Healthy Lunch & Snack Plans to Get You Ready For the New School Year
The National Center for Education Statistics reports that over 70 million students are heading back to school this year.  Over 50 million are enrolled in pre-Kindergarten – 12th grade and another 20+ million will be settling in to colleges and universities.  Long story short…..a good portion of our population is heading back to school!
They ALL have one thing in common—a need for a healthy lunch and healthy snacks to keep their neurons sparking and provide the energy required to get through the day. So whether your little one is heading off to school for the first time or you have one going off to college, EVERY student will need a nutritious lunch. Â
Power Your Lunchbox!
Crispy Fruit Freeze-dried snacks are the perfect complement to any healthy lunch.  For those parents who will be packing their kids’ lunches, Crispy Green is proud to be a sponsor of the 4th annual Power Your Lunchbox campaign from Produce for Kids. This campaign grows every year, with more parents making the promise to pack a healthier lunch for their kids. PYL makes it easy by providing a wide variety of creative and delicious lunch options (you’ll never ever run out of ideas of what to pack!). Plus, you’ll be self-assured that you’re providing a healthful lunch. AND, for every parent that takes the Power Your Lunchbox Pledge, Produce for Kids will donate $1 to Feeding America!. Last year, 450,000 meals were donated to families in need as a result of this program.
Power Your Snack Options!
And even if you’re NOT packing their lunch yourself, make sure they have some healthy grab-n-go snacks like Crispy Fruit Freeze-dried fruit snacks from Crispy Green!  These wholesome, one-ingredient fruit snacks are PERFECT for Back to School!  Choose from 7 delicious flavors (apple, banana, cantaloupe, mango, pear, pineapple and tangerine).  Freeze-dried to snack like a chip, Crispy Fruit snacks are the perfect lunch mate or grab-n-go snack when the kiddos need a natural energy boost!
Here are some of our other favorites!
Biena Chickpea Snacks: These chickpeas are the perfect, protein-packed, and high-fiber snacks that will help keep the kid’s tummies full throughout the school day. With flavors ranging from Rockin’ Ranch to Dark Chocolate and even Thin Mint Girl Scout flavored, there’s a flavor for everyone’s taste buds! The small but mighty chickpea snacks are gluten-free, vegan, and non-GMO verified, making these snacks a perfect addition to any lunchbox!Junkless Granola Bars: Junkless.. need we say more? These Junkless non-GMO chewy granola bars contain just eight or fewer ingredients with no fake stuff added! Moms.. no need to waste your time researching the ingredients in your snacks to know if these bars are healthy or not. More importantly, the kids can even read the label! Stick these in the backpack and send your kids to school feeling good about the food they’re consuming.Frooze Balls: Try these plant-powered energy balls that originated in Revive Café in Auckland, New Zealand. These high-protein plant-based balls are gluten-free, dairy-free, non-GMO, vegan and kosher suitable. These energy balls are bursting with goodness and have no preservatives and no processed protein powders. The blended taste of natural and fresh ingredients rolled in coconut will have your kids begging for more! (Good thing there’s 5 energy balls in each pack)From pre-schooler to grad student, these snacks satisfy!
Ready, Set, Back to School!
This year, make sure you keep school lunches and snacks at the top of your back-to-school checklist.  It’s truly as important as registration, shopping for school supplies and new school clothes, and making sure the kids are up to date with their vaccines.  A little pre-planning before the night before the first day will ensure your kids start the year with a healthy lunch and nutritious snacks to keep them happy and attentive as they get settled into their new routine.