I'm Hungry! What can I Eat?

It's about 20 minutes until dinner is ready. I can't make the potatoes cook any faster, and I'm so hungry. The kids are whining and hungry, and trying to sneak crackers. I'm tempted to join them. So what's a person to eat that won't spoil the appetite but help stave off junk food noshing?

After staring in the fridge and pantry myself for longer than I'd like to admit, I decided on a spoonful of peanut butter, and figured that I can't be the only person and have the only family this is an issue for.

So here's a little list of something you can offer yourself and your family. My criteria is pretty simple: it can't get in the way of dinner prep- I don't want to be washing and peeling and cooking something when dinner's almost done. It has to be nutritious- there needs to be more than a "good source of vitamin e" label, like you'd find on a bag of potato chips. It needs to be easy, so the kids can help themselves. And it needs to be something that's going to offer them a quick hit of nutrition without filling them up before dinner. I'm not looking to supply them with a full portion from a food group, just a little bit, in order to help offset hunger and prevent overeating, and also to top-up the main food groups in case they're a bit short on servings.

• 6 Sugar Snap Peas - If they don't come washed and ready to eat, they're pretty easy to wash.
• Cheese String - Not processed cheese, please
• Small spoonful of peanut butter - this was actually what I turned to tonight. It did the trick.
• A big glass of water - OK, no actual vitamins or minerals, but absolutely essential to life.
• An eighth-cup of nuts - walnuts, hazelnuts, or even peanuts
• A quarter-cup of plain cereal - like cheerios, or bran flakes
• 6 Baby Cut Carrots - usually washed and ready to eat
• Small piece of fruit - like a kiwi, or a plum
• A quarter-cup of berries - easy to wash
• A few bites of last-night's leftovers

In case you're wondering, we're having minestrone soup for dinner tonight, and it will be delicious. A bit of a warm meal for summer, but I'm in the mood for soup. Everyone in our family enjoys it, and I need my second son to eat more well-rounded meals. Minestrone has loads of vegetables and protein sources. In fact, every food group is represented, if I grate a little fresh parmesan on top, which I will. Fresh fruit for dessert will help the iron from the beans and beef to be better used by their bodies. Mmm. What are your dinner plans tonight?