It's back to school time, and both Farm Star Living and Seald Sweet are helping you get ready for it! We’ve packaged some excellent choices of favorite standards and have slipped in what is sure to be some new ones. Result? We think that combining them together is going to be a sure-fire, healthy hit with your schoolkids!
One thing that’s never difficult to ‘sell’ to your kids is the idea of eating something sweet. That’s why we’re recommending sweet citrus, from Seald Sweet. They’ve been able to produce some of the most amazing varieties of clementines, navel oranges, mandarins, and more. The Mandarina’s™ sweet mandarins are called “easy peelers” because, just as the name implies, they are easy to peel! Navel oranges can be cut in advance for the kids.
Seald Sweet grows and ships some of the tastiest citrus year round. For their summer citrus program, Seald Sweet has partnered with growers from the finest farms around the world, including places like South Africa, to deliver these juicy, delicious fruits to stores across the US. This keeps farming families in South Africa in business and keeps delicious fruits on our tables. Seald Sweet’s navel oranges from South Africa are in their peak season in late July, August, and through September, so they make the perfect back-to-school, lunchbox snack!
As the week begins, let’s start with prepping – and planning for the week ahead.
Monday – LUNCHBOX #1:
Cook chicken on Sunday and save a little extra to throw in some teriyaki sauce to marinate over night – your kids will love it! Make the chicken utensil-free for the kids by putting it in a quesadilla! Serve this with edamame (forget the shells, let them eat em’ like popcorn), cucumber sticks, and an Mandarina’s™ sweet mandarin for a delightful sweet taste that will have them fully satisfied and ready for the school day ahead.
- Teriyaki Chicken Quesadilla with a Whole Wheat Tortilla
- Chicken is a great source of lean, protein, which is important for the growth, maintenance and repair of body tissue.
- Whole Wheat Tortillas are a good source of calcium and can help keep your heart healthy.
- Cheese of your choice
- Cheese is one of the best sources of calcium, and it’s important for bone and teeth health.
- A serving of edamame contains vitamin C, a nutrient that keeps your child's skin, gums and teeth healthy while boosting his immunity.
- Purchase in a frozen section at almost any grocery store
- Tip: Call edamame “poppers” because you pop the beans out of the shell straight into your mouth. Poppers is a lot easier for a little one to say than edamame, and it makes eating beans a lot more fun.
- Cucumber Sticks
- Cucumbers are a good source of B vitamins. Also cucumbers are 95 percent water, keeping the body hydrated while helping the body eliminate toxins.
- Mandarina’s™ sweet mandarin
- Mandarinas are known as the sweetest tasting mandarins, and your kids will love them!
- Mandarins provide a boost of vitamins and minerals, yet are low in calories and fat free.
Tuesday - LUNCHBOX #2:
Again, save some extra penne pasta over from dinner the night before or you could even make it ahead on the weekend. Grab a jar of your favorite marinara and heat it with some finely shredded zucchini (trust us, your kids will never know it’s in there). Put the pasta, warm sauce, and a little Parmesan in a thermos, and it will be the perfect temperature when the kids sit down for lunch! Serve some bell pepper sticks – orange and yellow are the sweetest – with creamy ranch dressing, some red or green grapes, and a mozzarella stick to round out a perfect Italian lunch!
- Penne with Zucchini Marinara
- Zucchini is a great source of dietary fiber and vitamin C. Zucchini contains important vitamins and minerals that are important for bone development, and it is an easily digestible vegetable.
- Bell Pepper sticks with ranch
- Bell peppers are low in calories and contain plenty of vitamin C, Vitamin E, & Vitamin B6.
- A variety of colors in a child’s diet is important.
- A Red Bell pepper is rich in antioxidants, contains B vitamins that are essential for growth and development.
- Green Bell peppers reduce your risk of certain chronic illnesses, and they contain Vitamin E helps protect your cells from damage and supports a strong immune system.
- Yellow Bell peppers contain Vitamin C, an antioxidant that also helps protect your cells from damage caused by the environment and the aging process.
Tip: Yellow peppers have a fruity taste but are not as commonly found in local markets as green and red bell peppers. Red peppers have a sweet, almost fruity taste. Green peppers have a slightly bitter flavor and will never have the sweet taste of their red, yellow and orange counterparts.
- Grapes
- Grapes are a great source of Vitamin C, which is a critical nutrient for growing children, and they contain potassium for heart function and digestion. Also, grapes are high in water content and good for hydration.
- Mozzarella stick
- Cheese is one of the best sources of calcium, and it’s important for bone and teeth health.
Wednesday - LUNCHBOX #3:
In a whole-wheat pita, add hummus, turkey, and finely chopped spinach and tomatoes that have been tossed in vinaigrette. Tip: Finely chopping the spinach and mixing it with dressing makes it harder and less likely that the kiddos with try to remove it! Serve with carrots and a little more hummus for dipping, and also with navel orange wedges along with a side of your kid’s favorite yogurt for even more dipping action!
- Whole wheat pita with turkey, spinach and tomato tossed in vinaigrette and hummus
- Turkey is a rich source of protein, iron, zinc, and potassium. Skinless turkey is low in fat.
- Whole-wheat pita bread is the healthiest type of pita bread because it’s made with whole grains. This releases sugar relatively slowly into the bloodstream, which helps provide long-lasting energy.
- Spinach is a super food loaded with tons of nutrients in a low calorie package. Dark leafy greens like spinach are important for skin and hair, bone health, and provide protein, iron, vitamins and minerals.
- The health benefits of tomatoes include improved eyesight, good stomach health, and they contain a high amount of calcium and vitamin K, which helps in strengthening bones.
- Carrots
- Carrots are an excellent source of Vitamin C, which helps boost your kid’s immunity. They are good for the eyes, too, and will help cure your kids’ diarrhea quickly and effectively. Who knew?
- Hummus
- Hummus helps build healthy muscles and tissues and is a good source of fiber, which helps in maintaining a healthy digestive system.
- Seald Sweet Navel Orange wedges with yogurt dip
- Oranges are an excellent source of vitamin C, which is vital for the proper function of a healthy immune system, and especially good for preventing colds.
- Yogurt is a calcium powerhouse as well as a source of high-quality protein, which is important for bone and teeth health. It is also important to choose full fat milk and yogurt because children need 'good fat' for energy when growing.
Thursday - LUNCHBOX #4:
Roll up a slice of cheese in some roast beef or ham for the perfect breadless sandwich. Depending on the size of the roll-ups, 3-5 roll-ups should suffice. Serve with celery and apple sticks, aka “French fries”, with peanut butter and some whole-wheat crackers for a yummy protein-packed lunch!
- Roast beef roll up with cheese
- Roast beef is relatively low in calories, rich in protein, and is good source of iron.
- Cheese is one of the best sources of calcium, and it’s important for bone and teeth health.
- Celery and apple “French fries” with peanut butter
- Celery reduces inflammation, helps calm you down, and soothes the nervous system.
- Apples are absolutely fat-free! Apples give your body a longer energy boost compared to high-sugar snacks.
- Peanut butter contains a good supply of protein for body development, a good supply of essential fats for brain development, and is good for the immune system.
- Whole wheat crackers
- Wheat is high in carbohydrates, which helps provide the energy to perform physical activities.
Friday - LUNCHBOX #5:
Cook an extra turkey burger for “Turkey Thursday” and chop it up for a turkey and black bean burrito using a whole-wheat tortilla, of course. Serve with blue corn chips and some mashed avocado. Tip: To sweeten up the avocado you can add pomegranate seeds or dried cranberries!
For a special end-of-the-week Friday treat, dip some Seald Sweet clementine segments in CHOCOLATE! Have the kids help you make these – it’s a great way to get them in the kitchen!
- Ground turkey and black bean burrito (whole wheat tortilla)
- Ground turkey is low in calories, high in protein, and high in calcium, which is important for a growing child.
- Black beans have an amazing protein-plus-fiber content.
- Blue corn chips with mashed avocado
- Blue corn tortillas contain 20% more protein than their white corn counterparts. They also have less starch and a lower glycemic index (GI).
- Avocados are prized for its high nutrient value, and is loaded with heart-healthy monounsaturated fatty acids.
- Chocolate dipped Mandarina’s™ sweet mandarin wedges
- A clementine is a low carbohydrate fruit, and the aromatic smell of clementine relieves stress and helps your body and mind to feel refreshed and energetic. Kids will love them, especially these!
We hope this has alleviated some of the pressure of creating new lunchboxes for your precious little ones, and we would love to hear from you! Please visit us on our Facebook page and let us see some of your own lunchboxes, too! And don't forget to visit our friends at Seald Sweet for more information on their sweet citrus products. Your kids are going to love them, and you will, too!
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