Snack time for my four growing children comes WAY too frequently. Their appetites are amazing! Honestly, I am confident that they absolutely eat more than I do in a day.
I can also tell when their snack requests are out of boredom, envy of another sibling’s snack or actual hunger. If it is the latter they get a filling snack that will carry them through to the next meal time. If it is either of the other two reasons, I give them something small in a smaller bowl that looks like it is more and light.
Even though it is a lot of work I seize this opportunity and fill them with great nutrition every time they are “starving”.
Whether it is after arriving home from a rigorous basketball game. William is snacking on soaked and dehydrated pecans with real salt, steamed green beans, and a couple of dates.
Or, coming in from playing in the snow… Here are the girls’ snack bowls. Leftover steamed peas, soaked and dehydrated almonds with real salt, black olives, and dried fig.
My snack system takes into context the whole day’s worth of food. When I create a meal or a snack for the kids, I bounce it off my mental list of daily nutrient needs. If they have not eaten enough protein, I fit it into the snack. If they had too much, I push the fruit/veggies.
Another pea and pecan combo with apples this time.
Here is a portable snack kit for a long car ride. Fruit salad with fresh mint and lemon balm, soaked and dehydrated nuts, and black olives. I packed this combo in a larger box and the kids each got one to eat along the way.
Here is a beach snack. Fresh blueberries, green pear, and sprouted pumpkin seeds.
After dinner “snacks” are typical if we eat very early. I will hear, Mommy, I am super hungry right before we are ready to go to sleep. AWESOME!
Here is a satisfying after-dinner snack of raw milk cheddar, avocado, strawberries, hemp seeds, and toasted sunflower seeds. Lot’s of great fat and tryptophan to keep little tummies satisfied and ready for sleep.
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