These are words I hear often in my house these days. As my family spends our days at home, snacking is something my kids want to do more often. If you’ve found yourself in the same boat, here are some tips that I use for snacks (and meals too!) at our house.

1. Set a meal and snack schedule. This is something we always do, it’s just that our routine has changed. Even though our days are less structured, I still keep a meal and snack schedule so my kids know when the next opportunity to eat is. I offer a meal or snack for my kids every 3-4 hours.
2. Offer foods with protein, fat, and fiber. These three things provide us with the nutrition we need each day and help to fill us up until it’s time to eat again. For example, Goldfish are a popular snack for kids. However, they are low in protein, fat and fiber. Therefore, if they are offered as a snack, provide a cheese stick with them since it has protein and fat (and calcium!) and will help make this tasty snack more filling.
3. Eat in the kitchen. At our house, we eat in the kitchen. This keeps us from mindlessly eating in the living room or our bedrooms. And it prevents crumbs from being found all around the house!
4. Eat from a bowl or plate. One of my daughter’s favorite snacks is popcorn. She likes to get it from the cupboard and start eating it from the bag. Then I gently remind her that we eat our meals and snacks from a bowl or plate. This also helps us not mindlessly eat. 

Here are some snacks we like at our house:

• Popcorn
• Cheese sticks
• Beef sticks
• Apple and peanut butter
• Pepper strips, carrots and snap peas with hummus
• Cottage cheese
• Peanut Butter Balls
• Whole wheat crackers
• Muffins 
• Trail mix