Snack Cups
Our family has fallen into a lazy snacking routine. It happened over the summer. It was easier to grab prepackaged snacks and go than it was to cut and pack up fruits and veggies, so that’s what I did. And it was easier to grab a juice box (we like the Roarin’ Waters by Capri Sun) than to take the time to pour water into sippy cups. So, I’ll admit. I took convenience over health and we never looked back.
There’s nothing wrong with taking these shortcuts every now and then, but I think we took it too far. It became known around our family that fruits and veggies would only make their presence known at meal times. Snacks were safe. But then the kids started going through one of those phases where they hardly touch their plates at mealtime, and I realized that since they weren’t getting their nutrients at snack time, meals had become too critical. They couldn’t possibly get all the nutrition they needed at only meal times – especially when they weren’t even eating their meals.
I tried switching back to fruits and veggies cold turkey, but the kids would have nothing of it. They might have a bite or two, but they weren’t going to give up the fight that easily. So, I had to become a little more creative.
I had noticed that what the kids loved about their snacks was not the food, necessarily, but that it was all just their size. The packages and juice boxes were just the size for their little hands, and the kids loved it. Another thing they loved was having control. They got to pick from a big box of different kinds of snacks, and they loved having the option instead of me just handing them a baggie of Goldfish. The last thing they liked was having juice boxes because they were different than regular sippy cups. I think the novelty of it made them really fun treats.
Knowing all of this, I decided I was going to try to trick my children into eating healthy by giving the healthy food all the qualities they liked in the unhealthy food.
I went to Target and spent $2.50 on a pack of the smallest snack-sized Tupperware I could find. Then, I started chopping away. I cut up all the fruits and veggies I could find and filled individual sized snack cups with each type of food. I stacked them together in our fridge, just like I do all the other prepackaged items the kids get to choose from. The kids love having the choice of what to snack on, and they love the fact that it is packaged in just their size. Gracie also loves anything with a lid, so having her own bowl that she can put the lid on and off of is her idea of heaven!
We call them snack cups, and the kids are having a blast picking and choosing which snack cups they want for snack time.
For juice boxes, I started buying the small sized water bottles. Much cheaper, healthier, and my kids love them! They are just the right size for grabby little paws.
I write their names on them with a marker, and the kids can help themselves and know how to put them back when they are finished. These are also great because, unlike juice boxes, I can actually refill these when they finish drinking them.
Sometimes I’m a good mother. Other days I’m a lazy one. But I try to right the balance when it swings in the lazy direction a little too frequently. I’m just glad this time it was pretty easy to get myself balanced again!
9 Comments
Mindee@ourfrontdoor
This is awesome. Every mommy should do this. If I could get it to work on 16 year olds I totally would. 🙂 Good for you for going the extra mile ESPECIALLY when life is stressful. I think that the kiddos eating well will improve their moods and sleep which will improve YOUR mood and sleep and everybody wins.
Katie
I love these ideas! We are in a snack food rut (and have been for years). Combine and lazy mommy and a super picky kid, and the choices are very limited. Now we have a four month old and I’d like to TRY to make him a little more adventuresome when it comes to food. I can’t wait to try some of these suggestions. For the big kid now, and for the little kid in the not so distant future!
Jen @ Ginger Guide
Snacks are always so tricky. Sullivan would eat fruit snacks day and night if we would let him. We do a lot of Chobani Campions Greek yogurt tubes. He loves stuff in tubes, go figure. Also carrots dipped in low fat Italian salad dressing, instead of ranch. Snack cups are a great idea! Sully will probably love it. He’s all about choice these days.
Janet
Just wait til Michael gets to be 14. I had my grandson for an overnight this weekend. He arrived hungry, ate the rest of the casserole I’d made for my husband’s and my lunch. Two hours later he was hungry again so I started an early dinner. He snacked on an apple five minutes before I put supper on the table. He ate a phenomenal amount of dinner, a huge brownie sundae for dessert and had two ice cream bars as an evening snack. OK, the gauntlet had been thrown. The next day he was like a vacuum. I could never get him filled up. He left, still hungry. I was in awe.
Alex
Great ideas! you are right, we all need a break but then need to be back on track one way or another. Thanks for the tips!!
USAKiwi (Kylee)
We do this too! It’s great for oh crap we have to leave the house right NOW and I don’t want my kid eating junk while out.
He LOVES those little snack bowls too. I have several packages of them. I buy yogurt in bulk and separate it into those, and do grapes, melon, cheese cubes, raisins, trailmix, etc in others.
Melanee
I did the same thing this summer. Worked like a charm. Yes, I was constantly washing little snack cups, but no biggie.
PJ
You always have such good ideas and really know your kids so well. Just be careful not to refill the water bottles too many times – it can break down the chemicals in the the plastic and then those get in to the water they are drinking. I wonder if safe, refillable, water bottles would work the same? The kids could even chose what color they wanted – which might give them more buy in.
Michelle
I remember being a kid- it’s tough! I say this with a smile because I remember feeling frustrated because it seemed like everything in the world was made with grown ups in mind so it was always special when you found something that was your size. To that end, I know that so much of the snack battle is not always what’s *in* the containers but more about the joy of having a container in a size just for you and then having the ability to choose what you snack on. Choice was such a big deal for me when I was little- I just wanted to feel like I had some control in my life!
Kudos on the great ideas- it’s a cheaper, healthier solution to chop your own fruits and veggies and the water bottles are a better option. I love being able to get ideas from your site- I try to tuck them away for when my little guy (8 months) is old enough for these things!