Quick and healthy bento

Sometimes, life hands you lemons, and in the midst of trying to make lemonade from those lemons, life goes on, and school lunches still need to be made. What the heck am I talking about? Well, over Christmas break, along with my entire family getting sick, I developed bronchitis, the severe coughing of which illness bruised my rib. The only way to heal a rib = rest. So I am not allowed to do pretty much anything, except breathe, sit, rest and sleep. I can't grocery shop. I can't vacuum. I can't make meals. I can't do diddly-squat. (But a major shout out to my awesome husband, who has taken care of me and the kids and the household. Love you, Babe!)

However, the kids went back to school today (hooray!). And I needed something for their lunches. Remember how I said I couldn't grocery shop? Therefore, there wasn't a huge of variety of lunch-type items in our house. But I managed to pull together a relatively healthy lunch out of what was left-over from the holiday munchies.

Today's lunch consisted of:
Roasted Garlic Triscuits (grain)
Baby carrots, broccoli florets, snipes and celery sticks (lots of veggies)
String cheese (dairy)
Costco's fruit and nut trail mix (fruits and protein)

Don't think that you can't make a quick and healthy lunch. Just look around at what you have, and put it together. It doesn't have to be Pinterest-worthy; mine aren't! Healthy and do-able - let's all aim for that goal this new year!

Product Review of TJ's August Fearless Flyer

On Monday, I made a nutritious, packed lunch using only 5 ingredients, all of which were from Trader Joe's August Fearless Flyer. And I promised kid-approved reviews of that lunch and its components. So here they are ...

(1) For the dairy component: TJ's Organic Lowfat Yogurt Squishers were a hit! LoveBug described them as "yummy", and SuperBoy cheerfully said that they were "great".

(2) The protein part: TJ's Gluten-Free Chicken Nuggets. You already know that I LOVED them, and my son agreed that they were "great!" My daughter said that the nuggies weren't her favorite, and I had to agree that they did taste much better hot and fresh from the oven. (Guess what I'm gonna eat for lunch today ... the last serving of nuggets!)

(3) Grains: TJ's Gluten-Free Blueberry Muffin. The kids raved over these, wanting another one for snack that afternoon! LoveBug described them as "moist, blueberry-filled, with a tiny taste of maple". That should give some hope for those that are GF; delicious muffin options await for you at Trader Joe's!

(4) Fruit: LoveBug kept telling me about the "granola bar in my lunch", by which she meant the TJ's two-ingredient Fruit Bar. I tried the Apple Mango, giving LoveBug and SuperBoy the Apple Strawberry and Apple Banana respectively. They were tasty and chockfull of fruit bits - two types of fruit, no preservatives, no yucky stuff. We can't wait to try the Apple Coconut Fruit Bar.

(5) Veggies - Lastly, the Inner Peas. I really wasn't sure what my kids would think of these. I taste-tested these along with my mom-in-love (who was visiting), and we adults agreed that they were "crunchy and salty at first, but left a weird aftertaste". On the other hand, My kids. Could. Not. Get. Enough. They LOVED those crunchy, baked pea snacks! Fortunately, there was enough leftover to pack another serving for the next day's lunches. Woohoo for pure veggies getting into my willing kids. I couldn't be happier!

Trader Joe's Lunchable

Today's lunch is brought to you by Trader Joe's and their August Fearless Flyer. We happen to be lucky enough to have a Trader Joe's down the road from us, but if you don't have one of these awesome stores, you can easily substitute foods from your local store.

The point of my Trader Joe's lunchables is two-fold: (1) a healthy lunch that is (2) easy to make. Therefore, if you grab an item from each food group (dairy, grains, protein, fruit, veggies), you can quickly and easily make a portable, healthy lunch. No matter what grocery stores are around you.

Plus, on Thursday, I will give you the kids' reviews of these products.

Today's lunch consists of:
(1) Dairy: TJ's Organic Lowfat Yogurt Squishers - these yogurt tubes come in a box of 8 for $3.19, which is about $0.40/tube. You have a choice of 8 Strawberry yogurts in a box, or a combo or Cherry and Berry yogurts, 4 each in a box.

(2) Grain: Gluten-Free Blueberry Muffins - my family is not gluten-free, but I know of several families that are GF. I figured we would give these blueberry-filled bakery treats a try, and on Thursday, we'll let you know the verdict. $3.99 for 4 muffins, making them each a dollar.

(3) Protein: Gluten Free Chicken Nuggets - Omg. I know that I said I was gonna give you our reviews on Thursday, but wow. After I baked these for the kiddos' lunches, I tried one. Wow. These might be the best store-bought, oven-baked chicken nuggets that I have ever eaten. $4.99/16 nuggets. 1 serving is 4 nuggets, making a serving $1.25 each. Not exactly cheap, but for GF and non-GF eaters alike, these nuggies (as my kids used to call them) are perfect.

(4) Fruit: Fruit Bars - these are relatively new to Trader Joe's. The thing I love most about this new product? There are only 2 ingredients, and both are fruit. No preservatives, no additives, nada. Four different flavors - Apple Banana, Apple Coconut, Apple Mango and Apple Strawberry. $0.99 each for pure fruit goodness.

(5) Veggies: Inner Peas - Baked green pea snackies with a touch of salt. On Thursday, I'll let you know what my kids thought of them. $1.49 for about 3 servings, making it a doable $0.50/serving for veggies!

To assemble, I baked the chicken nuggets ... and taste-tested them of course! While the nuggets cooled a bit, I cut the blueberry muffin to fit into the lunch container. Inner Peas go in one section, and chicken nuggets (so yummy!) plop into the other small section. Add a lid, and pack the Yogurt Squisher and Fruit Bar on the side. And presto - LUNCH!

For less than $4.25. More expensive than a school lunch, BUT much more healthy! And super easy to make.

By the way, if you are packing the lunches the night before like I do, I would wait to add the Inner Peas until morning. The refrigerator can add moisture to the baked pea snacks, making it less than desirable. Other than that, you're good to go!