It’s finally back to school and to make it a little easier on packing school lunches, I teamed up TruMoo Milk to bring you some great ideas on what to pack into your little ones lunch box and make it a little less stressful for you to get back to school.
1. Instead of a juice drink pouch, opt for a flavored shelf-stable milk box, which provides all the benefits of milk including 8g of protein, Vitamins A and D, and calcium, without high fructose corn syrup or any artificial colors or flavors found in many juice drink pouches. TruMoo single serve milk boxes are a great option. They are available in three flavors kids will love – chocolate, vanilla and plain low-fat varieties, and are free of artificial colors and flavors.
2. Try to include at least one item from each of the five food groups: grains, vegetables, fruits, dairy and lean protein, to help ensure a balanced meal.
3. For a time-saver, sandwiches can be prepared the night before. Put sandwiches in reusable sandwich boxes instead of aluminum foil to prevent them from getting crushed or soggy.
4. Bite-sized fruits and vegetables are an easy way to add a nutritious and fun staple to lunch boxes. For picky eaters, a favorite dip like low-fat ranch, peanut butter or hummus can help make sure those fruits and veggies quickly disappear.
5. Choose leaner lunch meats like chicken, turkey, and tuna in water, or choose a hard-boiled egg, beans, or edamame as great protein alternatives. This way, kids can get protein with less fat and calories.
6. Keep cold food cold and hot food hot – keeping foods at safe temperatures will prevent the growth of unhealthy bacteria. Ice packs and insulated containers are key.
7. Instead of potato chips, try something different with the same amount of satisfying crunch such as: baby carrots, whole wheat pretzels without salt or baked sweet potato chips.
8. Liven up the lunchbox with fun-shaped sandwich and vegetable cutters. Lunchtime should be fun for kids, and they’ll be thrilled to find a butterfly- or dinosaur-shaped sandwich in their lunch.
9. Use leftovers, but change up the presentation by putting meat on whole wheat bread or pitas with sliced tomato or create a rice bowl with leftover veggies and protein.
10. Variety is key to keeping kids happy at lunchtime. Avoid boredom by offering new meal and snack options daily or weekly.
Who knew that packing a lunch can be that simple, time saving and even budget friendly. I bet your kids will love their lunch this year and will be begging for more every afternoon. For more information about the TruMoo milk, be sure to visit their website, friend them on Facebook or Tweet along on Twitter.
Giveaway Time …..
TruMoo would love for one lucky 2Boys+1Girl=OneCrazyMom reader to send their little one too school in style with a month supply of TruMoo shelf stable milk. Be sure to enter our giveaway below for your chance to win.
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The winner will receive 4 coupons each will allow you to get a FREE TruMoo shelf stable milk package (6 milks per package).
We received the product for our honest review; all opinions are 100% our own and no other compensation was nor will be received; the winner will receive the product directly through the Giveaway sponsor; Facebook is not associated with this giveaway and is hereby released from any and all liability.
Jennifer Rogers says
I want to win this giveaway For the kids Luches!
Melissa Hartley says
My oldest son who has Down Syndrome loves chocolate milk & I would love to give this to him–thanks so much!
brett says
why do i always forget about shelf stable milk? i prefer to send the kids with stuff from home for lunch, and not have them buy at school. they’d be SO excited if i let them have choco milk sometimes!
brett recently posted..Who left the lights on (again)?