Back to School: Lunchbox Essentials
I hope I am not the only one that thinks that September came by far too quickly! At the beginning of the summer holidays, I thought we had loads of time, but by the time I realised, it was September!
Little man is so excited he is going to Year 1, he will have a new teacher and learn new topics. I am a true believer that children (and grown ups too!) need nutritious and healthy meals to make the most of their day at school.
Back to School: Lunchbox Essentials
We put together a list of our favourite lunchbox items, full of refreshing drinks and tasty snacks, together with little man’s opinion on them. In no particular order, those are the items that little man will be taking to school this year:
Healthy and Tasty Breakfast:
Chia Pods and Oats+Chia are perfect to fill up little tummies for the busy day at school. Adding chia seeds to little one’s diet is a great way to start the day, as it is the highest combined plant-based source of Omega 3, fibre and protein, it is also packed with antioxidants, vitamins and minerals.
Oats+Chia are indivual fruit porridge sachets with wholegrain oats and sun-ripened chia blended with real fruit and virgin coconut oil. They can be made with just hot water, although we prefer to add milk for a very creamy and tasty porridge. It is available in banana & mango, mixed berry and apple spice flavours – they are all delicious!
Chia Pod are convenient little pots with a spoon in the lid, made from chia seeds, coconut milk and fruit, available in banana, mango, vanilla bean and blueberry. They are ideal to be enjoyed at home, on the go and on school lunchboxes.
Refreshing Drinks:
Robinsons Fruit Shoot is a refreshing juice, ideal to keep children hydrated. The convenient bottles, perfect for lunchbox, are available on a selection of flavours. It contains real fruit juice, with no added sugar, no artificial colours and flavourings. Robinsons Fruit Shoot has recently launched the Get Your Skills On challenge, which is all about getting outdoors, getting active and learning new skills.
We were sent a Get Your Skills on pack with a skipping rope, sweatbands, mini football, mini basketball and Fruit Shoot on apple and blackcurrant flavour to keep us hydrated during the fun challenge. For more information on Robinsons Fruit Shoot and Get Your Skills On Challenge, please check http://fruitshoot.co.uk/
Panda Drinks, the iconic British drink, is back with a refreshed new look and taste. The new range contains still drinks with no added sugar, only natural colours and natural fruity flavours. The bottles with non-detachable sports cap are easy to open and convenient, perfect for little hands to open during their lunch break at school.
In the new Panda Drinks range, you will find Panda Still Juice Drinks, natural juice in raspberry and blackcurrant flavours – little man really likes the blackcurrant juice. There is also Panda Splash, a fruit flavoured still water, available in orange and pineapple, and blackcurrant flavours. The orange and pineapple flavoured water is delicious!
Snacks:
Yollies, a fruity dairy delight on a stick, has been recently launched by the makers of Cheestrings. The extra thick fruity yogurts are made from real fruit puree, with no artificial colours, flavours or preservatives. They can be found on strawberry, raspberry and apricot flavours. Little man’s favourite flavour is raspberry, he loves the concept of having yogurt on a stick.
Yollies can be enjoyed straight from the fridge or freezers, they are found in easy to peel colourful casing, featuring one of 16 fun characters. The sticks are collectable key rings, displaying different letters from the alphabet. Yollies are great addition to children’s diet, they are a source of calcium and vitamin D, essential for healthy bones.
Hartley’s Jelly Pots are deliciously light jelly with no added sugar. The individual pots are convenient and can be added to lunchboxes. They are available on a range of flavours, including strawberry, raspberry, orange, and monster range in spooktacular orange and shocking lemon and slime flavours.
Hartley’s Jelly Pots contain no artificial colours and flavours, they are fat and gluten free. They usually retail at 49p, however they can be found at selected retailers at 25p per pot throughout September – perfect timing to stock up on wobbly jelly for the academic year ahead!
Jumble Bee is a tasty snack range containing dried fruit and nuts. Terrific Trail Mix is a blend of dried fruit, nuts and seeds, with raisins, dried papaya, dried coconut, pumpkin seeds, cashew nuts, Brazil nuts, dried banana and almonds. Juicy Jumbo Raisins and Sultanas contains raisins and sultanas of different shapes and sizes, but all delicious!
Jumble Bee snacks are an easy way to include more fruit and nuts in little ones’ diet, by adding a handful of dried fruit to their lunchbox, or sprinkling over their breakfast. Nuts are rich in protein and omega 3, essential for a healthy diet.
Holland & Barrett has a wide variety of lunchbox essentials, refreshing drinks and healthy snacks, including Vita Coco Kids, naturally fruit flavoured coconut water, available in Mango & Pineapple and Apple & Blackcurrant flavours. Little man loves the Mango & Pineapple flavour!
If your little one prefers crunchy snacks, they will love dried banana chips. Neals Yard Wholefoods Banana Chips are coated in sugar and cooked in coconut oil to enhance the flavour.
Bear Yo Yo are 100% fruit rolls made with fruit puree and natural fruit flavours. Raspberry Bear Fruit Rolls is a healthy fruity treat, made with apple, pears, raspberry and sweet potato, with no added sugar. Each pack has two rolls, and each roll counts as one of your 5 a day.
Last but not least, busy children need lots of energy and multivitamins are an easy way to top up their essential vitamins. Holland & Barrett stocks Peppa Pig and Thomas & Friends multivitamins with fruit flavoured gummies packed in individual sachets.
Little man looks forward to taking his vitamins every day as the gummies look like sweet. Peppa Pig multivitamins contain a vitamin A, B12, C, D and E, while Thomas & Friends multivitamins include vitamin A, B, C, D and E. They are essential to help support children’s healthy growth and development, making sure they make the most of their time at school.
What are you lunchbox essentials?
The products were received free of charge for review purposes, however the opinions expressed in this post are honest and my own.