Snack Foods

Just out of interest, how much prepackaged 'snack' types of foods do your kids have?
'Someone' commented a little while ago on the amount of snack foods that our kids have and gave me a very genuinely shocked and disapproving spiel about how her children never had anything like that in their lunchboxes.
I was thinking about when I was unpacking the groceries yesterday and wondered how our 'snack' food ratio compares with other families?

In our cupboards right now:

Nice n' Natural lunchbox logs/Mother Earth fruit sticks
Little raisin boxes
Fruit squirts
Le snacks
Snax crackers
Corn thins
Poppa Jacks

Until I got the spiel I thought we didn't do too badly in the instant foods department, but now I wonder whether I was deluding myself and maybe we need to overhaul and cut some out? I should add, they don't eat all of these things everyday.

What's in your cupboards, please?

Edited by caraMel

Signature range Casava crisps and rice crackers.
Heinz english version rusks (dairy and egg free)
Organic outback crackers (again dairy and egg free).

That's it, unless you count bread as processed.

Mostly for going out snacks, I take rice crackers, mandarins, sultanas, sandwiches/toast fingers and rusks.

I try not to buy anything with any preservative, artificial colour, flavours etc

We are pretty shocking...
At the moment in the pantry we have:
Rasins
Nice and Natural Fruit Bars
Nic and Natural Zeds
Mini Snakers Bars
and usually 1 packet of choc chipbuiscuits a week.

We mainly use the bars if we are out and i need something quick and easy to throw in my bag, the rest of the time its fruit and maybe if we are lucky its home baking. And occasionally crackers and cheese.

Raisins and mixed dried fruit
Muesli Bars (several types)
Le Snax
Crackers (lots of different ones)
Little bags of Chippies and Popcorn
Biscuits
Fruit in little pottles

I have been trying to be a bit more healthy with her lunches, like sending her to day care with cooked carrot sticks etc. But she loves the things we have above and will have at least one of them every day.

sorry to hijack your thread caraMel - but I was wondering of those of you who included "baking" in the list, what sorts of things do you usually bake?

Thanks for the replies so far, I'm not feeling like such a terrible mother now!

fleury wrote: biscuits, slices and muffins things that don't take long to make, or eat lol! Last sunday I made fudgy chocolate chip cookies packed 1 in mine and DHs lunch each day, better than brought stuff. I also make a lovely weetbix slice, with golden syrup and coconut yum, weetbix are healthy right

That's what I was thinking r.e. baking eh? On the one hand, you know exactly what goes into it and you know there's no crazy-inducing colourings or carcinogenic chemicals etc, but its generally not that healthy eh? Or economical these days, with the prices of butter and milk the way they are!
Muffins are a good option, and I hide carrot in chocolate chip ones!

Edited by caraMel

I'm a convenience person too, atm we have

Rice Wheels
Rice crackers
Mini rice crackers in snack packs
Those Watties Fruit Squirt things
Heaps of plain biscuits - wine, arrowroot, krispie etc.
Mother Earth Fruit sticks
Little boxes of raisins
Dried apricots
Cheese Shapes crackers
Those little pottles of fruit in juice
Yoghurt in squeezy tubes
Processed cheese slices
Le Snaks

Mind you, a lot of that is for Maya's school lunchbox. I know a lot of it is processed, but we have a healthy eating guide for Under 5s from the ministry of health which lists the healthiest options for prepackaged foods and try to buy from that list. I don't buy chippies, roll ups etc.

OOOh, I have a recipe for healthy fruit roll-ups from the healthy food guide. am trying tonight so if they are any good, will let you know.

gypsynita wrote: sorry to hijack your thread caraMel - but I was wondering of those of you who included "baking" in the list, what sorts of things do you usually bake?

I always have muffins in the freezer and often a slice, scones or leftover cake. Our current favourite is a muesli slice.

AuntieSarah wrote: I am always amazed at things like individually packaged prunes - they must be expensive and it can't be that hard to buy a big pack and put them in a bit of gladwrap or a container surely?! Mind you I don't have kids yet so I may well change my tune when I do lol.

It's not hard at all!
I have lots of containers of various sizes, and cut up things like apple, kiwifruit, pear, carrot etc. In the summer she takes berries and things too.
Cold cooked pasta is another thing you can put in containers for lunch.
I wouldn't eat it, but DD loves it!
Cheese and pineapple on sticks - don't do it much unless I have plans for the rest of the pineapple, but it's a treat for her.

Things from the bulk bins like dried apricots, yoghurt raisins, pretzels etc are good too, and cheaper than buying a packet.

I do lots of baking too, but have had to slow down lately.

On the occasion I have bought some of the snack type prepackaged things, DD turns her nose up at them