I think it’ll feel ironic every time I post anything food related but I gotta’ give credit where it’s due… I’ve come a LONG way with cooking, food prep & basically, anything to do with being in a kitchen. I guess my kid deserves some credit too, cause’ if it weren’t for him, I’d probably still be living on frozen Jimmy Dean breakfast sammies…

I’m quite certain that my “crunchy” radar shot through the roof the moment I found out I was pregnant. Since then, I’ve become a lot more mindful of the products we use & what we eat. Unfortunately, for most of us, it often comes down to either convenience or eating healthy. A lot of us are on-the-go, A LOT.  That means, you’re grabbing the quickest edible within reach, tossing the kids in the car & running around like a chicken with your head cut off. (Who knew that saying sounded so vulgar when you write it out??)

If you’re constantly finding that you don’t have even a moment of time to cut up an apple or whip up a smoothie, the chosen alternative might not be the fuel your little one’s body is really aching for. I’m totally not throwing you under the bus because believe me, we find this to be an issue too. Those granola bars that we thought were healthy just because they have granola in the name, used to be our favorite go-to snack.

I was recently inspired by all the fitness gurus posting their award-winning food prep photos. So, I attempted some meal prep which went great for well… ONE WEEK. At that point, I realized if I took on a challenge that big all at once, I would be destined to fail. In the past, I’ve been totally intimidated by meal prep. The idea of spending half my Sunday prepping food instead of playing with my family didn’t appeal to me at all. So, I revamped my plan & turned to prepping snacks to start with… And come to find out, it isn’t just good for the little tot either, it’s been a hit for the whole family since we all have to pack a lunch every day for work or daycare!

A few reasons we LOVE Snack prep:

• HEALTHY – Quick access to healthy snacks
• TIME – No scrambling in the morning (literally, we don’t scramble eggs in the AM)
• LESS TANTRUMS – It’s rare I argue  with the toddler over what he can/can’t have
• BALANCE – We are eating more of the basic/needed food groups
• EASY ACCESS – The toddler feels he is in control when he gets to pick his snack
• COLORFUL – Fresh & full of color is appealing & I’m more likely to grab it

The result of a small chunk of nap time & a little effort is THIS:

Before I go, I’ll leave you with a little tip that has changed the way our toddler snacks. We use a small, metal basket for fresh snacks in our fridge. (You’ll notice it’s overflowing so, we may need to upgrade since we’ve upped our snack game) Having this basket at HIS eye-level in the fridge has helped him embrace his independence in having the ability to access a snack on his own while I don’t have to stress about what he’s picking since I approve of everything in the basket. Less stress, less tantrums, more healthy options – Genius!

Now, if I haven’t lost track of what day of the week it is, you should still have time to hit up the market tomorrow morning in time to prep some snacks for your own clan!

Happy Snacking!