I’ve never understood that saying. I mean, how can someone eat you out of house and home? Anyway, one issue that I have always had is the inability to purchase enough food for growing boys. They wake up and they want to eat. They come home from school and they want to eat. Before they go to bed they want to eat. That is just way too much eating going on and can you imagine the cost?
We won’t go there.
Where we will go is to the refrigerator where I now have a snack bin. It consists of enough snacks for each child for the week. I prepare it on Sunday and organize it so that it is effective. That means each child gets the same number of carrots and crackers. You know they count them. You know they do.
I start by making a simple list of what snacks will go together. Then I assign the groups a number. This is so that the kids know what snacks go together just in case they don’t all fit in a baggy. They receive enough snacks per day that will allow them to have something at least four times but they can eat it all at one sitting if they choose. They just don’t get any additional snacks for the day if they do that. Here is a sample list that we use:
- peanut butter and jelly sandwich / banana
- two cups of popcorn (have you noticed that the shaker pans are back? so 80s!) / 3 small pickles
- triscuits / beef sticks / cheese stick / pudding
- grilled cheese sandwich / apple slices
- corn dog / yogurt
- pizza rolls / carrots / granola bar
- tortillas with cheese / boiled peanuts / trail mix
Each group of snacks goes into a baggy and is then marked with the appropriate number. I also put each child’s initials on a bag so that they only get one of that group of snacks. They have been known to be partial to one particular group and “accidentally” eat their brother’s snacks!
Then I pack them all snuggly inside a container and slide it into the refrigerator.
Now all the boys have to do is go into the fridge and grab a snack! I don’t have to stop several times a day to make things and police what they are eating. This gives them boundaries and it saves us a lot of money.
What kinds of things do you do to make snack time easier? Any ideas to add? You know I am all about good ideas!
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{ 23 comments… read them below or add one }
Not having kids makes snack time a little easier on me, but I could totally do this for hubby and I to help keep us eating throughout the day instead of one or two big meals.
Your organization makes my OCD very happy.
I have a 10-year old growing boy and in the same boat. I never thought about doing something like this. Awesome idea! I am DEFINITELY gonna incorporate this into my weekly schedule. Thanks for sharing =)
I LOVE THIS IDEA! Hmm.. I'll have to ponder it for my kiddos.
That, my friend, is BRILLANT!!!!! I am so doing this.
Thanks. And, my kids thank you too!!!
)
Pure genius. I love it!
What a great idea! This is perfect for after school when my daughter is ALWAYS hungry! I can prepare healthy snacks ahead of time.
Do you kids eat grilled cheese cold? I don't know if my kids would eat that.
what a great idea!! I have the same question as Margaret above… I don't think my kids would eat chilled grilled cheese!
The boys simply heat the grilled cheese in the microwave. I use a Pampered Chef stone in the microwave and that prevents it from becoming soggy. We make grilled cheese by the loaf sometimes and then refrigerate it. It is one of their favorite snacks!
Great job! Hope it works for ya!
What a fantastic idea!! I may have to see what I can do to implement something similar. The hard one is my oldest, who is SO incredibly picky. He'll eat pretzels for a snack and I think that's about it most days. Unless he can have something surgary sweet. LOL!!
O MY GOODNESS Amy! This is pure genius! I love this idea. They do say boys can eat you out of house and home. But so can my older daughter! She's telling me she's hungry every time I turn around. Maybe it's a growth spurt. Maybe she just likes to eat. I don't know. But she can put away the food! I love this idea and I think I'm going to implement it here in our house! I'll only have one to prepare snacks for right now as our other daughter is a toddler and our son doesn't live here at home. Although, when he comes to visit, I certainly have to have extra food around.
Take care,
Karen
Brilliant. I am putting this in my, "when we have kids" file. Love it.
Love it!!
And that grilled cheese with the microwave stone is awesome…I might need one of those!
This is such a great idea. I wish I had thought about it when my 21 year old (6'4" 240#)son was younger.
This is a fabulous idea! I am doing this!
the stone really works? i gave away ALL of my stoneware a few years ago– i can't stand the texture and weight of it. but if it has a way of making things a little crispy in the microwave, it might be worth trying again.
you are so smart, amy!
extra impressive since you are prego too– my prego brain was DUMB!
What an awesome idea. My daughters do that to me. I know they are girls but they can eat as much as any boy. lol Thanks for the tip.
very cool you might want to double now that you have the baby coming and try non perishables, I cant believe my little one is almost 2 1/2 and by the way that is one of those that makes you say, wish I had thought of it!
No suggestions, Amy, as you have a lot of the same snacks we eat. And I do the same type of thing, except I don't bag them. I just tell them "These are the snack choices for this week, and you can have up to 3 a day, but each snack has to be different."
I just wanted to say I know FOR SURE now that you are definitely from the south: boiled peanuts!! I tried them when we lived in SC but never quite got a liking for them. I just saw them the other day in a can though at walmart. They're a staple here in NC, too, I guess
Praying you are feeling MUCH better and that your energy continues to rise!!
In Christ,
Sallie
Awesome! I thought I was the only one!
Love this idea! I think it would work well for my two girls! Gonna give it a try!
You have some GREAT plan-ahead ideas (I'm using your write-up-all-the-attendance-reports-at-the-beginning-of-the-year plan)
Keep em coming!
What a great idea – I'm very happy you posted this. I have 2 younger girls, but they usually want a snack when I'm in the middle of something and I'm not always quick to change gears. Having them set up like this for them to just go grab – GENIUS!