I recently received the following question:
Question: I can’t seem to get away from giving my kids junk when we’re on the go. It seems that we’re always running and that it’s easier to stop at McDonald’s than it is to make sure they all have a healthy snack. Even packaged snacks seem easier when we’re at home. Help?!
You’re not the first mom to think this and I’m sure you won’t be the last. I have to admit that I don’t have any quick fix solutions for you. In my opinion, changing behavior always requires a change in attitude first–and in this case that requires changing the attitude of your children as well who may have come to expect a drive through McDonald‘s after practice. With that said, here are a few suggestions and thoughts:
Don’t Buy It
Simply stop buying snack foods. Buy fresh fruit instead. Bananas, apples and oranges are all highly portable. In my mind, grabbing an apple and throwing it in a bag is easier than going through a drive through anyways.
Plan for It
Here is how I do my meal planning and I’ve done it this way for years: I take a blank piece of paper and fold it into 8 squares. In each square I write the day of the week (and then of course you have one blank left over), and then I note things that are going on. Then I plan accordingly. A night with late practice requires something quick–that’s usually crock-pot or leftover night. If I have a lot of unusually late practices then I make a double portion of something one night and save half for another night. Likewise, if I know I’m going to be out all day then I know I’ll need extra snacks. I might pack apples and crackers and while the crackers don’t qualify as the world’s healthiest food–I have to believe that it’s better than McDonald’s.
The Gorp Bar
Here is another trick I use so that all my kids will like the same thing. I have several containers that hold what we call the Gorp bar. I have nuts, raisins, coconut, some miniature chocolate chips, dried fruit. . .anything that you can think of that might be tasty in trail mix. Then I let the kids fix their own trail mix with a few boundaries: They must have 1 cup of nuts and they can use ½ cup for other additions of dried fruit etc., and then ¼ cup for any candy or anything sweet.
The point is, the trick of getting your kids to eat healthy all the time is to plan for it and to provide healthy food. Good luck!
Other Sneaky Mama Advice:
The Sneaky Mama’s Whole Grain Pancakes
The Sneaky Mama Sneaks in Strawberries