A Peek in our Snack Drawer

A friend recently asked me what I thought about snacking. I’d never really thought about it too seriously…both of my kids are itty bitty, so I am thrilled when they want to eat. I am definitely an “everything in moderation” mom. Nothing is taboo. When it comes to snacking, I do try to offer up healthy (or healthier) choices. Here are some favorites around here (many put together = a meal as far as I am concerned):

Fridge: cheese sticks, cheese “flags” (slices), ants on a log (celery, cream cheese, raisins), hummus with crackers or in a half of a whole wheat pita, yogurt (in a tube or a small carton of whole milk yogurt), grapes, carrots “swords” (big carrots not the mini ones), bell pepper slices, cucumber “pennies” (simply sliced cucumbers), berries (in season)

Fruit bowl: apples, pears, banana (and stone fruits when in season)

Then there’s our “snack drawer” (pictured above, which is a total mess...sorry, I did not organize it for you) and the kids can help themselves to whatever is in there too. This drawer is great if I need to grab something as we’re dashing out the door. Here’s what’s in it right now:
Mini bags of pretzels
Mini boxes of raisins
Fruit Leathers (Trader Joe’s)
Cereal Bars (Trader Joe’s)
Granola bars (Trader Joe’s)
Snap Pea Crisps
Cheddar Cheese Squares (Trader Joe’s cheese crackers)
Ak-Mak crackers
Water Crackers
Stone Ground Wheat Crackers
Alphabet cookies (Trader Joe’s)
Honey Whole Wheat Pretzel Sticks (Trader Joe’s)
Popcorn
Kashi TLC 7-Grain crackers
Mrs. May’s Black Sesame Squares (new fav from Walter Stewart’s Market)
Annie’s Snack Mix Bunnies
Freeze-Dried Strawberries (Trader Joe’s)
Raisins
Dried Cranberries
Dried Apricots
Almonds
Prunes
Dried Bananas
and then there are assorted nuts, coconut, chocolate chips, etc for baking nestled in there too...