We’ve been back-to-school for almost a month now, and most days, my mom is the one handling the after -school snacks for me. But some days, she’s not here, and I’m thankful I can rely on Safeway to help us fuel my kids to keep them going with food that they love and sponsoring this post.

Over the summer we became a multi-generational household. Sort of. My mom and step-father relocated here and now live about twenty minutes away. Both my mom and I love to shop at our local Safeway when planning meals and snacks for the kids. We love the variety and value at our neighborhood store.

When you’re dealing with kids with a myriad of tastes, meal planning and snacks aren’t always easy, which is why it’s important to let them have a say in what we bring home from Safeway. This is especially true when we’re restocking our pantry.  There’s not a lot of excitement over jars of pasta sauce or cans of soup, but if they see granola bars or their favorite cookies go into the pantry, they might not mind the healthy boring things so much.

Tips on restocking your pantry for back to school

Keep easy meal staples on hand. Things like Annie’s™ Macaroni & Cheese make it easy to whip up an early dinner when kids come home from school extra hungry.

Buy your favorite kids favorite things – but in moderation. Fruit Snacks last longer when doled out in school lunches. OREOS make it a week if you only have a few a day.

Always have extra cereal on hand. Always. Cereal is Quincy’s breakfast of choice, but it’s also great to pour a bowl when the cries of “I’m still hungry” come 40 minutes after the dinner dishes have been placed in the dishwasher.

Don’t forget the drinks! Carbonated beverages are my weakness, so when it goes on sale, I like to stock up. Safeway often has great specials on soda, so I like having stash when I can save.

Whether you shop alone or with the kids, have them help put the groceries away!
Best time to stock my pantry? The stock up sale! Download the app and make a shopping list ahead of time with your favorites. It’s a great way to find bonus deals too! Like extra fuel points!

Shopping at Safeway during the Stock Up Sale means I can get all my favorite staples from General Mills, Coca-Cola, Kraft and Nabisco at a great value.

If stocking up on favorites with great prices wasn’t enough, Safeway is sweetening the deal.

Safeway is giving away groceries for a year to one lucky winner. Between 10/4-10/19, show them how you how you stock up your pantry and share a photo of how you’ve loaded up with your favorite items, including those below, from #StockUpSale2017. Entry is as easy as 1-2-3:

• • Take a photo featuring two or more of the participating Stock Up Sale products below
  • Share the photo on Twitter or Instagram or at Safeway by 10/19
  • Use #StockUpSale2017 and #Sweepstakes in your caption and complete entry form
  • For official rules and details, visit Safeway

Participating products:

• Honey Nut Cheerios™
• Cheerios™ 8.90oz.
• Cinnamon Toast Crunch™ 12.20oz.
•  Progresso™ Traditional, Rich & Hearty, Reduced Sodium, Light Soup, Vegetable Classic, selected varieties 18-19oz
•  Nature Valley™ Granola Bars 7.44oz-8.44oz
• Yoplait® Traditional Yogurt, 4-6oz, selected varieties
• Oui™ by Yoplait® Strawberry French Style Yogurt 5oz.
• Annie’s™ Natural Mac & Cheese 6oz; selected varieties
• Old El Paso™ Shells
• Totino’s™ Pizza Rolls 15ct, Totino Party Pizza 9.8-10.4oz, selected varieties
• Betty Crocker™ Hamburger Helpers, 4.7-8.7oz, selected varieties
• Betty  Crocker™ Fruit Snacks, 4.5-8oz, selected varieties
• Chex Mix™ 8-8.75oz, selected varieties
• Betty Crocker™ Super Moist™ Cake Mix, 15.25 – 16.25oz., select varieties
• Betty Crocker™ Whipped Frosting, Milk Chocolate 12oz.
• Betty Crocker™ Brownie Mix, Chocolate 18.40oz.
• Pillsbury™ Apple Toaster Strudel™, 6ct., 11.70oz.
• Coca-Cola MiniCans
• Dasani Sparkling Black Cherry
• Classico Tomato Basil
• Heinz Ketchup
• OREO 14.3 oz
• Ritz 13.7 oz

Check out my happy pantry, full of products the family loves, that are mom, Nanni and kid-approved. I find all of these great products at my local Safeway– be sure to check out these great products at your local Albertsons Companies grocery stores including Albertsons, Safeway, ACME Markets, Jewel-Osco, Vons, Pavilions, Randalls, Tom Thumb, Shaw’s, Star Market, United Express, United and Carrs/Safeway.

So tell me, how do you stock your pantry for back to school? Do you have any must have items you always stock up on

This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Safeway.