And you know what that means… Kids home all day and ready to raid your pantry at any moment! Yikes.
Okay, so maybe that’s a bit intense, but let’s be honest, our pantries can become disaster zones in the summer when not kept under control.
So, what can we do to keep our pantry tidier this summer?
Tidy Tips for Your Summertime Pantry 1. Have a ‘go-to’ snack bin/basket ready to go! -It’s so much easier to get items out of big, bulky packaging and placed in a container to quickly get out for kids when they need a daily snack.
Bonus: By having items out of the bulky packaging and in open containers, it saves tons of space, is visually appealing, and easy peasy to see what needs to be restocked when items are low.
2. Prep + cut up fruit/veggies for healthy grab n’ go options -Place pre-cut veggies/fruits in airtight containers or a tray in fridge. Soak/spray in some lemon juice water to keep fresh throughout the week. This is such a simple way to have healthier snack options ready to grab and eat.
3. Stay in control -When kids are home, your pantry is subject to daily “raids” and packaging clutter. Keep it under control by storing bulk items high, go-to snacks at eye level and items you don’t want kids to get to up high or in another location. Limit snack times to 1-2 times daily and YOU set out snacks to avoid the pantry “raiding” and mess.
4. Create balanced options/rotations -You don’t have to go crazy at Costco and buy up all the summer snacks. Try to have a variety of balanced options, like 2 cracker choices, 2 dairy choices, 2 misc. snack choices like fruit snacks, granola bars, applesauce, and plenty of fruit/veggie options for your kids.
5. Avoid restocking until all snack options are eaten -When restocking, rotate a few snacks for different ones to keep your snacks fun and interesting. Give options to your kids that will help them. Like “pick one fruit/veggie choice, then a cracker choice.” This gives your kids some freedom when choosing snacks, but puts you, as the parent, in the drivers seat to keep daily snack-eating under control.
Snack-attacks no more, my friend. Cheers to the BEST SUMMER YET!
– Katie
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