So, we all know snacks can be awesome. I’m not just talking about delicious and naughty snacks like brownies and cookies, but also healthy stuff, like seasoned almonds, fresh strawberries or yogurt smoothies.

Alex, Soph and I are huge snackers; much of our eating is very snacky and tapas-like and we usually go in snack-phases–like pistachios, strawberries and chocolate pudding, every day of the week. Then, once I’m convinced these are their forever favorites, they change to wanting string cheese, melon and jello–huge surprise, I know. So, to avoid a fridge filled with unwanted packets of go-gurt and rotting blueberries, I not only make sure to ask the kids what they’re liking these days, I also have a rule: if you say you want it, you must eat all of it before a different ‘favorite’ is purchased (this rule also governs the purchase of cereals. A person can only store so much cookie crisp and cocoa puffs before they just have to stop the madness).

To ensure an amble supply of treats are on hand, we thoroughly stock-up each week. Our healthy favorites include: Almonds, Pistachios, Cashews, String Cheese, Cheese in general, Pop-corn, fruit, veggies and dip, leaner sausages, pudding and yogurt. And, I am NOT one of those moms who does not allow the not-so-healthy treats, so we also have ice cream, chocolate, Little Debbie snacks, various candies and other sugar/fat laden delights.

See, my theory is balance when it comes to food in-take. If Sophie eats two Little Debbie brownies, she knows she’s done with ‘not-healthy’ foods for the day. She also knows that she’ll still be allowed to eat fruit or yogurt for a sweet snack later…just no more junk. And Alex knows that if he only eats chicken for supper and tries to sneak out on his peas, well then he will not get ice cream before bed.

We truly love our snacks. And as the head of this grazing brigade, I’d like to think that we are top notch snackers, who embrace both sides of the snack aisle–healthy and not-so-healthy–with a balance that ensures nutrition and fun.

There are three of us–Alex, Sophia and Me. Well, my sister is actually living with us right now too, but she is self-maintained. Every evening when the kids are with me we either make dinner together, or I make whatever it is we decided we wanted to eat that night. Sounds fairly straight forward, right?

Here’s the thing, my kids do like to eat, but in their minds, each food has its own special way of being prepared, presented and/or eaten. For example, let’s take spaghetti, a pretty basic meal. I usually make a red sauce with meat or meatballs, spaghetti noodles, garlic bread and a wedge of Parmesan to grate on top. Alex doesn’t eat noodles, so he just eats the the bread, dipped in the Parmesan covered sauce. Sophia doesn’t eat sauce, so she has the noodles, with butter, Parmesan and bread. I like all food, so I eat it the ‘normal’ way. The simple adaptions ensure we all eat, our tummies are full and we only have to make ONE meal.

When Alex was younger, I used to make him his own special meals if he didn’t like what I was making for dinner–he was a bit spoiled. But after the arrival of his sister, Mom got busier and we had to adapt. And now that the kids Dad and I are no longer married, I have neither the time nor budget to support custom order food. The kids and/or I just make sure each meal has at least one item that each of us likes (and that it’s fairly nutritionally balanced) and all is well. Some nights Alex just eats a pork chop, and sometimes Sophia just eats broccoli, but we all eat and I don’t spend the entire meal finishing cooking someone’s special order.

I work outside the home, just like many of you. I am also a single mom. This means that after picking up the kids from school, it’s time to go home and make dinner. I have discovered that this process moves more quickly and smoothly if I actually know what I’m gonna make when we arrive–sooo, each week, the kiddies and I decide what kind of ’stuff’ we’re craving, make our shopping list and write down the menu.

This menu serves as more of a guide than anything else. We do put a full meal on each day, but if Tuesday is supposed to be Alex’s Garlic Burgers, be we decide we want Personal Mini-Meatloaves instead, we go with the Meatloaves. The decision making usually occurs in the morning while chilling out before leaving for the bus. That way, I can take anything that is frozen out of the freezer. It also allows me the freedom to not have to think about what we’re gonna eat and the group decision ensures an ‘I don’t like this’ -free meal.

There are weeks when the menu planning gets overlooked due to lazy-mom syndrome, but it usually ends up costing me more stress in the long run. This 15 minute family meal chat does two things that I love: 1) It ensures we’ll ALL eat and like at least part of every meal; and 2) It ensures some relaxing family time, cooking and eating (rather than trying to figure out what’s for dinner).