More on the back-to-school front, it's dawned on me that I'm suddenly responsible for packing lunches every single day. I decided to create a little snack station to make the job a bit easier.
Say hello to snack central!
Every morning I stumble out of bed, press the “go” button on my coffee maker and plop myself here at my snack station to compile the day's food. Baskets of options are at-the-ready so I can quickly pair a sandwich with some protein-packed nuts, yogurt bites, fruit crisps or rice bars without searching through the cabinets. It also makes after school snacks a breeze as the boys can easily see what's on-hand and pick something nutritious for themselves.
We're working with CVS Pharmacy and I love their Gold Emblem and Gold Emblem Abound lines of healthy fruit snacks, nuts, granola and other little munchies. A lot of the options are organic and many of the choices are sweetened with real fruit instead of added sugar, so I can minimize the post-lunch riling-up of my kiddos and the subsequent afternoon crash (you're welcome, teachers).
I used my CVS ExtraCare Rewards card to stock up and save a ton. In this case I got half off a bunch of my goodies and then got ExtraCare Bucks to use on future purchases. They also have an email rewards program that sends out similar discount offers based on your purchases.
Then it was as easy as sticking the snacks in baskets and adding some super-strong Velcro Brand fasteners to create our snack station wall. Food is always at-the-ready, and we can quickly grab a whole box to take in the car or set on the living room table if we have friends over. Healthy snack solutions are always at arms-length.
How are you making healthy choices this school year?