After-school snacks

It’s almost time to go back to school and I was reminded the other day of the challenge of providing something for the girls to eat when they get home (Eleanor gets home from my mum’s at the same time as Rosemary gets home from school)* that will keep them going (and banish those mid-afternoon grumps), while not filling them up too much for dinner. To be honest, I think we rarely get it right and I’d like to try to do better come the start of term.

We eat quite early – 5.30pm – so they can’t have anything too substantial at 3.30pm, or they don’t touch their dinner. But it so often seems to end up being something in the junk-food or sugary food realms which, even if not huge in quantity, can still put them off dinner. We’ve tried allsorts, though – sandwiches, toast, crumpets, fruit, yoghurt, crisps, ice cream, chocolate, slices of cheese and cucumber, milk and biscuits or cake… Often, Eleanor in particular, will be through constantly while I’m preparing dinner, asking for food – raisins, dried papaya, bit of grated cheese, bit of cucumber, bit of tomato, bit of courgette (whatever I’m chopping up at that moment, basically) and she’ll eat so much that it’s hardly surprising when she barely touches her actual dinner.

So, I’m wondering whether it would be better to prepare something a bit more substantial – and healthy and balanced – and just serve them a bit less for dinner? Half an egg mayonnaise sandwich each, with chunks of tomato and cucumber, cheese and tomato on toast, fruit, yoghurt and an oat biscuit, cream cheese and mayonnaise dip with breadsticks and fingers of cucumber and pepper… Provide them with a substantial snack as soon as they walk through the door and then allow for a little less appetite at dinner time, then have less risk of resorting to the junk food to keep them quiet.

* Actually, the challenge is still here in the holidays, for most of the time, as they are generally with my mum during normal school hours, while we’re working. And even when they’re not, they still seem to need something about that time.

What do you think? What do you do? Or do you give them their main meal as soon as they get in? Any suggestions for some good snacks to provide?