Thursday, May 1, 2014

Mother's Touch: Healthy affordable snacks for my kids! - Costco Haul

Being a mother to my children, ....

(rephrase)

Being a little crazy mother to my children, ...

(rephrase)

Being a "little-is-an-understatement-more-like-over-the-top-lunatic" mother to my children and who do not wish for my kids to consume bad sugar ... ahem...okey okey, ...just not everyday, at least!! :)

...I am often challenged with which snacks to buy for my kids' school lunches and after school classes.
Yes, I do all the veggie and fruit snacks, home baked goods and all...but I also want to provide varieties for my kids' taste buds (and to also give me some break away from the kitchen).

So many nasty ingredients that I have a hard time even pronouncing are inside many snacks out there.
Ones that are organic and sounds wonderful to eat are so much more expensive...would have to spend more on snacks alone in a week than groceries!

GMO this, artificial that, palm oil this, high fructose corn syrup that...

YOWZA!

EEK! 

CRINGE!

GROSS!

bwagazabgarrdawnakagrrabaxiaaaaa!!! 
(yup, that pretty much sums up how I feel about all those nasty ingredients...)

There are just so many terrible ingredients that is simply not meant for human consumption and sadly, I may not be able to avoid it all together...So then what?  Might as well feed the kids paper towels...
(but then again...makes me wonder, is it from a GMO derived paper or cotton?...were the plants sprayed in pesticides?...eek)

Woe woe woe....k, let's calm down.

So, what is a mother to do?
I do stop and look at each box and see what the ingredients are and if I see any ingredients that I just cannot pronounce....I gently place it right back on the shelf where I grabbed it from.
I may not be able to avoid it all completely...however, I am able to, within budget, make a wiser choice and avoid some, if not, as many ingredients as I can that I am just not happy with.

Main things that I look out for...

●  No artificial colours
●  No artificial flavours
●  No GMO
●  No unnatural preservatives
●  No white sugar
●  No unnaturally added sugar
●  No white flour

For today, I'd like to do a lil' Costco Haul!

Here are a few of my favourite healthier snacks, and kids approved!



 Florida's Natural Fruit Snacks $8.69 CDN 
OMG, these are delish!
Chewy, fruity, mouth-watering flavours!
Packaged well!  50 pouches in one box and each is just enough for kids!
Affordable, yes!

                                                 

 Garden Veggie Straws $4.99 CDN 
Yummers!!
Crunchy!  Tasty!  Don't feel guilty!
You can see the bag is open...
(couldn't resist in the car...on my way back home...tihihi)
 Affordable, yes!


  Édamamé $9.99CDN 
What's a japaneeser without these? C'mon!
It does take a little time in the kitchcn (as I boil them and not microwave them)
but once it's made, it's a healthy snack to have abound all day long!
Affordable, yes!

These are just few amongst many I have in my cabinet.  I will do other hauls from other stores as well! So stay tuned :)

What I do appreciate now, is the awareness of where our food comes from, wether if it's vegetables, fruits, meat, fish, ingredients for snacks, etc; that has opened our eyes to keep watch on what we consume and thankfully it has also made a difference in companies who provide food for us.  Many companies has come out making a difference in their existing recipes; how they treat their animals; and producing and manufacturing food for us to eat.  So more and more, I do see a difference and I find it much easier to find good food for my family compared to just a few years ago.

I LOVE to eat.  
And ILOVEmy body.  
I LOVE my family and I LOVE what me and my husband has created:  our children.
What we make as decisions on what we feed our children for their growth is our responsibility and our duty as parents.  It may be fun to eat bad stuff now, but when looking at it in the long run, makes you think twice as to "enjoy now" or to "enjoy future" :)

However, I do like to stress out that as we make proper and wiser decisions on what we consume, we do not do it exclusively and do not completely avoid everything that is bad from our diet.
I don't go THAT crazy when my children are offered a Twizzler or a handful of Skittles once in awhile.
What is important, for me, is that I provide healthier choices as much as I possibly can to build their body strong and healthy and by teaching them the fun of eating healthy so that even if, once in awhile, they indulge in sugary treats, their strong body can handle it :) 
And why would I take away the fun and the excitement out of a Trick or Treatin', or an Easter Egg Hunt traditions!  Instead, I teach them the moderations so they can truly enjoy the treats and look forward to the next event rather than devour them and feel sick otherwise :)

If you guys have your suggestions on amazing, delicious, affordable and healthy snacks, please share and let us all know!

xo




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