If like me you’ve got your kids at home for the foreseeable future, you might be wondering how on earth you’re going to managing their eating habits. It can seem like a constant stream of requests for food and ‘Muuuuuummmmmmmmmm, I’m hungry!’. I’m sure this doesn’t happen at school - the kids just know when it’s time to eat and when it’s not. At home, the lines are much more blurred, everything is a bit more flexible and there’s the potential for them to get their hands on food whenever they like. So, how do we manage this? And what’s more, how can we keep them as healthy as possible and support their little immune systems without them whinging at you for not giving them what they really want - crisps, biscuits and junk!
I don’t claim to have all the answers, but here are some tips I’m implementing at home which will help give us all some clarity.
Firstly, talk to your kids about their expectations and yours. Find out what they want from you, explain what’s important to you and find some common ground or compromise. You may want to limit any ‘treat’ foods to one a day, or have regular ‘sugar-free’ days or whatever it is that feels comfortable for you. Involving your kids in the discussion helps to limit any arguments later on.
You may be tempted to impose a strict routine around food, including meal and snack times. Personally, I find this a bit too inflexible, but it works for some families. In particular, some kids find it helpful to know what they can expect - they like routine. Again, talk to your kids and find out what they would prefer. Make it clear that if there isn’t a routine, that doesn’t mean they can just help themselves all day and eat you out of house and home!
Meal planning is hard enough when you only have the evening meals to worry about, but now it’s 3 meals a day. You want them to be healthy and nutritious, but you can’t face all the whinging and complaining when you place food in front of them that they don’t want or like. This is a big problem for me! Again, the solution is to talk to your kids. Make a list of all the meals that they definitely do like and ask them to be a bit more flexible and include on their list some things that are perhaps not their favourites, but that they will eat. Explain that you’ll do your best to mostly provide them with the meals you know they’ll enjoy. Also explain that the usual things they like might not be available in the shops at the moment, so you’re going to need them to be a little bit flexible anyway.
When it comes to snacking, it’s important to only have in the house things you’re happy for them to eat. I appreciate that isn’t always that easy at the moment with panic buying and shortages in the supermarkets. But if you have a house full of crisps, biscuits, sweets and chocolates that they know is there, it’s going to be playing on their minds and they’re going to keep asking for them… a lot! Eventually you’ll get fed up of them asking and you’ll give in. You may like to set them a daily allowance for snack/treat type foods and give them the opportunity to ration themselves. If they’ve used up their daily quota, there’s nothing else. Alternatively, and my preferred option, is just not to have things in the house you don’t want them eating. So that brings me onto the main point of this blog… what snacks can I offer my children that are healthy, filling and will keep them satisfied?
Healthy snacks for children and families
This is by no means an exhaustive list. It’s a list of some of the things I keep at home for my kids that I know are nutritious and that they’ll eat.
Boiled eggs - on their own, cold, or just cooked with a soft yolk and a few dippy soldiers
Chunks of cheese
Raw nuts - any kind will do, but my kids prefer cashews and peanuts
Fruit - have a big bowl of fruit in the house and whenever the usual ‘I’m hungry’ arises, direct them to the fruit bowl. They can’t be that hungry if they don’t want a fruit! You might be able to make it more tempting by offering apple slices with peanut butter spread on them. This also gives it a boost of protein which will help keep them fuller until the next meal time.
Crackers - we tend to stick to Nairn’s oatcakes. They can be spread with butter, nut butter, hummus or served with cheese, pate, sliced meat… whatever you like.
Vegetable sticks - you’d be surprised but if your kids are in the middle of something - a game, watching tv, or building lego - and you plonk a plate of chopped veggies next to them, the chances are they’ll dig in without even noticing that they’re eating vegetables. Do this BEFORE they get to the stage of asking for food! If they’re not keen, try dipping them in hummus or spreading with peanut butter (I find kids will eat just about anything as long as peanut butter is involved!). Try carrot and cucumber sticks, celery, small tomatoes, radish, courgette sticks (sounds weird but it’s actually nice raw) and anything else you can think of.
Homemade popcorn, drizzled with a little honey or lightly salted.
Homemade flapjacks or muffins. There are TONS of recipes online for healthier versions of typical kids snack foods. Often with low sugar content, or at least natural sugars, and using nutritious ingredients like oats, nuts, seeds and fruit. Even better - make these with your children and you’re spending quality time doing something together whilst also providing some healthy snacks! If you’re stuck for ideas, check out Little Cooks Co - a healthy cooking kit delivery service aimed at kids.
Smoothies. I’m giving my kids a smoothie a day at the moment with some added powdered vitamin C to really support their immune system. It’s a sure fire way to get them to eat some fruit and veg and fill them up. Here’s our go-to recipe (feeds 2):
1 banana
1/2 avocado
Handful spinach
Chunk of cucumber
1-2 dates (pitted)
Vitamin C powder (optional) - follow instructions on bottle for correct amount for children
300ml milk - oat, almond or any you fancy
Optional - 1 tablespoon raw cacao to make it like a chocolate milkshake
Optional - a handful of frozen berries
Chuck everything in a blender and add some ice if they like it cold. You can add an extra date or a drizzle of honey if it’s not quite sweet enough for them.
Don’t get me wrong, we have also baked some conventional ‘treats’ and occasionally have crisps or yo-yo bears. We’re by no means doing this all perfectly. The main thing is to be prepared, have a plan for how to handle snacking and what to have in the house. Most importantly talk to your kids about what they can expect and ask them what they want. Find some compromise and also… have fun!
Got some ideas or great tips for keeping kids happy and fed during lockdown? Leave a comment or drop me a message. I’d love to hear from you!
Lucy x