It's Back to School time all around the United States. While the thought of heading back to the books spells doom and gloom for some, at our house it means a whole new experiment with back to school lunch foods.
Both of my kids (an 8 year old boy and 13 year old girl) typically pack lunch for school. It helps us control costs and the content of the food they eat. The different ages and genders of the kids means our snack preferences run the gamut from sugary snacks to more wholesome baked fare. We shop at our local discount store so the options are limited to what's on the shelves but that doesn't stop us from indulging in some yummy treats. Some of our favorite back to school lunch foods include:
Frito-Lay's value-packs of chips. My son enjoys his barbeque chips followed by Cheeto's and Frito's while my daughter leans toward the baked varieties. I love the value that the packages of 20 and 22 provide. Even better, the portions are already determined so if Mom, daughter and son all want to get their daily allowance of salty snackness, Frito-Lay makes sure that happens. As I mentioned in my August column, we're huge fans of shows like Unwrapped which provide a behind-the-scenes look at how our foods are made. Frito-Lay's website is pretty good in that capacity with its Farm-to-Store section and other fun website sections.
Nabisco Snack Crackers. We like to counter our salties with sweets so Nabisco's snack cracker in packs (packaged 12 snack packs to a case) are a handy and delicious treat. Oreos are a huge favorite in my house followed by Chips Ahoy so the Oreo-Chips Ahoy-Nutter Butter combo pack is almost a treat to me at the grocery store.
Boxes of Raisins. Who can resist these little bits of sunshine in each and every lunch? While my son doesn't enjoy them as much as my daughter and I do, the handy little snack packs of raisins are perfect for lunch bags or mom's purse. They also offer a healthy way of getting fruits into our diet.
Single Servings of Applesauce. We're partial to the exotic sauces like Mott's Pomegranate which packs in our antioxidants as well as good taste. Like everything else we're partial to, the packaging is convienient and recycleable.
I'm curious: What are your favorite back to school treats and why are they your favorite(s)?
