Snack Attack

I was not allowed to have a lot of snacks as a kid. My parents were pretty strict (and thrifty) when it came to food. Being a mom myself now, I feel like I depend on snacks sometimes—as bribes, as a tool to head off difficulties that I can foresee way before my kids can, to soothe my anxious mom self and make me feel like I am giving my kids enough calories, and probably to fulfill my snack-deprived child self. I usually bring some kind of snack(s) with me when I take my kids somewhere…just in case. We also often have picnic lunches outside. As I began to pack more lunches for our outings and also for daycare/preschool, I looked for more packing options so as not to use plastic bags and also not to buy snack-sized, individually-wrapped, smaller portions of, let’s say crackers or cookies or trail mix. I do have some reusable containers, bento boxes, and other things like that, which I do use often, but sometimes I want something more like a bag. When all is done and eaten, bags are also easier to make compact for transport.

These are some bags I like to use for sandwiches, trail mix, carrot sticks, cookies, fruit, etc., and not just for my kids but for me too. They come in different sizes and are easy to wash. It is true that they are not airtight like plastic so things can become a bit stale or dry out faster, but I have rarely kept food in them long enough for this to even matter. I think I prefer the lunchskins ones because they are easier to clean and the brand has a lot of great products which are also pretty cute. So one more easy way to reduce waste.