if you have a snack drawer, what’s in it?

[Anonymous]

I tend to save the snack drawer (single serving bags and portions) for on the go, to bring to school/dance class. When at home, I will first usually offer fruit, yogurt, popsicle, or a portion of chips from the bigger bags in the pantry (cheaper, and like to save the snack drawer when we need it.)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Op here. Okay second question: do you have rules about how much the kids eat, when, etc? I’m imagining the entire drawer vanishing in an afternoon and wondering if I need to unclench.

I just say that half the snack should be a fruit or vegetable

[Anonymous]

So many of these replies sound like they’re targeted for very young kids.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:So many of these replies sound like they’re targeted for very young kids.

Op. That’s actually helpful, because I do have very young kids. Older ones are more capable of digging through the refrigerator or turning ingredients into food.

[Anonymous]

Boiled eggs, fruits, plain yogurt, nuts, hummus and peanut butter should be their go to snacks.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Our grab-and-go snacks are granola bars, goldfish, pirate’s booty, Vermont smokehouse mini beef sticks, and fruit leathers.

We also keep string cheese, babybels, yogurt cups, cut up veggies, hummus, Greek yogurt dip in the fridge. I try to keep naan and pita on hand too.

We are relaxed about rules. Sometimes the shelf stable snacks get eaten, other times they just sit. Kids currently prefer cut up veggies and fruit with something to dip them in.

How did you get your kids to prefer veggies and dip?

I'm a different poster with kids who love veggies and hummus. I think part of it is just luck, genetics, maybe. But here are a few tips:

After school snacks were always veggies. They were ravenous and would eat anything at pickup.

If hungry before a meal was ready I'd set out cut veggies.

In between meals if they asked "can I have a cookie/cupcake/ice cream/chips/etc.?" The answer was "sure, just have some veggies first." Then if they were hungry they'd go for veggies and then eat their treat, but if not they'd say "nevermind" and run off and play.

In some yard we have a community garden share plot. If the kids grow it or our neighbors grow it and give it to them, they're more likely to eat it.

I splurge on farmer's market stuff so the fruit and vegetable are really delicious. The price gets me sometimes but we save by eating at home most of the time and don't get take out. The kids like the farmers market experience and I rarely say no, so sometimes they're also bringing home baked treats or getting an ice cream.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I found that if I don’t provide snacks, kids eat three square meals without complaint. So, no snack drawer.
That said, if they have to eat lunch early/late due to commitment, I suggest edamame, or a handful of unsalted nuts or dried fruit (dates, mango).
On road trips, we have roasted chestnuts, unsalted nuts, cubed cooked tofu or tempeh, roasted chickpeas.

😭😭😭

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So many of these replies sound like they’re targeted for very young kids.

Op. That’s actually helpful, because I do have very young kids. Older ones are more capable of digging through the refrigerator or turning ingredients into food.

lol - talk to me when you have teens! Mine have both been cooking and baking with me since they were 2, sitting on the island and dumping and stirring. And yet, they much prefer grab and go

[Anonymous]

I buy single pack snacks for lunches and I buy other snacks also. The rule is one single serve thing per day so I know when to buy more for lunches. Other stuff, e.g., all the fruit, bread, sandwich supplies, etc is available at all times except right before dinner.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Op here. Okay second question: do you have rules about how much the kids eat, when, etc? I’m imagining the entire drawer vanishing in an afternoon and wondering if I need to unclench.

Our rule was you can have multiple snacks, but not all of the same snack.

- cheese stick, apple, cookie, but not three cookies, three yogurts, etc.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Our grab-and-go snacks are granola bars, goldfish, pirate’s booty, Vermont smokehouse mini beef sticks, and fruit leathers.

We also keep string cheese, babybels, yogurt cups, cut up veggies, hummus, Greek yogurt dip in the fridge. I try to keep naan and pita on hand too.

We are relaxed about rules. Sometimes the shelf stable snacks get eaten, other times they just sit. Kids currently prefer cut up veggies and fruit with something to dip them in.

How did you get your kids to prefer veggies and dip?

They are tweens now, but I think it’s because I had them startcutting cucumbers and peppers (with kid friendly hard plastic knives) when they were about 5. I also let them pick the seasonings that go into dips. I buy big tubs of plain Greek yogurt and scoop it out into kid sized containers then they can add garlic powder or dill or dried chives or whatever. They really like that.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Our grab-and-go snacks are granola bars, goldfish, pirate’s booty, Vermont smokehouse mini beef sticks, and fruit leathers.

We also keep string cheese, babybels, yogurt cups, cut up veggies, hummus, Greek yogurt dip in the fridge. I try to keep naan and pita on hand too.

We are relaxed about rules. Sometimes the shelf stable snacks get eaten, other times they just sit. Kids currently prefer cut up veggies and fruit with something to dip them in.

How did you get your kids to prefer veggies and dip?

They are tweens now, but I think it’s because I had them startcutting cucumbers and peppers (with kid friendly hard plastic knives) when they were about 5. I also let them pick the seasonings that go into dips. I buy big tubs of plain Greek yogurt and scoop it out into kid sized containers then they can add garlic powder or dill or dried chives or whatever. They really like that.

sigh. that didn't work for me. Mine are late teens now. I still do what I can to encourage healthier eating; but just hoping they do better than I did when they get out on their own.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Our grab-and-go snacks are granola bars, goldfish, pirate’s booty, Vermont smokehouse mini beef sticks, and fruit leathers.

We also keep string cheese, babybels, yogurt cups, cut up veggies, hummus, Greek yogurt dip in the fridge. I try to keep naan and pita on hand too.

We are relaxed about rules. Sometimes the shelf stable snacks get eaten, other times they just sit. Kids currently prefer cut up veggies and fruit with something to dip them in.

How did you get your kids to prefer veggies and dip?

I'm a different poster with kids who love veggies and hummus. I think part of it is just luck, genetics, maybe. But here are a few tips:

After school snacks were always veggies. They were ravenous and would eat anything at pickup.

If hungry before a meal was ready I'd set out cut veggies.

In between meals if they asked "can I have a cookie/cupcake/ice cream/chips/etc.?" The answer was "sure, just have some veggies first." Then if they were hungry they'd go for veggies and then eat their treat, but if not they'd say "nevermind" and run off and play.

In some yard we have a community garden share plot. If the kids grow it or our neighbors grow it and give it to them, they're more likely to eat it.

I splurge on farmer's market stuff so the fruit and vegetable are really delicious. The price gets me sometimes but we save by eating at home most of the time and don't get take out. The kids like the farmers market experience and I rarely say no, so sometimes they're also bringing home baked treats or getting an ice cream.

Yeah...genetics clearly help. I tried. Maybe they'll find their way when they're out on their own, though eating healthy tending to be more expensive, it may take a while.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Op here. Okay second question: do you have rules about how much the kids eat, when, etc? I’m imagining the entire drawer vanishing in an afternoon and wondering if I need to unclench.

I don’t have any rules - you may find the whole snack drawer disappear the first time or two you stock it, but once the novelty wears off it should even out. If it’s close to dinner and I see them having a snack, I’ll generally tell them no more snacks so they have room for real food. They eat well at mealtimes so it hasn’t been a problem.