Usually around October my kids start to complain that their school lunch box selections are boring. The back-to-school thrill has died down and our search for snacks to spice up our lunch routine is on. Then the begging for hot lunch begins. I really don’t get it. Hot lunch at school looks completely unappetizing to me. Quite frankly, I’d rather not eat lunch. Knowing that the complaining and begging is just around the corner (maybe it is for you too?) I thought I’d be proactive and take this opportunity to share a few snacks that may or may not work in your children’s lunch boxes.

Cascadian Farm Organic Ancient Grains Granola

My kids love to use Kids Konserve Stainless Steel Mini Food Containers to pack a trail mix in their lunch. We take Cascadian Farms Organic Granola Cereal Ancient Grains and add mix-ins to it (raisins, nuts, other cereals) to make our customized trail mix. The granola has quinoa, spelt and kamut khorasan wheat. It’s an excellent source of fiber and protein.

NatureBox

NatureBox is a monthly subscription service that costs $19.95/month. Each month a variety of beautifully packaged snacks arrives at your doorstep. The snacks are handpicked by NatureBox and abide by their strict quality standards:

• No high fructose corn syrup
• No partially hydrogenated oils
• No artificial colors or flavors
• No trans fats

If you’re looking for variety this is a great option. Just so there are no surprises-most of the NatureBox snacks I received did contain some form of sugar-agave, evaporated cane juice, but no HFCS.

Late July Organic Snacks

My son grabbed the Late July Organic Snacks Sea Salt by the Seashore Multigrain Tortilla Chips when were grocery shopping together a few months ago. Now we’re all hooked.  Every Late July chip flavor is delicious and works extremely well in our lunch boxes. These chips have a lot of good qualities:

• They’re gluten-free
• They’re organic
• You won’t find any GMOs, artificial colors or preservatives or trans fats
• The company donates 10% of their profits to summer camp scholarships

Honest Tea

Water in a reusable Klean Kanteen goes into our lunch boxes daily.  An Honest Tea drink would only be included as a special treat.

My kids steer clear of any drinks that are caffeinated and thankfully there are plenty of decaffeinated Honest Tea choices. I was a bit disappointed that all of their decaffeinated drinks contained some form of added sugar. Not ideal for three boys with a lot of energy.

My husband loves the organic Honest Tea selections. This selection of tea doesn’t have any added sugar and come in a glass bottle. Keep in mind that they are caffeinated.

UNREAL Candy

Have you seen this candy? I recently spotted it in Staples and CVS as I was about to checkout. UNREAL is a new type of candy with a mission to “unjunk” the world. UNREAL candies contain no artificial flavors, preservatives or hormones; no GMO’s (genetically modified organisms); no hydrogenated oils; and no corn syrup. Instead, they use real sugar, natural oils, and real milk. They make their candy available only where junk food is available.

Candy never makes it into our lunch boxes-our elementary school prohibits sending in any candy for lunch. However, this type of candy does have a place. If there’s a child reaching for a candy bar at the checkout counter no candy is the best option, but UNREAL candy would be a better option.

What are your favorite snacks to spice up your lunch box?

photo credit: kayepants via photopin cc

Disclosure: I did receive samples from Cascadian Farm, Late July Organics, Honest Tea, NatureBox and UNREAL. The opinions are my very own.