My eldest 2 children who are ages 7 and 5 play soccer on a local team. The coach prepares a roster of snacks for the parents to bring in. The snacks are to be served to the kids after the soccer games. I was not impressed with the sugary, unhealthy, junk food that was being given to all of the kids, especially after 40 minutes of running!!! Rice crispy treats and processed cheese sandwiched between bright orange cookies. The ingredients on the labels that had words and numbers that resembled my 7^th grade science lab. Then to wash it all down with a blue sugar juice boxes!!! What kind of fruit or flavors do you know of that is blue?!?!

What is the nutritional value in this sugary garbage??? The kids ate and drank this huge amount of sugar and 40 minutes later when we arrived home it was a total melt down and bad behavior. This led to a series of time outs. Then nap time??

The very next week it was our turn for the snacks. My wife and I kept it simple and made 16 small bags of sliced apple and oranges, with a bottle of water chilled in an ice cooler. My wife cut the oranges and apples just before we walked out the door so that the apples would look nice and green. The fresh the oranges were shiny, juicy and irresistible. YES!!! All the snacks were eaten and every one was looking for more!!! Job well done and completed by the fastest, cheapest and most nutritious after soccer snack that I have seen at the soccer fields ever on a Saturday morning.

Once we arrived home, we asked our children what they would like for lunch. They answered that they wanted a ham and cheese, toasted panini sandwich which was great. We made the sandwich with whole grain, fresh bread, non-processed deli cuts and quality cheddar cheese. All of this and with a glass of milk. The kids loved their lunch, had a fun happy and playful afternoon, with no melt downs or time outs and they all received a sticker for their charts.

This was my first hand experience with my own family on how much sugary, unhealthy food have a direct effect on children’s behavior, health and sleep patterns.

We all enjoyed a fun afternoon in the garden.

Healthy, fun eating.

- Chef Thomas and Family