Recycled Portable Snack Container {How-To}

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With a love of coffee and creamer comes a surplus of creamer bottles left over once I've had a few morning cups. So taking a spin on recycling a bit further, I removed the wrapper over one of my creamer bottles and cleaned it out very well after it was empty.

What resulted was simple recycled portable snack container. And it's perfect for little hands!

Here's how to make a Recycled Portable Snack Container: 

1. Grab an empty creamer container.

2. Rinse and wash thouroughly.

3. Remove outer plastic from bottle.

4. Fill up with your child's favorite small snack.

5. Enjoy a snack on the go!

Not only does it fit perfectly in my daughter's stroller, it also pours out just a few snacks at a time reducing waste and messes. Each time we go out for a run my daughter reaches for her portable snack container so she can enjoy her snack on the go!

What does your child love to snack on? 

Healthy Ranch Yogurt Dip {Snack Recipe}

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My family is absolutely obsessed with ranch dressing. If the kids have veggies, they want to dip them in ranch. So I've tried to change up the way we make ranch and have ditched the sour cream!

Now sour cream isn't bad. I love the stuff. But by swapping out sour cream with greek yogurt I not only am cutting calories but I'm increasing protein! All in all I'm very excited about the swap and the kids can't seem to tell the difference.

Ranch Yogurt Dip

• 1 cup greek yogurt
• 2 tablespoons ranch mix (see below for ranch mix)

Mix ingredients together until well combined. Let sit in the fridge overnight. Serve with your favorite veggies or chips.

Ranch Dip Mix

• 2 tablespoons dried parsley 
• 3/4 teaspoon ground black pepper 
• 1 teaspoon seasoned salt 
• 1 teaspoon dried dill
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder 
• 1/4 teaspoon onion powder 
• 1/8 teaspoon dried thyme

Combine ingredients and store in an air-tight container for up to 3 months. Feel free to double or triple and use as needed.

Keeping Kids Healthy with Great Snack Options {Back to School Special}

Now that the kids are going back to school and the craziness of summer is coming to an end, it's time to start talking healthy snack options!

One of my main concerns with my kids is the fact that they want to snack all.day.long. So I've tried my best to offer a variety of foods to not only keep them open minded about what they eat, but also keep them aware of the colors they eat and trying to make sure they get to every color of the rainbow!

If they're going to snack, they're going to snack the right way. 

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Create a special snack area
In an effort to make sure they are grabbing the right things to eat I've created a shelf on the fridge just for them. And right at their height. They simply open the door, take what they want, and come to me to open it for them.

But I didn't stop at just the fridge... I wanted to make other fruits and veggies readily available as well. So I grabbed a salad bowl and placed my kids favorite fruits inside so that they can grab them when they like.

Let Them Choose New Fruits and Veggies
My son also now chooses one new fruit or veggie every time we go to the store. This last trip he chose mango. When we got home we cut it up and everyone tried it. He didn't really like it but when I blended the rest of his into a smoothie he had no problem drinking it down!

We will also try and be adventurous while at the local farmers markets and try new fruits and veggies that are in season. Most vendors will even offer to give you a sample before you purchase so you know your kids will like it. At the beginning of summer my son wanted to try the figs from a local grower. He had pieces on the ends of tooth picks ready to go for everyone to taste. We went home with a whole bag!

Be Creative

When preparing snacks for the kids be creative in how you prepare them. We recently had a Lego Duplo Party and in an effort to make the food more fun I made some cheese and cracker sandwiches into the shapes of lego bricks.

The kids loved them! And my daughter ate two whole sandwiches. Unheard of in this home.

You can find a lot of great ideas for snack creations on Pinterest, other blogs, and magazines like Family Fun (like these adorable after school snack ideas) and Parents (with their 20 best snacks).

For great healthy snack suggestions check out 20 Healthy Snacks for Kids!