docile elusiveness: Snacks and Parenting : Tennessee Valley Moms Network

Snacks and Parenting ? A Guest Post by Davis Carter davis-snack

Recently I was asked if I blog about parenting. ?After a brief pause, I felt confident in answering yes.? As a parent I feel a responsibility to ?provide for my child (and husband) healthy options not only at meal time, but for snacks as well. ?Children are not able to go to the grocery store and select what items they want to keep in the house. ?They rely on us to select foods that promote ?clean? eating. ?

Have you looked in your pantry and refrigerator lately? ?What snacks do you currently have in your home? ?Are you familiar with the ingredient label on these ?foods? ??When choosing snacks (or any food item for that matter), make sure you know what you are putting in your body! ?Remember, ?YOU ARE WHAT YOU EAT!? ?

There are so many REAL food snack options. ?Some of my family?s favorites?that we always keep in our house are raw almonds, raw walnuts, cheese, plain Triscuits, and plain popcorn (see The Popcorn Trick below). ? I shop at Publix and they regularly have popcorn?kernels, ?Triscuits, and blocks of cheese on sale (often time B1G1)! ?Remember, children will eat what they have access to. ?It is much easier to ?resist those unhealthy foods at the grocery store, than once they are in your house. ? So make smart choices while shopping and do not rely on having self control at home. ?Educating yourself and reading labels will get you on the right track to transforming how your family eats.?

Parenting can be?overwhelming?at times, but do not let the health/nutrition aspect of parenting be ignored. ?As a former school teacher, I have seen first hand how the chemicals, preservatives and additives in our foods impact a child. ?Educate yourself and guide your child to?healthy?eating habits ?that will positively impact him/her for a lifetime. ?What better gift can you give to yourself and your entire family!

The Popcorn Trick

(from: 100 Days of Real Food)

Serves 3-4

Ingredients:

? cup popcorn kernels, preferably organic

Brown paper lunch bag

Optional: Melted butter, oil, and/or salt

Instructions:

?1. Pour the kernels into the brown paper bag.

2. Tightly fold over the top three or four times. No tape or staples are necessary.

3. Put it in the microwave and start it on high for 3 minutes and 30 seconds.

4. Listen for the popping to slow down to 3 or 4 seconds apart at which point you will take it out of the microwave. ?This usually happens for me around the 3 minute and 15 second mark.

5. Pour popcorn into a bowl and drizzle with melted butter or spritz with olive oil and then sprinkle with salt. If you?don?t use oil or butter the salt won?t stick

Davis is married and a mother of a precious one year old daughter. ?Her undergraduate degree is in Special Education and master?s degree is in School Counseling. ? ?Davis is now a stay at home mom after being in the field of education for ten years. ?She is very passionate about nutrition, health, exercise budgeting and parenting and enjoys the daily challenges of balancing these five areas for her family. ?