It’s Back To School week on ABC’s Lowcountry Live. For Good Food Friday, I shared some tasty and convenient meal and snack ideas that kids can enjoy as they head back to school.
Start your day with a balanced breakfast
Some studies suggest that kids who start their day with a balanced breakfast perform better in school and are more likely to be at a healthy weight. You want a combination of fruit, whole grains, dairy as well as protein (if you get veggies in, props to you!). I shared the the Smithfield Fully Cooked Sausage Links and Patties as a quick protein for busy morning. Because they are fully cooked, you can pop them in the microwave and they are ready to eat.
How to get your kids to eat more veggies
The SunButter On The Go Single Cups go great with your sliced veggies. SunButter makes US grown sunflower butter, free of the top eight food allergens including peanuts, tree nuts and soy. What is great about SunButter is that it packs as much protein as your traditional almond and peanut butter, but has less saturated fat and more micronutrients including magnesium, vitamin E, zinc and iron. SunButter is available at major grocery chains and schools throughout the US and Canada – so they are a school safe snack!
How to get your kids to eat more fruit
Freeze-dried fruit snacks are a fun way to get kids to eat more fruit – essentially they are fruit chips! The snacks by Crispy Green are made with only one ingredient and that is the fruit itself – no added sugars. They come in convenient to-go packs, each is 55 calories or less. Crispy Green partnered with the Power Your Lunchbox program where parents can pledge to pack a healthier lunch for their kids and for each pledge a donation is made to Feeding America. This can be done at poweryourlunchbox.com.
Affordable and convenient snack options
Finally I shared some snacks that kids know and love like your popcorn, white cheddar puffs, beef jerky all belonging to the Walgreens-owned Nice! Brand which offers food and beverages at affordable prices. They’ve recently rebranded and now offer more organic items and they have implemented better-for-you ingredient standards including minimizing unhealthy oils and artificial ingredients. You can find these snacks and over 100 new items at Walgreens, which will be rolling out through the remainder of the year.
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