Lunch Box Treats

It's Back-to-School time again!  I've been getting a lot of questions as to what to put in those lunch boxes in a pinch.  Easy enough!  I thought I would include a bit about what we have found to put in A's lunch box on those busy mornings.  We also enjoy these packable treats for soccer weekends because truth be told, when you're at a soccer tournament out-of-town or often enough out-of-state; it's not easy when you have food allergies.  I always pack up a cooler to take with us because there's not too many food-safe restaurant options that you can just grab and go..

www.vansfoods.com/our-products-crackers  These crackers make a great snack-time option.

www.mediterraneansnackfoods.com  They carry the tapaz2go which are a hummus and lentil crackers combo.  These are great for an easy lunch at school or between soccer games.  Hummus gives them the protein and good fat they need to help keep kiddos and grown ups full with some energy.

www.gogosqueez.com  My A loves the apple mango applesauce.  These are super packable and user friendly.

www.glutino.com  We cannot have all of glutino's options but have discovered a few that we really enjoy.  My A gets to take an afternoon snack as a part of her health plan at school.  The cereal bars or pop tart's are a great option for that.  She really enjoys anything with blueberry or apple.

www.enjoylifefoods.com  This brand is top 8 allergen free and has expanded so much just in the past year.  I always keep a few of their chocolate bars on hand at home.  Always!  You never know when Little Judy is going to have cupcakes to share.  Also, why wouldn't you want to celebrate that team win?  They also have out some new decadent bars that I can't wait to order.

www.gopicnic.com  These are our lunchables.  I do the subscribe & save option from Amazon and have them automatically delivered every 3 months.  My daughter can only have one version and I don't want her to get burnt out on them because of how easy they are for us.  Lots of options being added and I always go through and check ingredients for the moment we can add to our sunbutter & crackers.

www.chobanichampions.com  I place the tubes in the freezer.  For summer they are the best popsicles ever.  For the lunch box they work as an ice pack as they thaw enough for her to enjoy at lunch time.  They also have new chobani bites that are a sweet treat.  Yogurt is great!  I love to make it at home using our goat milk and these chobani options make it great for when we run out.

These are a few of the options we use to pack her lunch with.  We also use these to take on vacations, hikes, and her soccer tournaments.  She is a young competitive player who plays on multiple teams which means that large sections of our year are spent travelling.  I enjoy our farm life immensely but I also enjoy being a soccer mom to my daughter and a baseball mom to my son.  Now is the beginning of fall!  So go ahead and get those coolers ready all of you football, baseball, soccer, golf, and swim moms!

Farm to Lunch Table... Lunch Options

I'm always getting asked about what our daughter takes to school for lunch, so I thought I would share some of our favorites..

What she ALWAYS has in her Lunchbox...
yogurt (always a healthy option, especially for sensitive tummies)
fruit (bananas, cuties, blueberries, apples...she always has 1 or 2 of these..)
fresh veggies (cherry/grape tomatoes, celery, bell pepper slices..these are great with a dip or hummus.)

What she SOMETIMES has in her Lunchbox...
hummus (there are a lot of premade allergy-friendly varieties or it's just as simple to make your own..)
suntella (my recipe to come....  a homemade version using sunflower seed butter)
chicken ( I change it up by making a batch of nuggets and also grill chicken legs, this way she's getting options.)
pizza (either udi's crust or homemade... I'll make a buffalo chix or veggie pizza every couple of weeks or so..)
baba ganoush (it's a roasted eggplant dip... I buy premade at Whole Foods and also make. Lots of FLAVOR
go picnic (an allergy-friendly lunchable..LOVE these, just wish there were more to choose from...)
LEFTOVERS...(if we have taco night, I automatically set aside 2 shells for her to make for school.  Leftover fried rice is a winner as well!)


Our elementary school is WONDERFUL about allowing us to have a microwave for her use only.  They understand that she can't just bring a ham sandwich and a bag of chips to school (as if I'd let her...)!  My son is 2 years older and in Middle School, I love his responses when I ask him what he had for lunch.  He often says he didn't eat any vegetables because they looked as if they came out of a can.  He cracks me up!  It's amazing at what kids get used to....   I am so lucky to have kiddos that look forward to what we're bringing to the table, literally.  They have grown up working in gardens, milking our goats (yes, really), and gathering eggs in the evening.  I am blessed to be able to provide them with a true farm to table lifestyle....