For most of us it’s officially back-to-school time. We’re all get back into the swing of things; the weather is changing and the homework drama has begun. Oh, and did we mention sports? Lots of kids are starting soccer and football in our area which adds even more chaos to the mix. Since we are all about making things easier, we thought it would be fun to compile a list of our favorite brands and products that can help you ease back into your new Fall schedules.
Funley’s super crackers are made with 100% natural and real ingredients, including nutrition-rich vegetables like broccoli, carrots and sweet potatoes. SUPER CRACKERS come in four indulgent flavors: “Cheddar n’ Stuff,” “Pizza n’ Stuff,” “Ranch n’ Stuff,” and “Cornbread n’ Stuff,” each with superfood veggies hidden in every bite and are a good source of essential vitamins and minerals – but you would never know it! No, really!
Wholly Granolly Clusters, all-natural unique new bite-sized, poppable wholesome and crunchy granola clusters with flavors such as Apple Berry, Double Chocolate Chip and Peanut Butter Pretzel. WHOLLY GRANOLLY is delicious with yogurt parfait, ice cream, milkshakes or just by themselves.
Our Thoughts: The super crackers and Wholly Granolly Clusters are not only great for the kids lunches or after school snacks, but they’re great for the adults, too. They’re surprisingly very delicious and oh-so-addicting.
This line of vegan and vegetarian meatballs are perfect to throw on top of spaghetti, in a sub, or just to eat on their own. Flavors include Classic, Savory Mushroom, and Zesty Italian. Made with protein packed soy and still have the texture and consistency of regular meatballs. Toss them in the kids’ lunches or prepare them for an after school snack.
Our Thoughts: We still call them meatballs even though they are meatless. They taste just like regular “meat” balls but are more appealing to vegans and vegetarians. Try tossing some in a small crockpot with some BBQ sauce for an easy and fun after school snack.
Just in time for back-to-school season, Epson has designed an innovative solution to ensure children’s items don’t end up mysteriously missing. Parents can now print names, initials, and symbols directly onto Epson’s iron-on labels, which can then be easily added to clothing, backpacks or any other fabric. Both durable and machine-washable, the labels ensure items make their way home while adding a unique and personal identifier to children’s belongings.
Epson’s iron-on labels are compatible with two Epson Labelworks products:
Iron-on Kit– includes the LW-300, a portable battery-powered handheld label printer, and two iron-on tape cartridges in a convenient carrying case.
LW-600P– app-enabled label printer allowing wireless printing for iOS and Android devices.
Our Thoughts: Labeling our kids’ clothes is not something that typically high on our priority list, we know, but just wait until that expensive new sweater get tossed into the lost and found and picked up by another kid. You’re probably going to wish you’d labeled it, huh? We have been using the LW-600P label maker to make our preschool iron-on labels. This is the second Epson label maker we’ve tested and we’re loving how easily both of them get the jobs done.
This label maker is super compact and lightweight (which means easy to store). It is pre-programmed with over 100 design templates and 400 symbols so you can add a touch of pizzazz to your labels. This label maker also has our favorite feature: bluetooth connectivity. That’s right! You can wirelessly create, edit and print your labels.
Hampton Creek has completely mastered the art of Mayo. How hard could it be, you ask? Well, apparently it’s pretty difficult since most of the Mayo brands out there fill their product with “junk” to get the taste just right. Hampton Creek offers a delicious line of Just Mayo that will have you finding any excuse possible to incorporate it into your meals.
Our Thoughts: After sampling the garlic mayo, plain mayo, sriracha mayo and chipotle mayo, we’re in love. All of these mayos spruce up your everyday sandwiches and are great in all sorts of recipes. Plus, they’re not filled with junk. Try it on corn, garlic bread, sandwiches and so much more. Visit the Hampton Creek website (hamptoncreek.com) for recipe inspiration.
Don’t send the little ones off to school without sunscreen. They spend quite a bit of their day out on the playground so why wouldn’t we protect their skin? Sunology’s unique patent-pending formulas make use of a special grade of zinc oxide and titanium dioxide specifically developed for sunscreen. Unlike many US sunscreens marketed today, Sunology uses active ingredients derived from natural sources, not man-made chemicals. When applied, Sunology’s active ingredients leave an invisible barrier protecting skin against the harmful UVA and UVB radiation of the sun.
Our Thoughts: We’re loving the Sunology Kids Sunscreen. This SPF 50 for kids goes on smoothly, is scent-free and non-greasy. Start with a small amount and add more as needed to avoid a “cakey” feeling. Plus, the tube is small enough to toss in their backpack or lunch box so they can reapply as needed throughout the day.
Stop sending sugary drinks in your kids’ lunches and switch to a better-for-you brand like Leaf and Love. Leaf and Love is made by two California moms on a mission who took to their kitchens to develop a delicious zero-sugar alternative to the current array of high-sugar, empty calorie children¹s beverages.
Our Thoughts: We love that Leaf and Love’s organic lemonade is sweetened with the all natural Stevia plant. This lemonade is more on the sour side and tastes like real homemade lemonade vs. those overly sweet brands out there. We did a little homework and compared the price of Leaf and Love’s Organic Lemonade Juice Boxes to other organic juice boxes on the market and they were actually priced pretty equally. Leaf and Love Organic Lemonade is sold as a case of 4×8 packs (32 juice boxes) on Amazon for $28.96 and will be available at select retail locations soon.
The company has also launched an online campaign Our Kids Are Sweet Enough, encouraging parents to learn more about sugar alternatives, which can be found at www.leafandlove.com.
Snacktime really doesn’t get much more wholesome than these new organic Fruit Fusions. Each bite is filled with a delicious combination of dried fruits that will leave you wanting more. Made in Nature creates wholesome snacks that naturally give you energy and a boost of nutrition. These snacks are made without refined sugar and will keep your kids going for hours.
Our Thoughts: These single serve Fruit Fusions are perfect for school lunches or even for tossing in your morning oatmeal. Our favorite is the Organic Apple Cinnamon variety.
Designed by Jim and Monika Adorney and their three daughters, Lunchbox Buddies contains a collection of wacky notes, each with an original cartoon and fun message that can be colored, decorated and traded. With their new product line, the Adorneys offer a fun and unique way for families to stay connected during school season and beyond.
Our Thoughts: All of the Lunchbox Buddies characters are funny and perfect for school lunches. We love the idea of leaving a little note to remind your kids that you’re thinking of them. We even like to color them in and write our own little notes on the back.
GIVEAWAY
Enter to win a BTS prize pack sponsored by Sunology, Nate’s, Funley’s, Hampton Creek, Leaf & Love and Made In Nature using the Rafflecopter form below. We will choose one winner after 9/23/14.Prize Includes:
Hampton Creek Just Mayo Swag Bag (4 flavor + more)
Nate’s Meatless Meatballs
Funley’s Delicious Snacks
Made In Nature Fruit Fusions
Leaf & Love Organic Juice Boxes
Sunology Kids Sunscreen
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I haven't tried any of these brands 🙂 I love being introduced to new things though. I will have to try some.
http://www.studentswife.com
A pb and j, goldfish, grapes and fruit snacks are my sons favorite lunch! 🙂
Pepperoni pizza lunchables!
mcfallsk8er[at]aim[dot]com
As long as I include a snack cake in the lunchbox, my kid's don't care what else is in there. Wew usually give them ham and cheese, though.
My daughter loves tuna fish, so it is a easy one to make!
Chicken Salad Wraps!
My daughter like fresh food – Her fav chicken salad wraps!
Peanut butter and jelly.
Fruit and squeeze yogurt are the must haves! Sandwiches or wraps change daily!
Turkey and cheese sandwich.
Hummus with veggies on whole-grain pita!
Salmon salad on a roll.
Apple slices and more apple slice with maybe a little bit of a ham sandwich and some more apple slices.
Peanut butter and jelly, and also trail mix.
PB&J and fruit
skkorman AT bellsouth DOT net
My son likes to have cucumbers and hummus.
Just ordered the organic lemonade boxes.
Back to school lunches that are liked in my home are peanut butter on whole wheat sandwiches.
twinkle at optonline dot net
she usually likes a peanut butter sandwich, carrot sticks or cucumbers, potato sticks and some juice or chocolate milk.
cheese and crackers with an apple