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Summer time snacks…

Phew! It’s finally summer here in Atlanta. This May was crazier than Christmas time, wasn’t it?? Anyway, after getting through the first of my nutritional events, and Tate’s preschool graduation (this picture was post-graduation – my big boy!)…

and my kid’s crazy sports schedule and my daughter final day at school yesterday, I finally feel somewhat more relaxed and hope y’all do too! Bring on some pool time!

Fortunately for us, summer is filled with swim meets and some beach time.  This time of year, I get  a lot of questions about snacks. We can’t always have good homemade snacks or treats, so there is something to be said about packaged and convenient foods. I just like to be sure we pick some snacks/treats that are the best options for my family, while at the same time, letting them enjoy something different and fun.

Here are some of the beach/pool snacks or treats that my kids enjoy…

1. Nutty Bites from Trader Joe’s – Dark chocolate covered nuts. This yummy treat taste like See’s candy!

2. Kale Krunch from Whole Foods – Our favorite kale chips. Many times you can find these for $1 off. Every little bit helps, especially when it comes to kale chips as they are not cheap!

3. Way Better Snacks from Whole Foods – Our kids love these Doritos imitators, but as the name says they have”way better” ingredients.

4. Beanitos from Whole Foods – My son calls these “Cheese its”. As far as chips go, I am really happy with these ingredients and the fact that they are actually certified “low glycemic”. They have a very simple black bean or pinto bean chip with sea salt, as well as a spicy chip and cheese one.

5. Macaroon’s Omega-3s from Whole Foods. These guys do a horrible job marketing per the label (as you can see) but these are a staple dessert in our house year-round. The few ingredients in these are simple and with pretty low sugar at 4 grams per macaroon.

6. Smooze popsciles from Whole Foods. With 9-12 grams of sugar and coconut milk as one of the few ingredients, this one is a winner too.

These chocolate nutty treats are addictive so be careful!

Some other treats from Whole Foods (or online) include:

While we do more of the packaged fun treats during the summer, we also make sure that we are also drinking plenty of water and snacking on plenty of fruit, veggies and nuts. It’s all about a balance for me and this time of year, and while my scale may lean a little differently now then during the school year, I’m okay with that. I’d much rather try to balance these snacks versus a red Iccee full of chemicals and sugars!

What are some of your favorite pool time treats?

By the way, speaking of kid’s snacks, for June/July, I am going to host some nutritional events about and for kids at ACHIM. I am really excited about this! As we will have one meeting for parents and the other for kids so they can come and sample some fun healthy foods!! Anyway, we are thinking about having them around 4:00 on a weekday. Does that sound like a good time for everyone? Any other suggestions? Will let you guys know the details once we have a schedule. Stay tuned…

And Happy Memorial Day!!

  • Eileen - Landria, thanks for these! Finding convenient and healthy snack foods is a source of frustration for me, as we try to improve our nutrition together. So I intend to try each one of these for sure! Happy summer and healthy snacking 🙂ReplyCancel

    • landriav - You are so welcome Eileen! Happy summer to you too! 🙂ReplyCancel

  • Lisa McIlvoy - This is great! Always looking for snacks!!! Just went to DeKalb Farmer’s Market today and they have all the favors of Way Better snacks! They were $2.97 per bag so we stocked up! They also have the Mary’s Gone Crackers which we love. We also got Enjoy Life’s Plentil chips which are delicious, but I know you don’t do legumes!ReplyCancel

    • landriav - Thanks so much for sharing Lisa!! We love Mary’s too. Apparently you can get them now at Costco too. Will look out for the Enjoy Life’s chips for the kiddos. Heading to DFM next week so good to know. Thanks again!ReplyCancel

  • Amy French - Would love for my kids to learn more on why we try to make healthy choices. They love fruits and veggies but our challenge comes when I say no to the red slushy (literally)…they don’t understand when 500 other kids are running around with one. Thanks for the ideas!! 🙂ReplyCancel

  • Drennen - The Way Better Sweet Chili Chips takes excellent with some fresh salsa!!ReplyCancel

  • Tori - Hi! My son is a patient at Dr. Bhatia’s office and I am excited about your July kids event. Do you have the schedule and cost yet? Thanks!ReplyCancel

    • landriav - Hey Tori!! We are still figuring out the details but looking at the first week in Aug or even the last weekend in July. Would love to hear your preferences if you have any re times/days. Will hopefully post everything as soon as we figure it out. Thanks for reaching out!!ReplyCancel

  • Tori - I think doing it some time in July is a great idea since the kids are out of school and there is more time to experiment with different foods. I was hoping to get some ideas and I have a couple of friends who are interested in attending as well. My son has lots of food allergies, so I’m always looking for healthy ideas for meals and snacks. My son is also about to approach his 1 year anniversary on Dr. Bhatia’s diet plan and he is so much more cooperative now about trying new foods. A Saturday would be a good idea & would be easier for moms to get a babysitter or have dad watch the kids. I know for me personally, I live in Walton County and have to drive a hour to Atlanta. Going on a weeknight isn’t an impossibility, but is definitely more challenging. My vote is definitely July though! My kids start school on August 7th this year and things start getting crazy that time of year. Thank you!ReplyCancel

    • landriav - Hey Tori! Thanks so much for your input! That is helpful!! I think we are looking at the first weekend in August. I’m thinking we do the mom talk sat am or evening and then bring the kids back Sunday for a tasting. Would that work??ReplyCancel

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