I needed to restock the kitchen a bit over the weekend before my son arrived home from camp. Since he always complains about Trader Joe’s cereals (and really, Trader Joe’s anything), I did my best to get some non-Trader Joe’s snacks and cereals that would hopefully meet my son’s requirements.
I thought he would love the Eggo Chocolate Chip Pancake Bites especially since they come in pouches (the ingredients list wasn’t even too horrendous).
The truth is, we parents need to figure out the balance between raising our kids to understand the importance of healthy, nutritious meals while giving them the okay to eat the snacks and treats they desire.
Some snacks and cereals are better choices than others but the reality is, if we don’t let our kids have some of the processed stuff, they will find it elsewhere, craving it and seeking it out more than if we just allow it. We all ate the “junk” growing up and survived.
I had friends whose parents were so insanely strict with food that when they got away from their parents, these kids ate everything “off-limits” that they could get their hands on.
As my son gets older, it’s just not possible for me to expect him to take homemade granola bars to school or to eat only the foods I suggest. I may not like his food choices all of the time but I gotta let him live. One day he will get it.
I did pick up a box of these new Trader Joe’s Raises the Bar Chewy Granola Bars though, have you tried them yet?
They are made with oats, millet, quinoa, amaranth and buckwheat. I can’t say I liked the one I tried though and the dark chocolate chunks were extremely sparse. Like maybe 3 little chunks of dark chocolate in one bar.
I may return the box to the store.
My really good friend Lisa and I kept trying to make a lunch plan or dinner plan for the last two months which is just ridiculous. When our boys were babies, we spent every single day together walking the malls and raising our kids together. We were our own mommy and me and now life keeps getting in the way.
We finally made a plan for an early brunch at our favorite Premier Diner which was just perfect. We couldn’t decide between the baked oatmeal or the yogurt parfait so we ordered both and shared it. Genius idea.
Lisa and I have the exact same palette for food which was one of the reasons we were instant BFFs when we met back when our boys were only five months old.
I spent Saturday at my aunt’s beach house again which is my favorite place to be in the summer ever since I am a little girl.
I was so excited to see that she had made her famous corn flake crumb chicken (and used the breading on veal this time too) so even though I no longer eat meat and didn’t get a picture of what I ate, I made sure to get the picture of the corn flake crumbs!
Remember, I just mentioned her famous breading in my recipe challenge post on Friday.
My aunt is the best cook ever. Not pictured is a really easy and delicious skillet corn dish that she told me how to make so I am going to hopefully give it a try this week and report back!
Even by the beach, it was crazy hot outside due to the heat wave but by later in the afternoon, it was comfortable in the backyard because there was a nice breeze.
You know you have reached old age when you just look at the pool you used to swim in as a kid rather than actually go in to get wet.
This is how I eat cake by the way. I carve out the chocolate filling and leave the cake parts.
And my son is home! I am pretty sure that seeing the parade of buses pull up yesterday from the sleep away camps was the happiest moment in my life.
Seriously. I don’t think I have ever been more excited or happier in my life.
And because I know my bunny so well, Chopt was his first meal home request but first we stopped home so he could see his room all redone (and I forced him into the shower immediately. Like I turned the shower water on and said get yourself in there and don’t come out for at least ten minutes).
He has not stopped talking about all of his experiences this summer at sleep away camp. Although he for sure missed being home, I can see that sending him to this camp was the best decision ever and he agreed, even thanking me for the experience.
We went over to see my parents for dinner, picking up pizza because pizza was the next request after Chopt. I don’t blame him, I would miss New York pizza too. Even though camp was in upstate New York, their pizza isn’t the same.
You know how I really know sleep away camp was the best decision? Rather than play around with his cell phone as soon as he was home, my son requested a deck of cards so that we could play all of the card games he learned while at camp.
Being unplugged is probably the greatest part about sleep away camp today. Kids today need a chance to interact without technology and do the things we kids did for years before cell phones and social media existed. 🙂
We have three weeks until school starts!
[bctt tweet=”snacks, brunch, cake and pizza #weekend #brunch #snacks #traderjoes #pizza #beach” username=”cookiechrunicle”]
3 things you did over the weekend?
First thing you think of as the happiest moment in your life?
Favorite cereal as a kid?
The Cookie ChRUNicles 