Top Lunch Box Picks

If packing lunch is on your daily to do list this fall, check out some of my top picks to help build a healthy lunch that you children will actually eat! And stick to Skinny Rule #18: Eat Like a Kid and enjoy these tips for yourself too.

JUICE BOX: CapriSun Super V
These are nutritionally wonderful and what makes them standout is that they are a blend of 100% fruit and vegetable juice! They are 3/4 fruit juice and 1/4 vegetable juice.




JUICE BOX ALTERNATIVE: Horizon Organic Milk Boxes
When your kids are tired of juice, to switch it up, try shelf-stable (no refrigeration needed) milk boxes. Look for lowfat milk like these Horizon Organic milk boxes which are available in chocolate lowfat milk too.


CHOCOLATE MILK BOX: Silk Pure Almond Dark Chocolate Milk
This dark chocolate almond milk is delicious and tastes like a treat while delivering bone building calcium with 50% of daily calcium needs per cup. Although, keep it in the 'treat' category because there still is about 17 grams of sugar per serving.




YOGURT TUBE: Chobani Champions Yogurt Tubes
One major bonus with Chonabi's yogurt tubes is they take children more than a few seconds to slurp down thanks to the thick texture of Greek yogurt. Quick tip: freeze a these, then add then frozen to lunches to double as an ice pack.


PEANUT BUTTER: Justin's Honey Peanut Butter Packs
If you can send peanut butter to your school, these packets are great and perfect to send along with whole-grain crackers for a snack, each packet is a 2 tablespoon serving. Also available in a maple variety.

VEGGIE DIP: Sabra Single Serve Hummus Cups
Hummus is a delicious dip for vegetables and mini single serving cups is convenient!



REUSABLE LUNCH BAGS: LunchSkins
These reusable bags come in snack size, sandwich size and big bags. They hold up wonderful and can be easily washed in the dishwasher. LunchSkins is also offering lunch kits which include ice packs, lunch bag and sandwich/snack bags. Check them out at lunchskins.com



REUSABLE CONTAINERS: Fit & Fresh
The major bonus to these reusable containers (aside from the football theme) is that they have a removable ice pack built into the lid. You simply snap in the frozen ice pack to the container. Check out the Fit & Fresh web site for more details.

Summer is Here - 6 Tips To Keep It Healthy

visit farmers markets - Buy local! Visiting farmers markets to pick-up local produce and get to know who is growing your food. Plus often times farmers markets have different varieties of foods like golden beets or rainbow carrots (pictured right). If you are traveling out of town, check out the farmers markets in the area too, visit Local Harvest's web site and just enter a zip code to find the markets and hours for where you are traveling!

get active - Summer is the perfect time to take advantage of the long hours of daylight and work in extra activities like: biking, running and swimming.

snack smart - Stock up on healthy items like trail mix, low fat Greek yogurt parfaits with fresh fruit and granola, pistachios and dried fruit, carrot slices and hummus and popcorn.

sip mostly water - Your body is 60-70% and staying hydrated is a must, sipping on water allows your body to maximize absorption. Especially when the weather gets hot, having plenty of fluids helps to keep you cool! Aim to have mostly water and save sweetened drinks like iced teas and lemonade less often!

enjoy fruits and vegetables - There are so many fruits and vegetables that are in season and at their best in the summer time! Maximize the flavors of the season by incorporating fruit and vegetables at every meal. A favorite pick of the summer so far at our house has been Driscoll's Season's Finest Blackberries - they are truly the best... so sweet, give them a try if you see them at the grocery store.

try new recipes - Look for recipes to incorporate seasonal foods like, rhubarb! Check out my Strawberry Rhubarb Muffin recipe that I shared with Men's Fitness. Search Web sites like: Rachel Ray, Food Network, Pinterest and Molly's Facebook page for recipe ideas and inspiration.

Back to School Lunch Solutions

This week I visited the 10! Show in Philadelphia and Bridge Street in Central New York to share some tips to make back to school lunches a little more exciting (and healthy too) plus ways to make whole grains part of your day.

Here are some more details and tips to get you ready for back to school.

Make Fruit and Veggies Easier: At the start of the week, fill a bin in your refrigerator with single serving bags or containers of sliced and prepared fruit and veggies! Then each day when filling lunch boxes aim to have half of the contents be fruit and/or vegetables.

Be creative! Use sandwich cutters like those from The Lunch Punch (http://www.thelunchpunch.com/lp) to create fun shapes. Or switch up sandwiches with a sandwich on a stick: use cubes of meat, cheese, bread and veggies!

Think Outside the Sandwich: Try kid 'sushi'! Mix together chopped veggies (like broccoli and carrots) with light cream cheese or tofutti (cream cheese substitute), spread the mixture evenly over a multi-grain flat bread or tortilla. Then roll up the flat bread and cut into slices. This lunch idea was inspired from some of my aunts on family vacation.

Work in Whole Grains: Whole grains are nutritional powerhouses, some examples include: whole wheat bread, brown rice, millet, buckwheat, oats and quinoa. They get all of their nutrients because the whole grain is intact and provides fiber, vitamins and minerals. Make it a goal to have whole grains at all meals and snacks like: KIND Healthy Grains granola with fruit for breakfast, whole wheat bread or wraps for lunch and mini funny face pizza on whole grain flat breads for snack.

For more ideas on back to school, head to my Website to watch the video segments from this week!

Back to the Schedule: Tips to Keep You Sane!

Are you ready to get back into the routine with early mornings and busy weeks? Ready or not, here it comes and check out these tips to keep you sane as you get back into the school year schedule:

1. Sneak it in: add in exercise where you can... yoga in the morning, 20 minute run in the evening, 10 minutes toning exercises before bed. If you need resources for at home workouts, check your local TV listings or check out: http://www.exercisetv.tv/ for a variety of DVD's and workouts, and pick-up magazines like: Shape, Fitness, or Women's Health!
   
   



2. Hydrate: keep your energy levels up througout the day by brining a water bottle with you everytime you leave the door! Sip on water throughout the day!





3. Stock up: create a basket or container of grab n' go snacks in your cupboard and include items like: applesauce cups, Peter Rabbit Organics - Fruit & Veggie Snacks, KIND Healthy Snack bars, mini packs of nuts, single serving peanut butter packs and 100% fruit flats. Then when you're flying out the door you can throw a few items in your bag to have on hand for yourself or the kids.
   
   



4. Meal map: minimize your time in the kitchen by creating a weekly 'map' for your meals and snacks to streamline your food preparation efforts. Think of which nights you'll be home, running late, etc... and strategize what foods to make. A favorite tip of mine is make a double batch of a recipe and freeze half for a meal later in the week!