It’s mid-July, I don’t usually let my mind wander to the return to school until mid-August however at Target over the weekend they’ve already started replacing the summer gear aisle with back to school supplies. Target, you know the way to my heart.

My daughter’s upcoming week at day camp along with Target’s vast display of lunch boxes got me thinking about packing lunch and snacks for kids, and in the case of my daughter  snacks are generally lunch as well. Even if you’re not packing lunch, having kids home for the summer all day every day can present challenges of snack time.

My kids like to graze through out the day, which is fine but at some point you can’t call really claim Goldfish crackers are a “healthy” snack worthy of meal replacement. Of course I run into the issue Véronique at Little Elephants does, I walk through the grocery aisle without even seeing any new snack ideas. She asked for help here and got some nice suggestions. Nothing particularly complicated, however great inspiration and reminders of old favorites, like apples and cheese.

At Parent Hacks, Asha points out making healthy snacks easiest to grab is the best way to insure your kids eat these the most. Suggestions range from creating individual 100 calorie portions from healthy cereals and other carbs to having a fruit bowl on the counter with already washed offerings ready to grab.

Biggie at Lunch In A Box takes her experience with Japan and creates healthy complete lunches for her family often influenced by Japanese offerings. I’ll admit my kids won’t be noshing on Pork Buns anytime soon however, the top speed tips are must-read.

No snack and lunch post would be complete without Family Fun’s ideas on it. I like the idea of cookie cutter sandwiches, but only one week or so a month so kids are surprised when they come in the lunchbox. My daughter gets down right blase about presentation so fast. I also love the idea of a lunch chart which accomplishes two goals, it takes the “What am I going to send for lunch?” out of your routine and allows your kids to have a say in what they eat meaning ideally less of their lunch will end up in the trash.

No guarantees, your results may vary.