HRM Parent Blog

by guest blogger Wendy McCallum  

Hello HRM Parents! I am very excited to introduce myself to all of you who love this site as much as I do!  My name is Wendy McCallum, and I am a local nutritional & wellness consultant, founder of Simple Balance Consulting, and mother of two wonderful HRM kids.  This is the first of many posts I will be contributing over the coming months to the HRM Parent blog.  I look forward to sharing tips, tricks and recipes with you to help you manage your families’ food, wellness, and overall balance!

Given that many schools are out, I thought I’d share some quick & healthy portable snacks to have on hand when packing for day trips or travel with kids over the vacation period.

Are you planning on spending some time at the Oval or Canada Games Centre over the break?  Or maybe you have a long flight to a sunny destination ahead of you?  

The best family snacks combine a protein, healthy fat and a complex carbohydrate.  This combination will provide longer-lasting energy and eliminate the sugar highs and lows of a refined, processed treat (We’ve all witnessed the nasty aftermath of that cycle!).  The complex carbohydrates (fruits, veggies and whole grains) provide fibre and sugars which require work from your body to be accessed.  The result is slower, more regular release of sugar into the blood and a longer source of energy.  The healthy proteins & fats (nut butters, legumes, low-fat dairy, lean meats, and healthy oils) take longer to digest and keep you feeling fuller longer.  

Here are a few easy snack ideas: 

• nut (or seed) butter and honey sandwiches on whole grain bread or crackers
• sliced fruit with yoghurt or nut butter for dipping
• 1 oz cheese with fruit or whole grain crackers
• cubed cooked chicken in a whole grain pita with veggies and tzatziki or hummus
• hummus and cut-up veggies
• nuts/seeds with dried fruit (raisins, apricots, prunes, etc.)
• hard-boiled egg with veggie sticks and bean dip
• yoghurt with fruit, sprinkled with flax and wheat germ
• homemade protein energy bars
• simple fruit & veggie smoothies (milk or nut milk, frozen berries, banana, and a handful of raw spinach - they won’t taste it, I promise!)

Wendy McCallum, LLB, RHN, is passionate about providing busy parents with the tools & support they need to feed their families wholesome food, so everyone can play, learn, and feel better!  She is a mother of two terrific HRM kids, ages 6 & 7.  For information and recipe ideas, visit her