It’s Back to School Time!
It’s back to school time which for many families means even more jam-packed schedules filled with shuttling kids from school to after school programs, sports practices, play dates with friends and so much more. Between keeping up with the kids and their permission slips, backpacks, musical instruments and a dizzying array of other “baggage,” it’s no wonder that food ends up being the last thing on our minds. However, I think every family can master snacking on the go with just a few smart tips.
Plan Ahead
The first tip is to plan ahead. Either at the start of the week or each night, go through your family’s schedule to see when you’ll be running tight on time so you know when it’ll be a good idea to have snacks on hand. Maybe it’s in between school and soccer practice or when you expect a long wait at the doctor’s office. Planning ahead will help you avoid having to pick up not so healthy food from the nearest fast food restaurant or vending machine. (Though, if you can’t avoid those stops, I understand. Sometimes, a parent has to do what a parent has to do.
Pre-Portion Snacks
The next step is to go ahead and pre-portion the snacks before you need them. For one, this helps with portion control, but it takes the guesswork out of what to eat while ensuring you always have snacks ready to go. To do this, you’ll just need snack-sized baggies or small storage containers. You can also buy pre-packaged snacks such as the 100 calorie packs. Once you’ve portioned out all your snacks, you can store them in a basket in your pantry, refrigerator or even the car depending on the food.
Smart Snack Choices
Once you have the first two steps down, the only other thing is to figure out what to eat. To help you out, here’s a list of 25 healthy choices that are pretty easy to eat on the go.
- Sliced fruit (apples, strawberries, pears)
- Raw veggies (carrots, broccoli, cauliflower, celery)
- Nuts
- Whole grain snacks (Goldfish, crackers, cereal)
- Pretzels
- Frozen yogurt pops
- Granola bars
- Graham crackers
- Baked chips
- Dried fruit
- String cheese or cubed cheese
- Fruit cups
- Hard boiled eggs
- Jello
- Fruit popsicles
- Smoothies
- Rice cakes
- Popcorn
- Yogurt drinks
- Trail mix
- Sunflower or pumpkin seeds
- Summer sausage
- Hummus and pita bread
- Fruit pouches or apple sauce
- Air popped snacks
Now, let’s swap notes…What are your tried and tested options for quick and easy eating on the go? Do you eat on the run more than you’d like?
