Beach Food

Our summer is spent at a local pond. Yes, we do a few other things in the summer, but Monday through Friday we are at the local pond for daily swim lessons and fun in the sun. Our local pond has a snack shack with items like hot dogs, pretzels, and HFCS confections. I'm not a complete food snob. The once in a while nutritionally deficient treat is a summer tradition. However, the snack shack foods simply do not fill my active kids' bellies. Here's what we do instead to keep everyone well-fed and hydrated so that we can have fun in the sun.

Every day I pack a medium cooler full of:
berries, grapes, and whatever other fruit we have
cucumbers, tomatoes, other crunchy "wet" veggies
peanut butter and jelly sandwiches
WATER
fruit leathers
the occasional special request such as Trader Joe's Cheddar Corn Puffs (think Pirate booty or popcorn without the kernels or cheesy poofs as Cartman calls them)

I also pack a Diet Dr. Pepper for me (my major vice). I've packed leftover pasta in the past since I know the kids will eat it, though I prefer to have them eat fruits and veggies while we're out.

The kids still ask for ring pops and other sticky candy. Having our own food helps me direct them to those healthier choices and helps them figure out whether they are hungry or just jealous of somebody's unfilling candy.

I read a great blog called "It's Not About Nutrition," and I have to agree with the title. It isn't JUST about nutrition. For me, it's about setting habits and guiding growing palates. Giving my kids lollipops and pretzels every day teaches them to expect those items every day and it doesn't teach them which foods truly will satisfy them and give them the energy they need. Yes, packing snacks takes time, but it can be done the night before or even in the hour before leaving for the beach. Most important, it's worth it.

More Eating on the Road Thoughts

We just got back from our 11 day sojourn to the Midwest. I really think we had very successful eating while traveling. No, we were not perfect - we are human after all. But a few thoughts have been rolling around in my head, and I thought I'd put them out here to share.

Success #1 - Car Foods
I have oddly fond memories of eating some pretty junky stuff in the car as a kid. Anybody remember these? And of course, I had most of McDonald's and Wendy's menus memorized at a rather young age. I no longer remember their menus since I haven't eaten fast food in several years (minus pregnancy induced weakness for crispy chicken from McD's - blech). Anyway, I'm pretty sure my childhood car trips were an excuse for eating all sorts of stuff I may or may not have had more regularly. I think my kids will have very different memories. Here is a list of snacks we packed for all of us:

• Fruit - plums, nectarines, peaches, grapes
• Vegetables - cucumbers, tomatoes
• "Crunchies" - Puffins cereal, Ak-Mak crackers, Kashi TLC crackers.

The "crunchies" were in the trunk of the Outback, but the fruits and veggies were in a cooler we could reach fairly easily from the front seat. When the kids got hungry, they started with the fruit and veggies before we even mentioned the "crunchies." This worked amazingly well! The kids were eating a medium size cucumber each day. We had to restock fruit by the time we arrived at our destination (2 days of driving).

Edit: We did buy a bag of Chex Mix while on the road. The kids only sort of liked some of it and greatly preferred our options. Also, Aaron had some roasted peanuts, and I chose to indulge a few completely unhealthy desserts on the way home.

Success #2 - Eating Out
Eating out is REALLY hard for me since I'm trying to watch my weight and trying to teach my kids healthy eating. It's so easy to pop into a drive-through "McWendyKing" (Aaron's name for any fast food place) and just keep driving. We didn't. Here's where we ate while on the road:

• Panera - in NY, they provide calorie counts on their menu! Also they have a good kids' menu.
  
• Subway - nutritional information easily available AND marketing to guide you in picking healthier options (low-fat, low-calories, etc.). Thanks fellow Hoosier Jared!!
  
• Sandwich picnics at various state parks - this meant we planned sandwiches and found parks.

I must say that we all really enjoyed the picnics since we had a chance to stretch and enjoy some nature. I have new love for Panera as well, and Subway was a good fallback option.

Success #3 - Eating at our various stops
When we were eating with our in-laws, it was super easy to be healthy because they already eat so healthfully and are very supportive of all the kids and grandkids. When we chose to eat out, I found myself choosing salads, grilled chicken with vegetables and being quite aware of portion control and choices I was making.

Did I eat junk while on the road? Sure! I had 2 shakes from Steak N Shake. I had Chocolate Suicide cake from Round the Clock. I had Reese's Pieces at the movies. I overate at Leona's (one of our favorite Chicago-area restaurants), which isn't to say I chose junk but to say I ate too much then. And you know what? I knew that the choices I was making were temporary and not a change in how I wanted to eat in general. And yes, my family also ate some junk or at least less than ideal things (lots of pizza, mac n cheese, and even ice cream for the kids though I am not sure it's so terrible to eat ice cream *grin*). For me, it matters that I am aware of my choice to deviate from the norm and that I am aware of how much and what I'm putting in my body. And it matters that we are back to good eating here at home.

One of the best parts of coming home has been a return to cooking. Aaron was restauranted out (his words), and the kids were ecstatic to have olive pesto last night and today. We're heading back on the road for a shorter trip on Sunday, but I have faith that we can continue to feed ourselves well with good choices.

Fruit and Cheese Defeat the Blueberry Muffin!!

You read it here first. My 3.5 year old son chose a fruit and cheese plate from Starbucks over a blueberry muffin. I would have picked a muffin for myself, and I had offered him a muffin as soon as we walked in. He saw the strategically placed fruit and cheese plate and asked if he could have that instead. It cost twice as much, so I wanted to make sure he really wanted it. I held it up to the muffin, and he still chose the fruit plate. I told him he would need to share with Ellie - surely a dealbreaker - and he still wanted the fruit plate, with apple juice.

Totally fine by me.

The kids ate very happily. Ellie rejected a piece of cheddar cheese, wanted more grapes when there were no more to be had, but happily chomped down on brie. Yes, my nearly 17 month old daughter chose to eat brie. I showed her the remnants of the divided fruit and cheese plate, and she picked the brie over the apple slice. I cannot stand brie unless it is cooked into some fancy appetizer (think puff pastry with fruit and cheese gooey goodness). Yet she took a small first bite and then ate half of the wedge!

Again, totally fine by me.