Tag Archives: itzy ritzy

Back-to-School: Food Storage

19 Aug

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Along with packing a lunch comes how will you store the food in the lunch bag.  Whether you are making the most of the last weeks of summer with picnics in the park or preparing for the upcoming school year, below are food storage containers must-haves:

Thermos Insulated Containers:

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The four images of the containers came from Thermos.

I remember using Thermos lunch boxes and containers as a child.  In fact, I just found my Campbell’s soup container from my childhood. I loved the container because when I saw it, It meant that I had something other than the usual sandwich.  As I prepare to pack a lunch for my daughter everyday, I have thought about what to pack so she won’t get tired of eating the same lunch everyday.  Ideas are Mac & Cheese, Meatballs, Soup, pasta or leftovers from the night before.   Thermos insulated containers will keep food warm (or cold) until lunch time with their double wall vacuum insulation for maximum temperature retention.  We will be heading back to school with these great containers; the Food Jar with Microwavable Container (4 hours hot, 6 hours cold), the Flip Top Food Jar (5 hours hot, 7 hours cold), and the Stainless King Food Jar with Spoon (7 hours hot, 9 hours cold).  We gave our Thermos containers a try with a picnic in the park and now my daughter is VERY excited for the possibilities of what she can bring for her school lunch.  If your child likes designs check out Thermos FUNtainers and Foogo containers.  Make sure to check out the beautiful designs from Dwell Studio for Thermos!  Easy to hand wash!

Zak Designs ChillPak Sandwich and Snack Containers:

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Top two images from Zak designs

We use these awesome containers all the time.  Perfect for keeping on-the-go lunches cool with the ice pack you place on top of your food, inside the container. Not only is the ChillPak Sandwich container great for keeping sandwiches cool, it is also the perfect size for two slices of watermelon, my daughters favorite fruit!  The snack container is the perfect size for an individual pack of hummus and pita chips, carrots, or cucumber.  I was also able to fit 1/2 a sandwich, hummus, cucumber and tomato into the sandwich container.   My girls love Zak Designs because they can choose from some of their favorite characters like Disney princesses to make meal time fun.  Hand wash these containers and ice packs.

Itzy Ritzy Reusable Snack and Everything Bag:

Three images on the left from Itzy Ritzy.

Three images on the left from Itzy Ritzy.

I recently learned about Itzy Ritzy.  I love this bag because it comes in so many beautiful designs for girls and cool designs for boys.  The Itzy Ritzy snack bag comes in two sizes and is machine washable, making it easy to reuse for snacks like crackers, grapes, or add a sweet treat with a little note in you child’s lunch.  The bags have a 100% cotton exterior and waterproof lining interior to keep a special message from getting wet.  They also refer to them as an everything bag because you can use it for iPods and headphones when you head to the beach.  I can also fit my daughters epi-pen, training device and instructions to keep it all together in her backpack or to carry to lunch.  Enter to win an Itzy Ritzy snack bag and Balance Bar mini energy bars here.

Smart Planet Collapsible Eco Lunch Box 

Image from amazon

Image from amazon

I have not tried this container yet but I did purchase one and it’s on the way.  I love that it collapses and won’t take up too much room in the cabinet.  The container has 3 compartments for food and includes a “spork” untensil.  Can’t wait to try this container out this fall!

Disclaimer:  I received samples from Zak Designs for a past post, a sample from Itzy Rizty and a sample from Thermos.  This did not alter my opinions about the product.  Any information in italics came from the brands website.

Balance Bar mini energy bars (Review & GIVEAWAY)

18 Aug

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It’s hard to believe that summer is almost over and my girls head back to school in a few weeks! Heading back-to-school means packing lunches and snacks for dance, soccer practice, play-dates and “snack week” responsibilities. I have tried to think of filling snacks that they will enjoy. I recently tried the Balance Bar mini energy bars which contain 7 grams of protein, 100 calories and 23 vitamins and minerals. The bars are soft, flavorful, satisfying, filling and easy to eat. They are the perfect size for kids or even parents who need a little something to hold them over while on-the-go. A bite of the cookie dough reminded me of the days I used to sneak bites of raw cookie dough while baking with my mom..yumm. The double chocolate is just as delicious for all the chocolate lovers out there. Unfortunately my oldest didn’t try them because they are produced on equipment that also processes peanuts, tree nuts, egg, wheat and sesame but my youngest is so excited to pack them in her Itzy Ritzy snack bag (to be featured in an upcoming food storage post).

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Image by tastefully childish

Are you ready for back-to-school? Balance Bar® in partnership with the Macaroni Kid parent network surveyed more than 5,000 parents of schoolaged children and found that 61% of parents thought that Fall (aka Back to School) is the busiest time of year for their families.

What else did they find from this survey? Check it out:

• 77% of parents said they have 3 or more activities/events per week on average once school starts.

• 80% of respondents said once school starts, they will be planning more meals and attending more sporting events for their kids.

• And 57% of parents said they try to have one meal together each day as a family to help balance their schedules.

• 79% of parents reported that they pack their kids’ school lunches.

To help parents, Macaroni Kid provided some tips on how to better prepare for a school day and balance everyone’s schedules:

• Do a run through. Are your kids starting a new school or a new routine? Do a run through. Wake up “school time,” brush teeth, get dressed, pack lunch, have a schoolappropriate breakfast and maybe even drive or walk to school. Then, take those packed lunches and head to the park for a final summer break picnic.

• Plan the menus. Give your kids several options in each category and let them weigh in on what they’d like to find in their lunch boxes… you won’t have to guess each morning and they are far more likely to eat it if they’ve had a hand in selecting it. We love Balance Bar® minis to pack along for snacks!

• Clean your closets! Nothing gets you and the kids ready for smooth mornings like purged, well-organized closets.

• Start a good sleep routine early. Kids love to stay up late in the summer time (and who can blame them) but it makes for tougher mornings if kids are used to going to bed later and sleeping in past “school time” wake up.

• Set goals with your children for the upcoming school year. Whether it’s academics, sports, or extracurricular activities it’s great to help kids get motivated for success in the new school year.

Interested in hearing more tips on how to balance your schedule come this Fall? Join Balance Bar® Tuesday, August 20 at 2:00 PM EST/11:00 AM PST for a live, one-hour Twitter chat.

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For more information visit www.Balance.com, Balance Bar on Facebook (www.facebook.com/BalanceBar), and Twitter (https://twitter.com/BalanceBar)

GIVEAWAY:

One lucky winner will win a box of Balance Bar mini energy bars and an Itzy Ritzy snack bag. Click the link to ENTER! The giveaway begins 8/18/ 2013 and will end at 11:59 pm on 8/26/2013.

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Itzy Ritzy snack bags are machine washable and waterproof. Ideal for holding crackers and Balance Bar mini energy bars. Top right image by tastefully childish

 

Disclaimer: I received samples of Balance Bar mini energy bars and an Itzy Ritzy for the purpose of this review. All images, unless noted, and information in italics came from 360 PR.