snacks or for snack time be over. Seriously. I know all the moms out there understand me on this one. Too many times we start snack time with the best intentions, and it ends with smashed grapes everywhere and veggie straws in everybody’s nose.
Recently in our house, we had to go back to square one and reset the expectations. We needed to calm the chaos and spare the nostrils. Here are our three snack time survival steps.
1) Mom gives you two choices, and you pick which one you want.
That’s it. Not a million choices, and arguing, and screaming. Two choices. Pick One. Enjoy!
2) You get more once.
My children could eat five Larabars each and would gladly clean off a box of Annie’s Bunnies at each sitting. Snacks get expensive. Especially if you are trying to give them some healthy options.
3) Snacks stay in the kitchen.
I feel pretty passionately about this rule for a couple reasons. One is the obvious: I don’t want to be cleaning food out of every room all day long. The second is because the wellness coach in me feels pretty passionate about teaching kids healthy habits. There is great value in taking the time to sit and talk and eat snacks together. Teaching kids to be aware and be present in their eating. Mindless eating happens so easily and becomes such a tough habit to break.
Do we follow these expectations perfectly all the time? No. Do these rules keep the crazies to a minimum? Some days.
Do we always have perfectly healthy, clean snacks? No. Do I try really hard to teach my kids the importance of health? Yes.
I make it a goal to keep putting healthy food in front of their faces. Research shows that it take a child 9-15 of being offered a food to learn to tolerate it and maybe more to learn to ENJOY it! I figure if they are seeing healthy options over and over now, when they are my age healthy eating might some easier for them then it has for me. I don’t think I put a spinach or salad of any kind in my mouth until I was at least 22.
Our favorite healthy go-to snack right now is Blueberry Muffin Homemade Granola bars.
1 cup of cashews
1 cup of dates
1 cup of blueberries
Zest of lemon or squeeze of lemon juice
Mix together in the food processor (45 seconds), and pour the mix into a parchment paper lined pan. Pop them in the fridge for an hour, then cut them into bars, and eat them all week!
