Snacking, Eating, And Kiddie Food In General

It's no secret I'm a healthaholic (is that a word?) when it comes to our kids. They recently learned the word Ketchup, though they couldn't identify the taste. They may have had Jam once in their lives...but I'm not sure. They don't have sugar or honey during our afternoon tea time. And it's not uncommon to hear us say "stop eating the veggies and have some supper". Ironic and a little twisted, I know.

But snacks (which are often raisins and almonds/walnuts/hazelnuts) can be boring - more for me than them. I like to switch it up but often the simple grab-and-go is easier than brainstorming. I'll often make banana-berry muffins (usually with frozen blackberries/blueberries we picked in the summer). They're good and ingredients include: bananas, eggs, flax, oil, flour, baking soda, berries. That's it.

A recent snack (actually, it's more of a Friday Night Movie Treat) includes the following...a homemade concoction which is sweet but fairly healthy and you can fill it with all the things kids love...and you can pick and chose what you'd like to include:

Honey Butter Snack Mix

Popcorn (freshly air popped...a couple of cups)
Pretzels (if you wish)
Almonds (whole...at least 1/2 cup)
Shreddies (at least 1 cup)
Cheerios (at lesat 1 cup)
Walnuts (whole/halved...at least 1/2 cup)

Melt 1/4 cup honey and 1/4 cup butter (the real stuff...marg is crap, right?!) together in a pot. Dump your choice of above ingredients on a pan and pour warm honey/butter mixture on top. Stir it around and try not to munch as you prep. It's reeeeeaaally hard. Bake for 15mins at 250 degrees then stir and bake another 15 mins. Just watch and don't let it burn. Fatal mistake, people. Movie night will tank if you burn the snack.

The above recipe, full of protein (and omegas) you kids will surely love. Well, mine do.

Otherwise, I absolutely love the above idea of chucking your choice of kid-loved snacks in your muffin tray first thing in the morning. Pop it in the fridge and as the hunger pangs kick in, you don't have to give a second thought to "what do I get them now". Lessen the amount of "not so good" stuff and eventually they'll get to the "I don't love it cup". When they're hungry, they will eat. Oh, will they eat.