Have you ever caught yourself snapping at your kids, “Didn’t I just feed you?!” True story: we have. We’ve even heard other parents saying it to theirs, and nearly every single time it’s been in response to begging, whining, and pleading for snacks. Not baby carrots. Or an apple. The good snacks, like a sweet snack bar, chips, or cookies.
Are we right?
For those of us with school-aged kids, the hellish time between school and dinner on Mondays through Fridays seems to be the most intense when it comes to begging for snacks. It’s relentless! And we’re constantly walking the line between keeping the kids sated and trying not to ruin dinner. All while keeping our pantry well-stocked with healthy, satisfying options that can work both at home and on-the-go without breaking the bank. Oh yea, and the kids have to approve too: all of them. A super tall order, we know, but in this episode, we’ve got tips, ideas, recipes, and products that will help you serve the snacks.
The Witching Hours
Before we get into it: We know that you’re probably going to tune into this episode to get all the snack recipes, ideas, and product suggestions. Don’t worry, we won’t disappoint. But even though we show up with the goods, we want you to tune into this episode so that you stop feeling bad about snack time, whether it’s because you can’t nail down the right snacks or timing, you have guilt about using single serving packs, aren’t consistent about a routine, or anything else that throws the whole thing off.
We feel you.
Those hours between the kids coming home from school and you getting dinner on the table can be some of the most intense of the day. The begging for snacks is incessant, and if you give in, you risk ruining dinner, but if you don’t give in, you risk a hanger meltdown before food makes it onto the table.
We know because we’re in the same boat every day too. And, yea, we’re food professionals. So do not be surprised or feel bad that you haven’t figure it out — we haven’t exactly either.
That said, we have given after school snacks a lot of thought and there are some key things we have figured out.
In this episode — after we get through a little bit of commiserating and a whole lot of explaining why it makes sense that we haven’t quite mastered snack time — we get down to the nitty gritty. From snack recipes and ideas for home, to ones that work on the go, and even solutions that relinquish you from the responsibility of feeding older kids snack 100% of the time, we’ve got you covered. And we talk about it for different seasons of parents, and different ages and stages.
Listen for tons of solutions and inspiration, and also to hear what we’ve missed! You can find us on Facebook and/or Instagram and tell us.
Some Links that We Mention:
Our episode with Jill Castle
Our episode on meal planning with Tracy Benjamin (because if you have time to meal plan, we think you should do some snack planning)
Oliver’s favorite Strawberry White Chocolate Chip Muffins (you can use the basic muffin recipe to make nearly any kind of muffin, swapping the white chocolate chips for any kind of chips and the cut fruit for any other mix-in)
DIY Trail Mix with tons of combination ideas from Make It Easy cookbook
What are your most successful after-school snacks and snack strategies?
Let us know on Facebook, where you can find us as @didntijustfeedyou. If you’re a listener and know the answer to the secret question, you can also join our Listeners’ Group to get exclusive tips, recipes, giveaways, and more!
What About Us?!
In this week’s lightening round, we quickly cover what we love to snack on. The funny thing is, it’s not that different than what we give the kids. HA!
But, still, we’re always sure to buy and prep extra of these things so that there’s plenty for us to stay nourished on the go, sated while juggling work and kids, and full until dinner time.
hard boiled eggs
string cheese
cheese and crackers
hummus (or this hearts of palm dip that’s a light, refreshing take on hummus)
cinnamon toast (with the perfect cinnamon sugar) or this bruleed cinnamon toast (whoa!!)
in fact… all kinds of toast (get some inspiration from these toasts with the most)
plain greek yogurt with toppings and mix-in’s, like these fantastic 28 yogurt upgrades (extra shout out to sour cherries)
smoothies
bowl of cereal
matcha latte with whole milk for an extra protein boost
golden milk made with superfood honey
Theo Salted Almond Butter Cups (or the similar ones at Trader Joe’s)
Meghan also loves a good afternoon cocktail!
Follow Us On Instagram
Be sure to follow Stacie @staciebillis and Meghan @stirandscribble on Instagram. And of course, together, they are @didntijustfeedyou. Follow along!
