We share ideas for how to make nutritious lunches your kids will eat and not throw away as well as ways to keep the environment healthy with less lunch waste including green alternatives to lunch bags and juice boxes as well as fun ways to make your kids interested in lunch! This is a MOM Podcast show.
Great containers we LOVE:
Lunchskins: Reusable sandwich and snack bags made from cute pastry bag fabrics–they saved more than 12 million plastic bags from being in landfills last year. These can be washed in the dish washer or washing machine.
Other options are available from people on Etsy, but they may not be made of food grade materials.
KlipIt by Sistema: A cool container that holds a sandwich in one place and two sides in the other side. Available at The Container Store or in Old Navy stores for a limited time. They also make other cool containers you will want to check out.
Recycled Sandwich Wrap (Original idea from Family Fun)
Find a sturdy food grade bag (Large cereal bags, candy bags, cracker bags, Pirate’s Booty bag). The best bags are thick and have some silver lining in them–or they may be completely silver like the cereal bags inside the Costco Kirkland brand cereal boxes.
Cut the bottom from the bag, open the side seam, and clean the bag.
Cut it into a 10 or 12-inch square.
Attach self-adhesive hook-and-loop dots at two opposite corners of the square, one on the front and the other on the back of the bag.
Love Notes for the Lunch Box:
You can write your own notes for your kids lunches, get some online, or get these totally cute ones with great kid-fun facts along with your note. We like “Did you Know that a Turtle breathes through is Butt? OThey are called Lunchbox Love by SayPlease.com.
Ideas for Great Lunches:
Remember to think power snack instead of full lunch since they don’t have time to eat a large meal.
Peanut butter and crackers
Bagel sandwich
Rollup with cucumber, bell pepper and salad dressing
Tortilla, spread with PB, wrapped around a banana—can add a drizzle of honey
Tuna salad and crackers
Quesadilla (just cheese, or add some ground beef) serve with salsa
Hard boiled egg, roll, fruit or veggie
Fruit smoothie: I love this trick—make several smoothies, freeze in 8 oz containers and pop them in your child’s lunch. They will defrost and be ready to stir or spoon up by lunch
Cold pizza
Baked chips (whole grain/healthy versions)—dips or sauces if you like
Pretzel, cheese stick, apple/grapes
Crackers, lunchmeat, cheese (homemade lunchable)
Waffle
Plain tortilla (dip in salsa or spaghetti sauce—or nothing)
Bagel (loads of different flavors), apple
Granola bar and a piece of fruit or a vegetable
Muffins and a fruit smoothie
Soup in a thermos
Pasta. Fun bite sized shapes. Toss with parmesan cheese, include some sauce to dip it in. Eat like chicken nuggets!
Dry cereal (not the sugary stuff—how did that EVER make it to our breakfast tables?)
Biscuits and jam, stick the two sides together.
Cookies: make with smashed beans instead of butter, applesauce for half the sugar, add raisens and nuts. Keep in freezer)
If they have a microwave:
left over dinner
Macaroni and cheese (add a little milk in the container so it won’t be dry when reheated)
Soup (homemade or from a can)
Pizza
Sides:
Nuts
Cheese sticks/slices
Snap peas
Canned fruit
Carrot sticks
Dried apples
Broccoli and ranch
Cucumbers
Grapes
Bell pepper slices
DRINK:
Water. Really. No fruit drinks. It is a lot of money and they really need to rehydrate with some good old water. Check out the Kleen Kanteen or the SubZero Stainless steel containers instead of the plastic ones.
Cowboy Cookies (with healthy alternatives)
1 c butter OR 1 cup mashed white beans
*1 c sugar
*1 c brown sugar
2 eggs
1 t vanilla or 1/2 t almond extract
**2 c flour
**2 c oatmeal
1/2 t baking soda
1/2 t salt
1 c chocolate chips
Mix butter, sugars, eggs, and vanilla or almond extract. Add dry ingredients, then chocolate chips. Bake at 350° for 8-10 minutes.
* You can decrease the sugar or alter with sugar substitutes. If using agave, you will need to increase the flour and oatmeal until the batter is not too runny.
**For Gluten Free cookies, use gluten free flour, xanthum gum and gluten free oatmeal. Follow the instructions on your gluten free flour for quantities. I found that I had to add another 1/3 c to the recipe to make it work.
If you use beans instead of butter, you are created a “perfect protein” mix with the oatmeal. My kids could not taste the difference in the cookies and I felt less guilty about giving them something tasty.
I make a separate batch for me and lessen the sugar, use agave or xylitol and add some protein powder to make a protein cookie that I can eat on the go.
Meet our two new hosts, Sarah and Ali, as we review 3 baby products that you won’t find at your standard chain baby store, 2 of which are specially designed for preemies but are also great for full-term babies.
Sleep Consultant Jami Kent discusses common questions related to baby sleep, including how to transition from swaddling. She also shares with us the importance of customizing sleep schedules for each individual child’s sleep needs.
To learn more from Jami or to arrange a personal sleep consultation visit B.B. Sleep Solutions at http://www.bbsleepsolutions.com.
Isa Herrera, author of Ending Female Pain dedicated her career to helping women find relief from conditions that arise from pregnancy, labor and birth. She discusses her book, common problems and a special Webinar being held January 24, 2010 on C-Section issues.
Mark Hamilton, CEO of Just Ask Baby, discusses findings that show that too many toys can be very detrimental to their development. ‘The Truth About Toys for Infants’ – written by eminent child development expert David Elkind Ph.D. and available as a free download from http://www.justaskbaby.com/ebooks – lifts the lid on the inherent conflict between manufacturers’ need to generate profits and children’s need to learn and develop. In the report, Professor Elkind cautions against buying too many different toys, particularly ones that may over-stimulate a child.
“A toy-packed crib presents the infant with too many colors, shapes, textures and sounds at one time, which can overwhelm an infant,” said Professor Elkind, Just Ask Baby’s Chief Scientific Advisor. “The golden rule of providing toys for a child is less is best.”
According to Professor Elkind, author of more than a dozen books including ‘The Hurried Child’ and ‘The Power of Play,’ infants process information much more slowly than adults. “A baby learns a great deal from playing with the same toy over an extended period of time,” he said. “Variety may be the spice of life, but not when it comes to infant learning.”
“This is not what toy manufacturers want parents to know”, says Mark Hamilton, founder of Just Ask Baby. “The toy industry is a multi-million dollar business, and parents are faced with a barrage of advertising trying to sell them toys for their children, regardless of whether they are good for children’s development or not,” said Hamilton. “Many advertisements even make parents feel that some toys have educational benefits, when the scientific evidence in Professor Elkind’s report points to the opposite conclusion.”
“A young infant may learn most from a set of colorful wooden blocks, which they can use to learn and understand shape and texture,” said Hamilton. “But there is more money in selling parents a ‘baby laptop’ and associated games and add-ons, for example, than in selling wooden blocks.”
Just Ask Baby, a company and the world’s first broadcast-quality online, on-demand TV channel for parents, released a free e-book that details how too many different toys can actually hinder the development of infants, and provides some tips for parents wondering what toys are best for their children.
Dr. Mary Egan discusses when your child’s reaction to a new food is really a food allergy and what to do. She also discusses other allergies and issues that plague little ones.
We discuss products that solve problems such as fear of monsters and nightmares, kids who won’t wear winter hats, getting stains out, creating family memories, calling hands free while driving, games for the family, and the way to keep your floor really clean. We talk to the mom-creator of Bye Bye Monster Shop and Sharon of Parent Tested Parent Approved.
Professional Organizer and Podcaster Laura Lawrence explains how to organize the chaos of paper and other things coming into your home to reclaim peace, sanity, and possibly some extra cash! Check out more of her podcasts!
Rita Harrison discusses how to manage our expectations.
Rita is a 6 Advisors Coach. For more on the Hartman Value Profile assessment and the 6 Advisors Coaching Program visit www.6advisors.com. Take a free assessment and receive partial results at www.6advisors.com/intro. Enter Rita’s code: PSSVDY748D. Rita will provide 20-30 minutes of free coaching at your request. Babies and Moms listeners who order a full assessment and debrief directly from Rita ( rnrharrison@gmail.com) receive a special discounted rate of $199 (a $200 discount).
The Reflux Mom, Jan Gambino, explains what GER and GERD are and how we handle acid reflux in our babies. She is the author of Reflux 101 and creator of www.RefluxMom.com.
Claire Lerner of Zero to Three discusses how to prepare the first child for the coming of the next baby. We also discuss Why kids ask WHY so much! This is Part 1 of a 2 part discussion.
Dr. Vaughn Johnson shares how our hormones can affect us and how even young women can have hormone issues (this is not JUST a menopause issue). Millions of women are misdiagnosed and live with symptoms of miscarriages, depression, tiredness, irritability, weight gain, hair loss, and more just because they have a simple-to-fix issue. Nancy has a lot of experience with this topic!
Claire Learner from Zero to Three explains why toddlers become independent and how this is a good thing. She explains to Nancy what to do at Nap time when Anna is expressing her independence and not sleeping! Check out our Facebook Group to Win Free Popcorn
Even if you don’t think you will have a preemie, you should be prepared because 20% of babies are premature. Deb Discenza, founder of Preemie Magazine, creator of PreemieWorld website and author of and a preemie parenting book talks about what to expect if you have a preemie or near term baby. Deb is also the Director of Partnership for MOST (Mothers of Supertwins) and PreemieCare and is a Column Editor for the Neonatal Network Journal.
We talk to our listener Andrea who is a family doctor in Canada about the surprises she encountered as a new mom. Even as a Doc, she was surprised about some common ailments we all go through with our kids. Listen and learn
We talk to Carlyn, a listener, soon-to-be-mom and organic farmer about the importance of Organic. We talk about what are the most important veggies and fruits to choose organic and what is best to do. Learn about the Dirty Dozen most pesticide-ridden foods.
Tricia and Nancy talk about ideas for a girl’s third birthday party. We talk about the Cricut machine and making cake pops. Check out these pictures and links: (more…)
Andrea, mom and family physician in Canada, shares her experiences signing with her daughter and how the book Baby Signing 1, 2, 3 helped her learn how to create a language bond with her daughter.
We discuss Menus4Moms.com and how this subscription helps save money, create better meals, and stop the drive thru habit. With the economy in shambles, this is one way to get on top of the grocery budget.
Nancy talks about her first experience with Potty Training in One Day and her reason to put things off. Then, Tricia discusses sugar intake and how to cut it for your family’s health.
Nancy's Potty Training Experience and Ideas about Lowering Sugar Intake [23:54m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download (1606)
We had a show ready with a doctor discussing the history of vaccines and why it is important to get educated on the strengths and issues with vaccines. Your child can be at serious risk for diseases you’ve never heard of.
However, we have decided to put off this show because of the VERY heated debate and issues going on due to the recent Court Case against parents who think vaccinations cause Autism. People in the medical and media communities have been receiving death threats. We want the time of terror to die down and let calm heads prevail before we have this discussion. So look for it in the future.
Sorry that this show has to be delayed, but we’d like the hysteria to pass first. For more information on vaccines in general, see www.immun-wize.org.
Give up the idea of convincing your toddler to eat only veggies and stay away. It only backfires in the long run says Expert EllynSatter. Her 40 years of research uncover a unique look at what she calls the Division of Feeding that breaks the cycle of issues with food and helps you and your child learn to enjoy food again. Check out her site for great articles and links to her books (I love Your Child’s Weight: Helping without Hurting even though my kids don’t have eating issues because it taught me how NOT to create issues with them).
You have heard about the importance of making sure the crib you purchase is safe, but what about your baby mattress? Janell discusses with us some important information every parent should know when deciding what mattress is right for your child.
they may be completely silver like the cereal bags inside the Costco Kirkland brand cereal boxes.
You can write your own notes for your kids lunches, get some online, or get these totally cute ones with great kid-fun facts along with your note. We like “Did you Know that a Turtle breathes through is Butt? OThey are called Lunchbox Love by SayPlease.com.
