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I can clearly remember the day when Colin climbed up into our truck and into his own carseat, I remember thinking "wow that was so much easier" it was kind of a feeling of pride and liberation. I also remember two weeks later finding out I was pregnant with Kaitlyn...so much for that liberation.
As a parent you know your kids are going to grow up and they are going to go through different stages of independence and becoming more sufficient and for the most part you welcome it. Once you've been able to let go of that "leash" a little bit you start to have some expectations of that little human being that wants to do things for themself. The older they get the more expectations you have, like cleaning up after themselves, brushing their teeth {thats a whole other topic}, preparing their own meals on occasion and most certainly making their own snacks. This leads me to what I really want to share with you...
Once our kids reached an age where I KNOW they were fully capable of making their own meals and finding their way around a refrigerator, I found my self throwing away fruit and veggies almost once a week {much more frequently then when they were littles}. Listen, I know trying to get kids to eat fruits and veggies can be a feat at times, but my kids like fruit and vegetables. Every time I asked them what they wanted on the grocery list I had a request for at least three different fruits and a couple of veggies.
I would come home put all the groceries away and every time I opened the fridge or looked at our fruit basket it was FULL and {I hate to admit it} sometimes looked like a science experiment.
I'm not quite sure why it took me so many years to figure this one out but I'm glad I did, better late then never, right? So, I hope you can learn something from my struggles...
Here's what I learned:
1. Wash the fruit/veggies and peel off any little stickers before you put them away {make them ready to eat} most kids/people don't want to work for their food.
2. If it's something that you typically eat cut {like cucumbers or pineapple}, slice & dice them.
3. Make them easily accessible. Put a bowl of washed grapes out on the counter {you'd be amazed at how quickly they will disappear}.
4. If you are storing them in the refrigerator display them in clear containers like these from Target {if something looks appetizing and there is no work involved it will be eaten}.
The time I {thought} saved just putting it away resulted in wasting food and money. Now taking a few extra minutes to prep has resulted in a new challenge ... the need to buy more within two days of grocery shopping. But I guess I'd rather that than throwing it away!
What are your tips and tricks? Share in the comments below: