Healthy Homemade
My children are great eaters. They like to eat every two hours and wake up ready for their first meal. They also eat a variety of foods and are willing to try most things—on most days anyway. I know this is not the case in all households, and I realize how lucky I am. The problem is not them, it’s me. I am not always the best at planning ahead and too often reach for prepackaged snacks or lunches. Even when I think I am picking healthy options, those foods are filled with far more added sugar and sodium than I would like and are also expensive.
My healthy living goal this month is a little simpler. Instead of cutting certain items from my family’s diet, I am letting them eat their “normal” diet. But instead of buying prepackaged items, I am making those meals myself. Here are my kids’ favorite everyday snacks and meals that are so easy to make I’ll never buy again!
Peanut butter and jelly sandwich- We eat this for lunch multiple days every week. What is not to like? It’s easy, and the kids gobble it up. It doesn’t take long to make a sandwich, but as I mentioned, I don’t always plan ahead. Plus, the Uncrustable sandwiches found in the freezer section of the grocery store are a little too convenient for those mornings when I need to make lunch for preschool or we’re headed out to Deanna Rose for the morning, and I know it’s going to flow into lunchtime. They start out frozen and keep the rest of the food cool until lunchtime.
These pre-made sandwiches have a lot of added sugar and are not cheap. This time, I bought all the ingredients and a circle cookie cutter and made my own. You can seal the ends with your fingertips, wrap individually and freeze.
Oatmeal- The individual, pre-flavored oatmeal packs have a lot of flavor but also a lot of added, unwanted ingredients. It is cheaper and adds no time to buy the plain oatmeal, steel cut oats or breakfast quinoa and add your own flavors. Our family favorites are fresh berries or bananas, sliced almonds and honey to sweeten.
Pancakes- Making homemade pancakes multiple mornings a week is not an option, so instead of buying the pre-made mini-pancakes, I made my own. There are many recipes out there, some plain and some with fruit added. It didn’t take me long, and I have a freezer stash from which to pull on certain mornings. I also found a way to make pancakes in a muffin tin from our favorite website, Pinterest.
Allowing your kids, and yourselves, to eat healthy doesn’t have to be a sacrifice. Making small changes that don’t cost extra or take much time is easy to do! And those small changes can make a big difference.
Jessica Heine is a labor and delivery nurse. She lives in Olathe with her family.