School opens next week… Schedules become more routine with homework, sports, after-school programs, quality time, bed time, dinner time…  (the list goes on and on as the days get shorter)

As parents, our time is valuable, we want to spend HAPPY time with our kids, especially when that time is limited. 

THIS is where a little preparation and even a little planning can make a BIG difference, healthy snack choices can GREATLY improve our own mood and the moods of our children!

I know that my child needs an immediate snack of substance as soon as I pick her up from school. She’s just like me.  Not that she begs for one, but her blood sugar, at this point, has dropped to “the grumpies” and she is argumentative, weepy, whiny, and generally disagreeable UNTIL I can get that blood sugar elevated a bit and SUSTAINED.

Let me explain a bit with an excerpt from “Why Do I Feel This Way?” by Gaber & Day:

Though most of the body can use stored fat for energy, the brain only “runs” on glucose. It, therefore, needs a constant supply.  Without it, symptoms such as dizziness, faintness, moodiness, irritability, weakness, fuzzy thinking, etc. may result. The brain will then put out signals of hunger, or cravings for glucose containing foods to alleviate a potential crisis.

What this means for our kids and OURSELVES, is that we need to pay attention to what we are eating throughout the day, and provide a healthy, sound snack option to offset this issue.

Imagine: Your kids come home, are better able to focus on completing their homework, they are less argumentative and even a bit less whiny.  hmmmm

This month I will be offering ideas to combat the AFTERNOON GRUMPIES.

Today, I will tell you, think protein and fresh fruit…  An example:

Enjoy!  May the traffic, the change in routines, and the force be with you!

For more information or to find out about local cooking preparation classes contact me.