You're busy, but you have to eat. So you wind up just grabbing whatever junk is in reach because it's easy, right? Later, you'll beat yourself up because this is SO not the healthy life you had in mind for your family. Yup. Been there. With four little boys and a nonstop schedule, Nate and I have had to work hard to prioritize nutrition. It's totally possible, though, with a few real food snack hacks that'll keep you prepared no matter what your day brings!
Here's how to prep ahead of time so you can stay on-track when life gets crazy.
Make a kid-accessible, parent-approved snack box. It doesn't even have to be refrigerated. Fill it with things like apples, coconut chips, squeeze pouches and raisins. We're working with LÄRABAR and their bars are our favorite grab-and-go packaged food, made with just two to nine real food ingredients including unsweetened fruit, nuts and spices.
Prepare snack platters when you prepare lunch. While you have the stuff out for the kids, go ahead and make food for yourself or containers of stuff for them to eat when they get home.
Stock the car. Ditch drive-through! Instead, create spaces in your car for healthy, shelf-stable snacks that you refresh weekly. Car seat pads and back-of-seat pouches are great, as well as trunk totes. We include LÄRABAR here as well, of course. It's the perfect snack for when we pick up friends since everything they make is gluten-free, Kosher and they have a ton of vegan, dairy-free and soy-free options for everyone's allergy needs!
Cut and conquer. As long as you're slicing up one set of veggies, do a whole bunch at once. Peek in your fridge and figure out what you can prep for future snacks while you have the cutting board and knife out. It'll save you from having to wash dishes next time, meaning you're more likely to reach for those pre-cut fruits and vegetables instead of a bag of chips when you're in a hurry.
Invest in storage that fits your fridge. Small mason jars are the perfect size for slipping into those awkward door spaces in the refrigerator. If you have go-to containers to put there, you're more likely to fill it with healthy stuff as opposed to random bottles and sauce packets.
Be breakfast-ready. With kids, you don't have time to make eggs and bacon every morning, and you may not even get a chance to sit down for a bowl of cereal. It's still important to eat in the morning, though! Keep a bowl of nuts and a stash of LÄRABARs on-hand for a quick nutrition boost. With flavors like Blueberry Muffin and Apple Pie, you can get your breakfast fix in a hurry.
Do dessert better. Sometimes, cravings strike hard. You don't have to ditch the sweet tooth entirely in order to live a healthy lifestyle – you'll likely wind up binging on bad stuff if you try. Instead, keep real food options around that are a little sweet. We stock up on dark chocolate, berries and indulgent LÄRABAR Bites in flavors like Double Chocolate Brownie and Mint Chocolate Truffle.
Compensation was provided by LÄRABAR. The opinions expressed herein are those of the author and are not indicative of the opinions of LÄRABAR.