Snack stations

Do you ever feel overwhelmed during the week and just don't have the time or energy to pack a healthy lunch? I do.

I work, go to school, and am a mom and dad so I'm just not into getting up earlier to do a good lunch.

When my daughter was in 3rd grade I was surprised when her teacher told me she brought the healthiest lunches in class. We were so poor and I imagined the rich stay home moms were packing lunches that put mine to shame.

Something I require for my child's lunches is that they cover most food groups and they have a vegetable and a fruit.

Over the summer I started a snack station in the fridge with string cheese, fresh washed fruit, and fresh veggies chopped. This way we can grab something healthy just as easy as the bag of chips would be if we kept any in the house.

There is another snack station on the counter with little bags of nuts and ones with whole grain crackers (and more fruit).

Having these done on the weekend in minimal time, production line style, makes it easy to pack a lunch and when we are home it makes it easy to grab a small serving (rather than the can of nuts or box of crackers) too.

I really think everyone should be doing this, for so little effort my kid goes to school with a minimum of 3 colors of produce, and high quality protein and calcium sources. This way I don't feel bad about packing her a few cookies (which were not happening in elementary but I have relaxed a bit on sugary stuff).
Have fun!