It’s that time again when I’m trying to get the kids back into the school routine. That means finding balance so we can live a healthier, happier life. Part of this routine is going back to more structure, earlier bedtime and better-for-you eating habits like these afterschool snack trays.
Surprisingly, everything fell back into placce quickly, but food is always the most challenging of them all. Not because Cole is a picky eater, but he’s a lazy eater. That means, if it’s too much work or he has to wait too long he’ll skip eating.
But here are some tips that I’ve learned over the years:
-Always have a snack tray ready when they get home. This helps them refuel and reset their energy level to gear up for homework.
-Have your kids select their snacks. This way you can help them develop better-for-you selections of foods. Don’t say no to the occassional treat, just teach them how to moderate the intake of it.
-Have your kids help you assemble their snack tray. If your kids are like mine, they like partition trays. I think it has less to do with food touching and more to do with a feeling of having choices. At least as it’s explained by my 9-year-old.
-Set up a routine and stick to it. Ours is: (1) Get home and unload and unpack lunchboxes. (2) Have snacktime. (3) Rest for 20 minutes. (4) Then homework time before sports or playtime.
As you can see, Cole likes a good mix of stuff, from things like: Horizon’s Peanut Butter Sandwich Crackers, finger-size cut fruit, granola, yogurt, trail mix, and a variety of sandwiches. Lucky for me, he will naturally reach for foods like this over processed food choices, so I can’t take full credit. What I can take credit for is helping him build on that to develop better eating habits.
Food, like everything else, is a structured routine in our home. I only wish I had learned that earlier so I could have spent less time being a short order cook to hungry, cranky kids. This leaves us more time to work on living a healthier lifestyle.
This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Horizon Organic. The opinions and text are all mine.
