Savvy Shopping

Shopping with children is always an adventure as they never want to stay in the cart, they always want to help, and can’t help but ask for everything they see! YES… “So fun,” said NO mom ever!!! Being a stay at home mom, however, means that I have both children on our weekly grocery shopping trips. Here are my tips for sanity!

#1 Have snacks on hand!

I carry my own cutup fruit, nuts, granola bars, fruit snacks, and baby puffs which keeps them occupied and deters the nagging can I haves!

#2 Be prepared with a list that is ordered by aisle or department to help get you out of the store as quickly as possible. Organization is key!

#3 Unleash the beasts! Olivia just loves the ride but if she gets antsy I’m a baby wearing momma so I throw her in a sling. I send Sean on scavenger hunts for certain colored items, various shapes, specific fruits and veggies, wet/dry ingredients, healthy vs unhealthy foods, etc. You be creative and do what works for you. I practice math skills by having him weigh the produce and read me the number, he counts out the produce as we bag it, and compares items by size and weight.

#4 Reward a job well done.

When we go to the Farmer's Market I let Sean pick out something new we've never heard of or tried. This is a great way to add variety to otherwise predictable meals.

#5 Create! Upon returning home and unloading, let your wee ones be inspired by the "fruits" of their labor!

I’ve been working on not buying as much junk and shopping the perimeter for the past few years, but I have a major sweet tooth that has been passed down to Sean so as a treat when we get home we whip up either homemade frozen yogurt or yogurt pops. Sean is my little chef in training and loves helping me in the kitchen and we both get to satisfy our sweet teeth!

Our super easy yogurt pops!

Ingredients:

Yogurt of your choice (We use vanilla Greek yogurt)

Frozen or fresh fruit (We use frozen mango, blueberries, or strawberries and a banana)

Honey

Milk (We use almond mild)

 

Sean does majority of the work.

Process:

 

 

I used the Nutribullet but any good blender/processor will work. Throw in a handful or 2 of frozen fruit, a whole banana, couple dollops of yogurt, spoonful of honey, top off with milk. Blend and pour into Popsicle molds or ice cube trays. I purchased my molds at IKEA and one in the dollar section at Target during the spring/summer. Enjoy!