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The day after school let out for three months of summer fun, my kids were hovering in their favorite hangout spot in our home: the kitchen. They were already snacking, all day, every day.
I very quickly realized that not only was their pantry goblin status annoying me, but the constant inhalation of snacks was expensive. Two or three snacks a day, times four kids is a lot to stock.
Meanwhile, they were also complaining, with their heads bent into the pantry shelves, that there was “nothing to eat around here.” It seemed as if the plethora of snack options overwhelmed them to the point they didn’t want any of it.
I was only one day into the summer and I knew I couldn’t put up with this for the next few months.
The solution was easy
All parents know that hungry kids are grouchy kids, and no one wants to have a summer entertaining whiny children. This is when it dawned on me that the solution was simple. Instead of serving three meals a day plus all the snacks in the house, my family should take a new approach. Every day, my kids eat four full meals.
You may be thinking, that sounds like a lot of work. Many parents dread having to face the “What’s for dinner?” demands, every single day. Pair this with the complaints that we don’t have the kids’ favorite snacks (aka: junk food) when they are craving them, and parents are exhausted. The solution I’ve come up with is rather simple and genius, if I do say so myself.
Four meals a day keeps my kids full and regulated. As a type 1 diabetic, I know the importance of balanced meals and snacks — that’s carbs with fiber, protein, and healthy fats — in order to keep blood sugar (and mood) stable, diabetic or not. When any of us loads up on what are called “empty carbs” (think chips, crackers, fruit snacks, sugary drinks), our blood sugar quickly rises and drops, making our bodies feel hungry and brains feel foggy and fussy. Consistent food leads to a more consistent mood.
My plan is beneficial to our food budget, too. Serving four meals a day actually saves us money. If you think about a kid eating snack after snack, which is often individually packaged foods, that can be financially draining — especially when you have multiple kids. A sandwich and some veggies is a lot cheaper to serve up.
For me, focusing on pre-planned, balanced meals has meant spending less cash overall, and my kiddos stays full and content. That’s a win-win in my book.
Planning ahead is essential
In our house, we eat breakfast around 8 a.m., have lunch around noon, add in our extra meal around 3 p.m., and then eat dinner by 7 p.m. The extra meal is usually something simple, like a sandwich served with a piece of fruit and some veggies.Prepping four meals a day means I have to be very intentional about planning our grocery list and shopping for the week. To keep things easy, I choose to have a meal rotation schedule. Essentially, this is a month-long plan of what we’re having for each meal, and I repeat this, month after month. Every week is different, but all the meals are foods I know my family will actually eat. Favorites make it into the rotation multiple times a month. For us, a weekly taco bar is always a good idea.
To some, this plan might sound a bit overwhelming, but I’m not doing it alone. I’m a big believer in teaching kids life skills, and my kids help with meal planning, grocery shopping, setting the table, meal prep, and dish duty. Yes, they complain sometimes, but what’s good for our kids isn’t always what they think is a good time. And, by serving a fourth meal, there is far less complaining about being hungry or “there’s nothing to eat around here,” because there’s always something to eat around here, four times a day, in fact.
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