After School Snack Station

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I created the simplest possible after school snack station because I can’t think beyond simple. Last year at this time I was all about homemade everything. Freezer breakfast burritos, cute lunches with notes every day, wholesome after school smoothies and a slow cooker dinner on the table each and every night. Well guess what? About a week into trying to keep up with all that homemade goodness at basically four meals a day (counting that snack) for four people and I felt like a crazy person! Maybe if I could afford a maid? Or had a personal assistant in general? Yeah the myth that we can do it all on full speed ahead is just that … a myth.

So here we are a few days in and I get breakfast in front of my kids and sometimes it’s eggs but sometimes it’s a bowl of cereal. Lunch is packed but I haven’t printed notes yet (I’ll get to it). And snacks are a serve yourself operation. This year I decided on a crate system. They pick one fruit, one store-bought snack and one Horizon™ Chocolate Milk Box. My kids are big water drinkers. They carry a water bottle to school each day and drink water 85% of the time at home. The other choices are milk and orange juice.

If you Google “chocolate milk and working out” you’ll get a lot of positive results as to the benefits of chocolate milk for muscle recovery. But really my kids like it because it tastes good and I like it because it provides 8 grams of protein, an excellent source of calcium and no high fructose corn syrup. Both kids are on the swim team and they earn every bit of the calories they consume in their after school snack!

My tutorial is as simple as giving your kids choices but controlling the choices you give. Fresh fruit (a variety so they can pick), a choice between cheese or peanut butter Horizon® Sandwich Crackers and a Horizon™ Chocolate Milk Box. The only thought and “work” involved on my part is making sure the crates are stocked and the milk is bought. Which is good because when I’m still working when they walk in the door after school I get some extra time while they get their snack and start on their homework.

Purchasing my supplies at WalMart!

So what are your tips for staying organized and feeling sane during the school year? Please tell me because I’m always looking for ways to streamline and improve our day!