Elevating School Lunches!

📚We've been in school now for a week or more and I'm sure the school lunch plan & prep fatigue is starting to set in! Are lunch boxes coming home barely touched? Are they running through the door hangry because they're famished? There are LOTS of reasons for this, but as I was reminded years ago, sometimes you do have to take an extra step(s) to pique our kiddo's interest in their lunches!

Here is a quick story that is well-known within my family & friend circle and still haunts me 10 years later...so it must be worth the share!

Here I am, mom of a toddler, runner & cross-fitter, & fitness business owner. My child was going to be packed the most nutritious lunch for daycare every day--and that is what I did. Quickly I began to notice the lunches weren't being eaten and the daily notes home would say "Pip did not seem interested in her lunch today."

🤣WHHAAATTTTT!?!?! My child didn't want to eat a homemade grilled cheese stuffed with green beans???? Exactly. That. Is. Gross! I would send the sandwich (and others like it), on ice (and FYI cold grilled cheese is NO cold pizza) and assume my toddler would just eat it as-is. Needless to say, I did a little research, put a little bit more effort into it, made some adjustments--and things got better. PERFECT--no. But, better!

🍎We eat with our eyes! And especially for our little ones, making food look appealing and jazzing things up a bit can really help! I mean the food industry spends BILLIONS marketing foods to kids in creative, colorful, appealing ways(I know, you know exactly what I am talking about)--so we need to bring our "A" games if we want to compete! I joke--kinda. It doesn't have to be elaborate, just try a few new strategies and see if any stick!

Check out our slides for a few simple tricks & let us know if you ever packed something like a green bean stuffed grilled cheese...and how that went!

Here are some of our favorite products linked!

Cupcake liners in bright colors and shapes - https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01KWTGAVQ/ref=cm_sw_r_sms_api_glt_fabc_A4V09ARTBGQGE1RKD07P?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01HPWDWT6/ref=cm_sw_r_sms_api_glt_fabc_D2AQ1VAZR2TS4P7PZV6Q

Toothpick skewers -

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08X4R9S2R/ref=cm_sw_r_sms_api_glt_fabc_PDMFDMPAQQDSQX2K8PRF?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1

Happy-shaped cookie cutters to cut out fruit, veg, sammies -

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07DM5ZN98/ref=cm_sw_r_sms_api_glt_fabc_MJSRBVR0HCT9PJ3AKH1E

Cute/sporty/creative sandwich bags/wraps -

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B085V5ZS8V/ref=cm_sw_r_sms_api_glt_fabc_68WGED2K5C84D2SBGB6X?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1

https://www.stasherbag.com/products/sandwich-5-pack?variant=39823307079859&gclid=Cj0KCQjwg7KJBhDyARIsAHrAXaEF9ugFLDB_36iV6T_Dd2pTU7LiCsLNhRtuFnDhO6Kp7r-0UWYUTagaAqpMEALw_wcB

Self-Care Checklist.

Don’t we wish every day was national self-care (or relaxation day)? Instead of wishing and waiting for this one day of the year (which happens to be on Sunday) to give you the permission to relax, implement self-care into your daily routines.

Just like our last post on quick balanced dinners, this doesn’t have to be elaborate, time-consuming, expensive, or luxurious. Take a few minutes to practice a behavior (or fill in your own) that helps fill our cup, instead of taking from it!

Honoring Your Hunger

Today's post is for some of the most important people in our lives...our teachers and school staff.

When we posted and asked for topics regarding back to school this topic was suggested a few times, so we wanted to address it since it involves our beloved teachers! The requests were for tips on how to navigate workrooms that are typically filled with foods that tend to be not as nutrient-dense.

Food is one of the main ways we show our love and gratefulness so it is natural that we would shower them with the gift of food! So how do these teachers enjoy these gifts!? Or should they abstain totally? Where is the balance?

It is a tricky one for me to navigate in just one post(it could easily be 100). And as always, we are only ever just scratching the surface on these topics. But, we want to try and give a little more attention to this topic because it really involves the overall behaviors of mindful/balanced eating. These behaviors could be practiced by everyone at any time--not just teachers navigating workrooms full of back-to-school fun foods!

If the answer is 'yes' to any of these questions- we need to look at our relationship with food. Building a healthy relationship with food takes a lot of work and most likely someone to guide you through the process. And if you suspect a medical condition, such as an eating disorder, we would encourage you to seek medical attention through clinical eating disorder specialists.

Check out our slides for ways to begin finding a balance that makes you feel well and satisfied!

When faced with workrooms filled with these foods of pleasure and fun, take note of how they make you feel. Honor your body's needs, health, AND joy. And a few reminders....one meal, one food, one day will not throw your health into a tailspin, and remember that we practice for progress, not for perfection, and that we are here to help!

For more individualized ways on how to build a healthier relationship with food, guided practice, and meeting your nutritional needs, sign-up for a FREE discovery call with our link in bio.