Let’s talk snacks. My kids live on snacks it seems, or at least they would like to! I don’t however, have the time to be running to the kitchen every 7 minutes to feed someone!
Forever, we’ve relied on fruit to be the go-to snack option for the kids. Apples, bananas, pears, sometimes oranges (once they could manage the peel themselves). But, while I like the fiber and nutrition from the whole fruit, the sugar didn’t always do much good for their blood sugar or their moods, and they were just hungry again a half hour later!
I didn’t want to rely on prepackaged snacks (almost entirely junk and all the packaging waste is obviously a no go), and while I like to be able to bake wholesome things for the kids, doing that routinely (and figuring out how to package them as single servings without using plastic wrap or zipper bags and having kids climb up to get to the freezer…) is just not happening.
So I needed something washable and reusable, preferably not plastic…and bingo! I hit upon some stainless steel condiment cups with covers! The covers are plastic, but we don’t fill them up enough to have the food come into contact with them. And best of all, the kids love them! They love being able to grab individual cups and pop that cover off, settle down and have their snack without waiting for me to get it for them. Best. Thing. Ever! Nuts, some dried fruit, roasted chick peas… so many more options now!
Now where does one keep these little beauties? I didn’t have a spare drawer to sacrifice to become the new snack home, so we mounted some baskets to the wall at kid height to hold the fruit and snack cups, which has not only allowed the kids to be more self sufficient and avoid potential falls off chairs from climbing up to the counter, but it’s also freed up SO MUCH (precious) counterspace! Now, five minutes a week I just refill the snack cups, place them all into the baskets, and my life is just that much easier!
What are your go-to snack solutions for the kids?