Snacks have got to be one of the hardest meals to keep healthy. You get the urge to have a quick nibble in the middle of the day and usually it's so last minute your willing to grab whatever's in front of you. I'd love to blame my need for midday snacks on my eight month pregnant body, or my two year old son who eats all day long, but the fact is I've always needed lot's of snacks and I don't think that's going to change any time soon.

We usually have some fruit in the middle of the day but I never find it quite filling enough and find myself searching for a quick fix just before dinner, which tends to be something not so healthy. My son also tends to crash in the hour before dinner if he only has fruit for his afternoon snack. So, I've decided that my New Years food resolution is to try and find more balanced snacks that won't leave me raiding the cupboards to ward off the grumpies (on both accounts).

Throwing a little bit of protein into the mix with lunch meat, nuts, eggs, cottage cheese, peanut butter or cheese can help to keep snacks healthy while stretching them to last longer throughout the day. My goal is to keep healthy snacks on hand that will truly fill us up so we're not absently munching on junk. It's really not that hard when you think of it, all it takes is a little bit of planning ahead. But, I guess for me planning ahead needs a resolution to make it happen. :)

One of the easiest snacks to prepare is a simple Ham, Cheese and Fruit Kabob. Having the food on skewers will help you to regulate the portions and make sure that your kids are eating a more balanced variety then if it was simply all layed out in front of them. It makes it kind of fun too, especially if they can help skewer on the different items and dip them into yogurt when eating. You can make the the skewers mostly fruit if you like, but throwing in some extra protein will make a big difference come five o'clock.

Happy munching!