Most parents I talk to today are feeling burnt out for many reasons, including juggling working from home and remotely teaching their children with little outside support or resources. 

It’s been a tough season to say the least. One of the many things that can add to the stressors of raising children and caring for a family is keeping everyone fed. 

This is a huge feat in itself, right? There’s a heavy invisible load that goes into feeding kids that involves deciding what to feed, how to put something together that everyone will want to eat, and - oh yeah, making sure you have all the ingredients on hand. 

In reality, that only really scratches the surface.

Needless to say, you’re not alone if you’re struggling with keeping your kids fed or feeling stressed over finding foods your kids will actually eat. It’s been challenging all around, and you’re doing the best you can to keep your children healthy and fed. 

One area that can feel like more of a power struggle often has to do with snacks. When I say snacks, I mean the sorts that come in crinkly packages. Goldfish crackers, chips, fruits snacks, etc. You know what I mean? 

So often, when push comes to shove, creating intentional snack times falls to the wayside. I mean, getting meals on the table is one thing. Putting snacks together can feel like a whole other chore in itself. 

It’s easier to let our kids fend for themselves and hope for the best. This often means we’re all grazing out of a packaged snack of some sort while getting through the day as best we can. However, sometimes, this means our kids are coming to dinner not really hungry, making mealtimes feel like even more of a struggle. 

And let me be clear here. 

This has nothing to do with the packaged snacks themselves. 

I’m in no way suggesting that you should limit those or not allow your children to have access to the foods they love to eat. In fact, that can be counterproductive in supporting your children in building a healthy relationship with food. 

Packaged snacks can actually be really helpful in supporting our children in learning how to eat a variety of foods. We can strategically use packaged snack foods to expose our children to other foods they may be learning how to eat, like fruits and vegetables. You can read more about this here: “Child Always Asking For Snacks? How to Respond to the Snack Obsession”

Instead, what I’m getting at here is this idea of making snacking an intentional part of our days rather than an afterthought. 

And yes, while it does require a bit more planning, it can really go a long way in terms of helping our kids have more reliability around food and a rhythm around eating that better supports their health. 

This is important for you, too! 

Why Intentional Snacks Can Be Helpful

Children and adults who have regular eating times throughout the day, including consistent meals and snacks, are more likely to have a better relationship with food overall. It creates reliability and rhythm around food, which helps us trust we’re constantly going to get access to the nourishment we need. 

Eating consistently throughout the day also supports our bodies with consistent energy and blood sugar levels, which can keep us more steady during the course of the day. 

Regular and intentional snack times can also help give your children more opportunities to boost their nutrition, as well as exposure to a variety of foods that fuel their growth and development. 

An intentional snack time doesn’t mean it’s something that needs to be rigid by any means. It’s simply a time where we pause from the business of our days to feed and nourish our bodies (both ourselves and our children). 

For children in particular, too long of a time period between meals without a snack can lead to: 

• Mood swings

• Hangriness

• Irritability

• Drops in blood sugar levels

• Food sneaking behaviors

• Erratic eating habits

• Overeating at mealtimes

The same can be said for grownups, too. 

So if you’re looking to bring some more stability to your home, in terms of the food, consider creating more intentional snack times throughout the course of your day. 

Ideally, you want to set a snack time about 2 hours before a meal and create a space where your family can take a break to eat together. If you’re at home, consider flipping off the television or any electronics and sitting together at the table. If you’re out and about - that’s okay, too!

Find somewhere you can sit together and connect - even if it’s in your car. You can create an intentional eating time by minimizing distractions and taking a break to check in with your bodies. 

This can set a powerful example for your children, that no matter what is going on in the day, it’s important to take the time to take a break to feed your body.

This is essential for sustaining good health, mentally and physically, over the long term, and something you can start implementing in your home with your children today. 

Simple Ways to Create a Snack With Staying Power

What I’ve found as important keys for making intentional snack times happen is these things: 

1. A plan in place

2. Simplicity with ingredients

3. An easy framework to mix and match whatever foods you have on hand

If snacks feel too complicated, you’re less likely to pull stuff together to make it happen, right? So we need to keep it as easy as possible. 

When we think of snacks or snacking, those packaged snack foods tend to come to mind. 

Again, there’s nothing wrong with enjoying these yummy foods that our children especially love to eat.

However, I’ve found that when I offer my kids these packaged snacks alone, it doesn’t really hold them over to the next meal. They can eat an entire bag of popcorn or chips and still be looking in the pantry for something more. 

Ways to help avoid this while still incorporating their favorite packaged snacks is to add some fiber and protein. I’ve summed this up in this simple framework, which I refer to as the 3-P’s: Packaged snack + Produce + Protein. 

Having a snack that includes something from each of these P groups can give your snack more staying power to help you and your children stay satisfied between eating times.

It’s also a great way to expose your children to other foods they're learning to eat (like protein and produce foods) while helping them feel safe by offering foods they’re already familiar and comfortable with (packaged snacks). 

Examples of the 3’P’s can look like: 

• Ritz crackers (packaged snack) + Cheese Slices (protein) + Orange Segments (Produce)

• Dried cereal (packaged snack) + Greek Yogurt (protein) + Strawberries (Produce)

• Pretzels (packaged snack) + Edamame (Protein) + Carrot sticks (produce)

See what I mean? Easy, right? 

(If you want more of these ideas, including a full menu’s worth of snack ideas, be sure to snag your free download at the end of this blog!)

One thing I’ve found with my kids is that they’re more likely to want to try different foods when there’s some kind of dip involved. 

Whether it’s hummus, guacamole or ranch dressing, they love a good dip.

Making food more engaging and interactive can help our children feel more comfortable and confident eating and trying new things. This can be especially helpful for children who are pickier eaters or who may have sensory sensitivities. Finding safe ways for them to engage with food can help build their confidence with foods that may be harder to eat. 

This is where these greek yogurt dips come in. 

Easy Greek Yogurt Dip Recipes

Greek yogurt is a great protein option that also offers healthy fats while being a great source of calcium. This can be a helpful way to boost our children's nutrition, especially when we incorporate them into our intentional eating times. 

Greek yogurt can be eaten on its own, but did you know that it’s also a great base for dips? 

That’s right! Plain greek yogurt is like a canvas for creating a delicious dip. It’s such a versatile ingredient, so it can easily be made into a sweet dip (good for dipping fruit and crackers), or a savory dip (perfect for veggies, dips, pretzels, etc). 

I wanted to share these easy recipes with you because I know how monotonous feeding kids can get.

It’s easy to run out of ideas when you’re needing to feed your children multiple times a day, every day of the year. If you’re looking to include more intentional snack times, having these greek yogurt dip recipes in your back pocket can be an easy way to make snack times more fun and exciting, especially if you’re falling into a rut. 

What a love about these dips is not only how easy they are but how portable they can be too. You can whip these together in no time and keep them stored in an airtight container in your fridge until you’re ready to eat and enjoy them. 

Another tip for making your snack times easier with your children is to consider serving your snacks family style. Meaning, put out your dips, your plate of sliced fruit or veggies, and your crackers, and let your children self-serve from the foods you’ve offered.

This is also an effective practice for helping your children learn how to self-regulate their food intake as well as build confidence with their eating skills. 

For more strategies and tips with simplifying snacks, check out this blog here: “My Child Won't Eat Anything But Junk Food: How to Deal With Snacks”

And without further ado, here are your easy greek yogurt recipes to make snacking more fun and enjoyable again for you and your family. 

Chocolate Greek Yogurt Fruit Dip

Ingredients:

• 1 cup plain Greek yogurt (I like full-fat for a creamier texture)

• 2 Tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder

• 3 Tablespoons honey (can add more or less depending on how sweet you like it)

• ½ teaspoon vanilla extract

• Fruit or crackers for dipping (berries, apple or banana slices, graham cracker, Nilla wafers, etc)

Instructions: 

1. In a medium bowl, mix all ingredients together until blended.

2. Eat immediately or chill in an airtight container in the fridge until ready to serve.

3. Offer with your favorite fruits and crackers (we love strawberries and bananas).

Savory Greek Yogurt Ranch Dip Recipe

Ingredients: 

• 8 oz plain greek yogurt (again, full-fat offers a creamier texture)

• 4 tsp ranch seasoning mix

Instructions: 

1. Mix, chill and serve or keep in an airtight container in the fridge until ready to eat and enjoy. 

2. Offer with fresh veggies (carrot sticks, cucumber slices, snap peas, bell pepper slices), savory crackers and/or chips

See - simple, right? 

I hope these recipes give you an easy and delicious recipe to keep in your back pocket, especially for days where you’re just over feeding your family or feeling stuck in a rut when it comes to snack. 

And remember - our meals or snacks will never look perfect, but eat together anyway. You deserve to eat and enjoy freedom with food as a family.