It's that time of year again, back to school, but aside from pens, pencils, indoor shoes and backpacks, your fridge may need an update as well, bring on the lunchbox supplies!
As the lunch packer in our family I am always working to keep our children's lunches full of variety and healthy foods, but my main goal is to ensure they are eaten! There is no worse feeling then working hard to pack a hearty, yummy lunch, full of items they love and it being returned uneaten. My advice, bring the lunchbox owners with you when shopping for supplies, if they invest in the thought behind the meal (maybe the lunchbox packing too) they are far more likely to fill their bellies with what's inside.
After such excursions, we'll sometimes decide to replace their sandwich with Schneiders turkey pepperettes or turkey kobassa slices, and instead of sliced cheese pack Wilton curd or Black Diamond cheese sticks. Recently I purchased thermal containers so I'm excited to start packing some of their warmer favourites, such as Amy's organic soups and Annie's organic or smart KD mac'n'cheese.
Patchwork Gardens carrots are now in stock and they are so sweet and tasty I find I eat as much as I pack! Soon local apples will be plentiful too, and there is nothing better than eating fruit and vegetables that are in season. On a fun note, mini cucumbers from SunHarvest Greenhouses are a great alternative to the usual, no slicing necessary.
As for snacks, my children love fruit cups so I appreciate that Del Monte offers ones that are packed in light syrup, or even water, vs. the even more sugary original. However, if you have the time, banana muffins made from our regularly stocked organic bananas (with chocolate chips) are pretty amazing. Another family favourite are the individually wrapped maple sugar candies from Temples sugarbush - yum!
Lastly, some of my desperate, 'what do we have in the house', lunch fillers have earned me the greatest number of hugs and thank-yous! This has lead to regular requests for sides of taco chips and salsa, yogurt drinks vs. juice boxes, as well as BLT sandwiches.