Time to talk treats
in their lunches. I heard more then once, “just because you’re a dietitian doesn’t mean we can’t have sugar like other kids.” OK, I’m not that bad, I did on occasion, rare occasions, buy dunkaroos. I’m pretty sure I got a rash when I bought them.
But treats don’t have to be all about high sugar foods. Treats can be an endless variety of ideas. I recently read about a little girl asking her mom if she would pack a nice treat in her lunch. Her mom was getting ready to remind her that too much sugar is a bad idea when the daughter said, “You know, something fun like stickers or a note from you.” How awesome is that!
Treats can be fun non-food items like the stickers or a note I just mentioned. And what about a colourful pencil or a print of a silly picture of you and your child or a little water soluble tattoo or even a fun eraser or a note telling them about a fun activity you will do after school.
With food, treats can still be healthy. Fun food shapes are quick and easy. Try sandwiches cut into shapes or you can get shape cutouts similar to cookie cutters but bigger. You could also shape cutouts for cheese to make it fun.
One easy idea is taking a red apple and a green apple and cutting out a heart shape in the side of each, dip the apple and the heart in some lemon juice or use fruit fresh to keep it from going brown, then put the green heart in the red apple and the red heart in the green apple — voila, instant shape fun!
You can also pack fun textures like the recipes included below. Lots of cookie or loaf recipes can be healthier choices with great textures.
Your kids will be so busy enjoying the flavour and texture they won’t even notice how healthy their treat is. When I’m talking treats I just have to include one of my all time favourite cookie recipes. I’ve shared it before, always with lots of positive feedback.
You might even want to get organized and make both of these recipes this week or weekend to be ready for the start of school in just one week. But it’s still summer for a few more weeks, I’m focusing on that and taking a few deep breaths and I almost made it without crying...
Joanne Smith is a registered dietitian.