This Top Tip would have to be “The” best time saving idea I have ever had.  Having six kids on school holidays means spending more time in the kitchen, and two snacks each a day means at least 12 snacks to prepare.  So, I came up with Snack Bags.  Now, I am sure there must be another mum out there somewhere who has also had this brilliant idea, it’s not Rocket Science, and I don’t know why I didn’t think of it earlier.

Snack Bags are simple to make, I just buy a box of snack or sandwich sized snap-lock bags (any brand) and I fill them with a variety of things I know my kids will eat.  Having a mixture of things seems to make the snack all the more appealing, but I have to say, I think the real attraction here is having their own bag.  Now, you need to make sure the snacks you pack travel well and last a while so you can make up a heap of these bags and store them in what I call “The Snack Box”.

Here is a list of some of the things we tend to include:

–  Store bought Muesli Bars or Ktime Twist Bars (homemade don’t have a long life)

– Pretzels (low salt)

– Crackers such as Jatz or Ritz

– Rice crackers

– Dried Fruit

– Nuts

– Cheese sticks

– 100% Fruit Bars or Jellies (they look like lollies, but are 100% fruit)

– Popcorn

– Small biscuits such as Tiny Teddies

– Corn Chips (low salt)

– Individually wrapped store-bought mini-muffins or bars (I am going to try Weight-Watchers Brand)

– Occasionally I will add a 100% Fruit Juice Popper, but we usually take Water Bottles

– You could also try biscuit and dip packs like crackers with cream cheese, peanut paste or vegemite, or the individual packs of Nutella.  I haven’t used these yet so I haven’t read the Nutrition Panels (a must for mums catering for a Diabetic).

– If you plan to eat the Snacks the same day you could throw in a piece of Fresh Fruit along with a Home-made muffin or biscuits.

We recently spent a week at the beach, and before we even hit the outskirts of town the kids were moaning and groaning about being hungry (20 minutes after breakfast!), so I tossed back six snack bags with enough snacks to last the three hour trip, and you would have thought Christmas had come early!  The usual fighting disappeared, instead they debated which snack to consume first and which to save for later.

Each morning after breakfast we hit the beach, then the pool, and then it was upstairs for a Snack Bag and Shower.  The bags were especially handy for my daughter who has Type 1 Diabetes.  After all of that exercise she needed a carbohydrate snack, and because I had written the carb count on each bag when I made it we could enter the carbs into her pump without spending time figuring out the total carb value.   We also used them for spontaneous trips to the park and drives through the Hinterland.

I love this method so much I now have a box for Lunch Box Snack Bags and another box for After- School/Weekend Snack Bags.  This means the kids don’t eat all of the things I have bought for school snacks leaving me with nothing to pack in their Lunch Boxes at the last minute.  If the plastic bag issue bothers you, do what I do for school and tip the contents of the bag into a container when I pack the Lunch Boxes, then you can-refill the bag with the same snacks for later, though I wouldn’t re-use the bag too many times unless you are washing and drying them thoroughly.

If you are using the Snack Bags for something special like a holiday or a play date in the park you can add something special like a lollipop or a small box of smarties.  This way the kids have a special treat, but you get to exercise portion control without them knowing it (no more guessing how many Smarties your Type 1′er has eaten and guessing the carbs).  It’s also handy to either write their names on the bags or add a little  sticker to each bag so the kids know which is their bag – they are likely to come and go from their snack bag if they are at the park.

For a time-saving idea I have managed to turn it into a lengthy post.  If you have any other ideas I would love to hear them.

Happy Holidays!

This week I am linking-up with The Grocery Cart Challenge Recipe Swap at http://grocerycartchallenge.blogspot.com/