Referring to food as "crap" is intellectually lazy. Describe more accurately what foods you approve of and what you don't. Because there are no agreed upon "good" and "bad" foods. Actual crap=feces. Goldfish crackers are made primarily of wheat flour, oil, and salt.

Not really "fun" but I push these as substitutes:
Edamame in the shell
SmartFood popcorn
Sweetened rice cakes (acceptable at times to a desperate kid)
Cherry tomatoes and berries are great in summer

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Nuts
Dried banana chips (not the kind fried in nasty vegetable oil)
Rice rolled up in those crunchy salty seaweed sheets
Apples/oranges/bananas
Rice cakes and peanut butter
Pork rinds from pastured pigs

No advice on the other kids bringing crap snacks, that sucks and not sure id want to fight that battle all damn day if it's supposed to be a nice break for me too

Where do you get pork rinds from pastured pigs? How are they different?

You can order them online. I think WF also carries the Epic brand which IIRC is pastured. Supposedly fat from pastured animals is way healthier than the factory farmed variety but I sought them out bc I'm just a big softy and feel bad for factory farmed animals.

I'm not suggesting pork rinds should be an everyday common snack but if having pork rinds stops the kids from eating so many chips and cheez-it's then go to town.

I make my kids eat their healthy snacks before the fun ones, since we are often in this same situation (I buy the crap sometimes too- like for long car-rides). But they know now: fruit, yogurt or nuts first.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You can't win if someone else is also bringing snacks.
Next time offer to bring snacks for everyone. Your snacks were fine and kids would have eaten them if not for the "better snacks"

You can also get some organic things that are fun like peanut butter crackers. We get these from MOMs (http://shop.latejuly.com/Mini-Peanut-Butter-Sandwich-Crackers/p/LJS-000700&c=LateJuly@Crackers) or you can get the Annie's version of fruit bythe foot. (http://www.annies.com/products/fruit-snacks). Or honest kids juice boxes (less sugar(

And most importantly once in a while just let it go and let the kids eat the goldfish like you did yesterday.

+1 We eat mostly unprocessed snacks at home and when I send their lunch/snack at school, but for "fun" times, like parties, boats, etc, I just let it go. I will send healthy and non healthy snacks and if they come back having eaten only chips, whatever. 85% of their diet is healthy and I don't want food to become "forbidden". In our house, I talk about a clear cut separation between party food, and home food. For example, juice boxes are only at parties. I had major food issues growing up and was overweight (am a healthy/skinny weight now) and I don't want food to be a struggle, and want the kids to learn moderation themselves, which they will only get by being exposed to unhealthy snacks as well. my 5 year old, who was Ms. chips/cookies herself, now only has a few chips and naturally gravitates toward the fruit option. BUT she still eats chips/cookies, just doesn't gorge herself on them.

This! Why even stress over Cheez Its and gold fish? When your kids ask for them at home, you tell them the truth - you don't have any. My kids know that they can eat anything that is offered at someone else's home or at a party. Chips? Sure. Cookies? Yep. Soda? Enjoy it while you are here with Larlo, because we don't (and won't) have any at home. This approach work unbelievably well.

Next time, make the fruit fun - do some kebabs or something, and maybe drizzle a bit of chocolate on them or put a marshmallow on each to make it festive.

Every time I've brought a big tray of cut up melon to a kids sporting event it quickly disappears. I think part of the trick with fruit is to have it easily accessible and on display (i.e. pre-sliced and set out). My kids are also pretty big fans of nuts, but if another family is offering a bag of cheetohs, the nuts or homemade trail mix is not going to be anywhere as appealing. We eat healthy without many processed snack foods at home, so when we're out with other people, I've given up trying too hard and will pack pretzels, sesame sticks, plantain chips, granola bars etc along with some fruit. Road trips or family outings are easier as there aren't competing options. For those, I get a lot of freeze dried or dried fruit from Trader Joes, plus bags of sugar snaps, carrots, nuts, etc.

Our summer favorite right now is sliced frozen bananas drizzled with dark chocolate and almond butter. You can make a big tray in 5 minutes and keep them in the freezer. Not something you can pack to take with you on a boat, but a good "fun" option for playdates or potlucks that is pretty healthy. I also often make a yogurt/honey/PB dip served with apples and carrots that often goes over well (though some kids aren't into that).

Anonymous wrote:Nuts
Dried banana chips (not the kind fried in nasty vegetable oil)
Rice rolled up in those crunchy salty seaweed sheets
Apples/oranges/bananas
Rice cakes and peanut butter
Pork rinds from pastured pigs

No advice on the other kids bringing crap snacks, that sucks and not sure id want to fight that battle all damn day if it's supposed to be a nice break for me too

Where do you get pork rinds from pastured pigs? How are they different?

I am picking up some snacks today for a plane ride. I will get some trail mix (get the ones with chocolate for maximum "fun"). Coconut chips are good. Maybe fruit strips from Whole foods.

My kid always beelines for the carby cracker type snacks too if offered.

Goldfish crackers are just white flour and oil. They aren't good for you. I feel like they are the same as CheezIts. But - I feel the same as most of the others - all that crap is fine occasionally, and i totally agree that if I have healthy stuff and someone else has the crap snacks, the Crap is going to win and I just have to let it go.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You can't win if someone else is also bringing snacks.
Next time offer to bring snacks for everyone. Your snacks were fine and kids would have eaten them if not for the "better snacks"

You can also get some organic things that are fun like peanut butter crackers. We get these from MOMs (http://shop.latejuly.com/Mini-Peanut-Butter-Sandwich-Crackers/p/LJS-000700&c=LateJuly@Crackers) or you can get the Annie's version of fruit bythe foot. (http://www.annies.com/products/fruit-snacks). Or honest kids juice boxes (less sugar(

And most importantly once in a while just let it go and let the kids eat the goldfish like you did yesterday.

+1 We eat mostly unprocessed snacks at home and when I send their lunch/snack at school, but for "fun" times, like parties, boats, etc, I just let it go. I will send healthy and non healthy snacks and if they come back having eaten only chips, whatever. 85% of their diet is healthy and I don't want food to become "forbidden". In our house, I talk about a clear cut separation between party food, and home food. For example, juice boxes are only at parties. I had major food issues growing up and was overweight (am a healthy/skinny weight now) and I don't want food to be a struggle, and want the kids to learn moderation themselves, which they will only get by being exposed to unhealthy snacks as well. my 5 year old, who was Ms. chips/cookies herself, now only has a few chips and naturally gravitates toward the fruit option. BUT she still eats chips/cookies, just doesn't gorge herself on them.

I agree with this 100%. OP, what's wrong with goldfish crackers? Don't those use natural flavors and colors and aren't they a step above Cheez Its?

Anonymous wrote:You can't win if someone else is also bringing snacks.
Next time offer to bring snacks for everyone. Your snacks were fine and kids would have eaten them if not for the "better snacks"

You can also get some organic things that are fun like peanut butter crackers. We get these from MOMs (http://shop.latejuly.com/Mini-Peanut-Butter-Sandwich-Crackers/p/LJS-000700&c=LateJuly@Crackers) or you can get the Annie's version of fruit bythe foot. (http://www.annies.com/products/fruit-snacks). Or honest kids juice boxes (less sugar(

And most importantly once in a while just let it go and let the kids eat the goldfish like you did yesterday.

+1 We eat mostly unprocessed snacks at home and when I send their lunch/snack at school, but for "fun" times, like parties, boats, etc, I just let it go. I will send healthy and non healthy snacks and if they come back having eaten only chips, whatever. 85% of their diet is healthy and I don't want food to become "forbidden". In our house, I talk about a clear cut separation between party food, and home food. For example, juice boxes are only at parties. I had major food issues growing up and was overweight (am a healthy/skinny weight now) and I don't want food to be a struggle, and want the kids to learn moderation themselves, which they will only get by being exposed to unhealthy snacks as well. my 5 year old, who was Ms. chips/cookies herself, now only has a few chips and naturally gravitates toward the fruit option. BUT she still eats chips/cookies, just doesn't gorge herself on them.

You can't win if someone else is also bringing snacks.
Next time offer to bring snacks for everyone. Your snacks were fine and kids would have eaten them if not for the "better snacks"

You can also get some organic things that are fun like peanut butter crackers. We get these from MOMs (http://shop.latejuly.com/Mini-Peanut-Butter-Sandwich-Crackers/p/LJS-000700&c=LateJuly@Crackers) or you can get the Annie's version of fruit bythe foot. (http://www.annies.com/products/fruit-snacks). Or honest kids juice boxes (less sugar(

And most importantly once in a while just let it go and let the kids eat the goldfish like you did yesterday.

Nuts
Dried banana chips (not the kind fried in nasty vegetable oil)
Rice rolled up in those crunchy salty seaweed sheets
Apples/oranges/bananas
Rice cakes and peanut butter
Pork rinds from pastured pigs

No advice on the other kids bringing crap snacks, that sucks and not sure id want to fight that battle all damn day if it's supposed to be a nice break for me too

This drives me nuts as well.

I really think the only way to get the kids to eat healthier is to eliminate the junk options - my kids will eat the fruit and nuts (but not veggies) if it is the only option. I presume if they were hungry enough they'd even eat the veggies but I've never managed to get there.

And there needs to be a separate thread about the crap people are bringing to offer kids after athletic events - should be nothing but sliced fruit.

I feel so challenged by my desire not to givi ey kids crap to eat yet wanting life to be easy. Example - yesterday, they went on a boat with friends. I filled the cooler with cut fruit and veggies, string cheese, and some homemade granola bars. And water. Of course they wanted to eat the other kids' Goldfish and CheezIts and juice boxes. So did I! My food went basically uneaten, and they ate the crap. What do you all buy that is still appealing and 'fun' for fun times like a boat ride but isn't junk? I feel like just giving up sometimes and buying the junk bc it's certainly easier and cheaper than buying and preparing fruits and veggies and other non-processed stuff.