It's official, my family was on time every day for the 1st week of school. I'd like to think it was my careful planning that made it possible, but I think it was more likely the fact that both sons were so excited they were waiting by the door 15 minutes early each day! On the lunch box front, I thought I'd share their top lunch box favorites from week one. Please tell us your success stories too, as a busy mom I could use the help. I usually start to run out of creative ideas by week 3! Share your ideas in a comment at latejuly.com or on our facebook page. Our favorite will get a free Late July lunch bag filled with snacks and a coupon for a box of free mini cookies!
1. Homemade banana muffins - I baked a batch on Sunday and packed them as their snack Mon & Tues.
2. Late July Mini Sandwich Cookies - Milk Chocolate Variety. These are my youngest son's favorite!
3. Oatmeal Bread Italians - Rudy's Organic Oatmeal Bread, Applegate Organic Ham, Organic Valley Cheese, Cascadian Farms Pickles, Bionatura Olive Oil, Spectrum Red Wine Vinegar & a dash of Simply Organic Garlic Salt. For my preschooler (not my 1st grader!) I used a cookie cutter to make a car shape.
4. Either an Organic Valley String Cheese or Stonyfield Yogurt Tube each day. Tip from our friends at Stonyfield: freeze the yogurt tube overnight and let it thaw in the lunchbox!
5. Late July Rich Crackers, Mini Apple Slices and Organic Sunbutter in a little container.
6. Cucumber Sushi Rolls - The cucumbers were from our garden! I made these for dinner the night before.
Hope everyone's school year is off to a great start!
I ADORE your dark chocolate cookies & your mini peanut butter crackers, they are both staples in my weight gain mission! Such wonderful, healthy and incredibly tasty cookies and crackers have made the process so much easier for me -- and have helped me to realize that along with being necessary to live and nourish my body, food is to be enjoyed!
I'm having the most difficult time finding your milk chocolate & white chocolate (these sound AMAZING, by the way) anywhere around me -- I live in Canton, Ohio.
Posted by: Katie Reed | September 20, 2009 at 02:07 PM
My favorite thing to pack is a tiny bento box, with many different snacks and treats, like fruit kabobs, and when they're arranged in happy faces or little animals, what's not to love? Cut up cheese in animal shapes, serve it with crackers and bean sprouts for an edible zoo!
Posted by: Jess | October 01, 2009 at 02:25 PM
For a dessert, you can slip them a "yogurt sundae". Put in a vanilla stoneyfield yogurt along with some organic chocolate chips and gummy bears for them to add as a topping.
I used to love dipping celery, carrots, and broccoli, into salsa or some gingery dressings
Posted by: Food Makes Fun Fuel | October 06, 2009 at 03:12 PM
I do the same thing that my mother did for me...I pack hot soup/stew,
leftovers, even oatmeal in a small thermos for my daughter during the
chilly months. I put it in piping hot, and by lunchtime, it's perfect
for eating. She loves it. In the morning, I always make sure to give
her a choice -- this or that and a special tr...eat. Usually an organic
granola bar or some organic fruit. And since she loves milk, I always
make sure to pack those little Organic Valley single serves.
Posted by: Mandie | November 26, 2009 at 11:40 AM