Grab-and-Go Lunch at the Zoo!

Some of you, dear readers, might be thinking "Grab-and-Go Lunches are great for school-age kids, but I have preschoolers" OR "We homeschool; we don't usually need to grab-and-go." Well, let me tell you ... grab-and-go came in really handy for our family this past week.

The big kids had a day off of school, and my husband was still on vacation. So on a whim, we decided to pack up our family and head to the zoo. We had been given some Christmas money, which covered the zoo admission, but not enough to cover expensive, non-nutritious lunches at the zoo. What to do?

We quickly microwaved the frozen chicken nuggets, grabbed the remaining food items to create a balanced lunch, and we were off ... after having everyone go potty, grab coats and put on shoes. After feeding and changing the baby, and putting her in her carseat. After making sure we had the stroller, diaper bag and water bottles. But after that .... we were off on our adventure, with our healthy, cheaper-than-zoo-food lunches.

SuperBoy wanted a left-over turkey hotdog as his protein component.

I told LoveBug to say "cheese". Here's her response. :)

My hot hubby holding the baby, so that I could eat with both hands. What a guy!

And me, the orchestrator of our Grab-and-Go Lunches. So grateful I implemented this idea. What a delicious, healthy life-saver it has been!

Grab-and-Go Lunch, example 2

Yesterday, I posted one example of how to create a Grab-and-Go Lunch using the ingredients that I had purchased at Costco. (You can make a Grab-and-Go with items from your local store. Just keep remember to keep the lunch nutritionally-balanced!)

Here's another example - mixing it up a bit, for variety sake.

* Tortilla chips - white and blue corn varieties (grain)
* Tyson chicken nuggets (protein)
* Clementine (fruit)
* Cooked, shelled edamame with a sprinkle of sea salt (veggie)
* String cheese (dairy)

What kind of Grab-and-Go Lunch could you create?

Grab-and-Go Lunch, example 1

First, let me apologize for the delay between my posts. Not only are we, as a family,cadjusting to life with a newborn, but LoveBug broke her ankle on the playground, and that is yet another life adjustment to our schedule! But everyone is back to school, with LoveBug on crutches, and we can find our "new normal" as a family of five.

Plus, I am looking forward to getting creative again and regularly (hopefully!) posting once again.

Here's a throw-back to my post on Grab-and-Go Lunches. I promised several examples - here is one!

This quickly packable lunch consists of:

* Whole-grain crackers (breads/grains)

* String cheese (dairy)

* Broccoli florets (veggie)

* An applesauce cup AND spoon (fruit and utensil with which to eat it)

* Healthy and delicious Tyson chicken nuggets (protein)

A quick way to pack a healthy lunch punch. :)

Grab-and-Go Lunch

So the time is quickly approaching that time - time for Baby's arrival! Wahoo!

That got me to thinking ... umm, my big kiddos still need to eat lunch. Even if I'm in labor. And definitely once baby is home, even though I'll be super sleep-deprived.

So the kids and I went to Costco and loaded up on healthy food options that the kiddos can prepare by themselves (with minimal help and supervision).

Although there are many options out there, here's what I picked for this time.

Proteins:

* Tyson Panko Chicken Nuggets - absolutely delicious!

* Yogurt - I already some at home.

* Frigo String cheese - I also have on hand; bought big pack at Costco last trip.

Grains:

* Costco brand of Ancient Grains Crackers - at least 4 types of grains, with a touch of salt.

* Mission tortilla chips (not pictured)

Veggies:

* Baby Carrots - I divided these into snack baggies, for a quick grab-and-go veggie option.

* Madame Organic Edamame - 9 bags of frozen edamame. Microwave and package for lunchtime snacking.

Fruits:

* Clem N Tina's Clementines - sweet, juicy little clementines

* Tree Top Organic Applesauce cups - I love TreeTop products! Make sure to pack a spoon!

Later this week (or next week, if I have the baby soon), I'll be posting a few pics of some grab-and-go lunch combinations that you could make from this list.

Recap of Plane Snacks

We've returned from our 3-week vacation to visit extended family on the East Coast. Do NOT take a peek at my living room right now! Three backpacks, three suitcases and one duffel bag, all awaiting to be unpacked, are strewn all over the floor.

I wanted to give another recap about the snacks I packed for the plane ride.

First, here is what we took back on our homeward-bound flights. 1 Welch's fruit snacks, 1 mandarin orange cup, 1 Mott's applesauce pouch, 1 GoGo Squeez pouch, a few fruit strips, 1 baggie of apricots, 1 baggie of blueberries, 1 Kashi, 1 package of Austin crackers, 2 baggies of Cheez-Its, 1 candy necklace, 2 Clif-Z bars. All of these snacks went into a gallon-size, Ziploc bag - 1 bag per person.

Here's what was left over from the kids' and my snack bags. Seems like quite a bit, but remember that is from 3 people's bags. AND I'd much rather be over-prepared and not use it all, then the alternative ... hungry, cranky kids and therefore hungry, cranky momma!

I learned that Nutri-Grain bars are terrific ... but unfortunately, they easily squish into a flat, yet delicious pancake, making them difficult to eat neatly. Perhaps, they are best saved for a travel-by-car snack. Kashi granola bars, on the other hand, held up great!

So, what do I do with the left-overs? I put the fruit-type snacks into 1 bin, and the other snack foods went into another snack bin. And now I just replenished my Smart Summer Snacking bins, except for the veggies. Time to go shopping for produce!

Review of Plane Snacks

Overall, everything handled the trip well! I realized that I overpacked the snacks (and the games). However, I'd rather overpack than underpack in this area.

The bonus to overpacking and not eating it all on the flights? Extra snacks while we traipse around on vacation!

All of the mandarin orange cups made it through the security screening.

The veggie chips got smashed, just like I thought they would. But I packed a spoon for that purpose. They still tasted just fine.

The NutriGrain bars also ended up getting smushed. Although they tasted delicious, they were a bit messy. I made sure to have wipes on hand.

Lastly, the tuna kit - we were gonna eat them in the airport; however, flights changed, and we ate them on the plane. Downside: they smelled a tiny bit like tuna (obviously), which might offend your fellow passenger. Bumblebee also has a Chicken Salad Kit; that might be a better plan option.

Everything else worked out great, and really satisfied our hunger on the flights and prolonged layover.

Leaving on a Jet Plane ... Snacks needed

Yup, in a few days, we're "leaving on a jet plane". Taking a family vacation back to the East Coast to visit extended family. And besides entertainment for the kiddos (which I have plenty of activities packed), SNACKS is the other thing that MUST be packed when traveling with kids. Or even by myself .. I get grumpy if I don't have something to snack on, OR if I have to pay exorbitant airline prices for less-than-appealing snacks. So ... I pack our own.

Here's what I packed in one bag:

3 packages of Terra veggie chips - 1 oz each

2 Kashi granola bars in different flavors

1 Market Pantry 100% fruit strip

1 SunRype 100% fruit strip 

1 Welch's Fruit Snacks

1 TreeTop fruit-flavored applesauce

2 Nutri-Grains in different flavors

1 package of Austin crackers (not healthy, but fun)

Next, I put everything except the applesauce pouch into a gallon-size Ziploc bag, setting the applesauce pouch aside.

When I'm traveling, snacks tend to tide me over. However, on a long trip, after a while, I want some lunch! Instead of buying over-priced sandwiches and salads in an airport or even on the plane, I pack a a light, portable lunch. Bumble Bee Tuna Salad kit comes with a small tin of tuna salad, 6 crackers and a tiny spoon. To round out the light lunch, I am also packing a cup of mandarin oranges and a spoon!

I threw the tuna kit and spoon into the gallon-sized bag, leaving the mandarin orange cup on the side.

Lastly, I placed the applesauce pouch and the mandarin orange cup in the TSA-required, quart-sized, Ziploc bag. They are technically gels and liquids, so into the quart bag they go. I'll have to admit ... I don't know if the fruit cup is under the required 3.4-ounces. I guess, I'll let you know on Thursday, when I blog about my choice of plane snacks. :)

Everyone gets their own gallon-sized Ziploc bag. Each person carries their own snack bag in their backpack; this keeps the little people from fighting over "the good stuff". When it's snack time, everyone opens their own personal bag, choosing which snack they want to eat. Lots of choices!

Like I said before, I plan to discuss the pros and cons of my plane snack choices. Join me again on Thursday to see how well the snacks faired! Here's what is in ONE PERSON's bag. That's right; everyone gets their own gallon-sized Ziploc bag. each person carries their own snack bag (no fighting), and when it's snack time, everyone gets to choose which snack they want to eat. Lots of choices!

Buying snacks in bulk (part 2)

On Monday, I discussed where or not it was worth it to purchase snacks in bulk. I displayed numerous snack food items and the respective cost-per-serving from both a bulk food warehouse (Costco) and a regular store (Target). I also gave some pointers in regards to membership fees and use of coupons. In the end, I feel that if you can afford an annual membership to a bulk food warehouse, then it will be a benefit to you.

Since Monday's post was so long, I chose to separate the fruit-type snacks into today's post.

At Costco, a box of Del Monte fruit cups contains 12 diced peaches and 8 mixed fruit. Cost per serving: $0.42/fruit cup. I compared the prices at Target, discovering that a box of 12 uniform fruit cups had a cost per serving of $0.57. That's a steep price difference!

Costco carries their own brand of mandarin orange fruit cups, with a cost/serving of $0.37 each. At Target, Del Monte mandarin orange fruit cups come in a 4-pack ($0.60/serving) and a 12-pack ($0.57/serving). Costco wins this comparison.

GoGo Squeez is one of the perfect ways to eat fruit on-the-go. At Costco, the price per pouch is $0.62, whereas Target's cost is $0.69. A plus for Target and other grocery stores ... oftentimes, there are coupons for this product, lowering the cost per serving.

 A comparison of Costco's bag of Mariani Tropical Fruit mix and Target's Market Pantry's Tropical fruit mix gives these results: Costco - $0.45/serving. Target - $0.29/serving. Huge win for Target!

Costco sells a GIANT bag of Craisins for $7.79. I use these in everything from granola and muffins to portable snacks. Costco's cost per serving is $0.23. Target's tiny bag of Craisins will cost you $0.71/serving. Ouch. Costco is the way to go on this one.

SunMaid raisins have a cost/serving of $0.19 at Costco, whereas the SunMaid brand at Target will cost$0.25/serving. However, Target or another grocery store might have a store brand of raisins that will cost less.

Those are all of the comparisons that I have to present today. However, I'd like to share a few other fruit-type snacks from Costco that I believe to be a great deal.

Costco produces their store brand of dried blueberries. $7.99 for 14 servings - $0.57 each serving. A delicious and nutritious treat.

Dried cherries ... yum! Same price as dried blueberries - $0.57 per serving.

Costco now sells packets of freeze-dried fruit - apple slices, strawberries & bananas, and cinnamon apple slices. $0.75/serving for a quick, easy, non-perishable, on-the-go snack.

Costco's Fruit & Nut Medley consists of peanuts, almonds and walnuts, plus of cornucopia of dried fruit - apple, kiwi, mangoes, papaya, pineapple, strawberry, banana, cherries and golden raisins. $0.47 per serving.

Dried apricots are my husband's favorite dried fruit. At $0.23 per serving, Costco provides an amazing deal.

Dried mangoes, lightly coated in sugar, are also a sweet treat in our household. $0.72 per serving.

Costco sells a large box of Stretch Island fruit leather, in a varieties of flavors.

Orchard Cherry, Autumn Apple, Summer Strawberry, Harvest Grape, Ripened Raspberry and Abundant Apricot. Only $0.22 per serving.

Costco sells TreeTop applesauce in 2 different ways. The first way is in 4-ounce cups at $0.32 per cup.

The second type of TreeTop applesauce is pouches, much like GoGo Squeez. Except at $0.37 per pouch, which is MUCH cheaper than GoGo Squeez!

Wild Roots created a blend of yogurt chips, fruit bits and nuts. In the winter, we use this delightful blend in our homemade instant oatmeal. $0.38 per delicious serving of almonds, cashews, yogurt chips, cranberries and blueberries.

Also by Wild Roots is another enticing blend of Greek yogurt chips, almonds, cranberries, apricots, pomegranate arils and cherries. We have not yet tasted this one, but it sounds amazing. $0.46 for each serving.

I hope that you've enjoyed this journey through the fruit-type snacks of Costco. Let me know if you have any thoughts. I'd love to hear them.

Buying snacks in bulk ... worth it or not? (part 1)

In my efforts to keep my family's food cost down, I chose to explore a near bulk food warehouse. Here in WA state, we have Costco and Sam's Club; my research is based on Costco. In the past, we've had a Costco membership, but I can honestly say, that I didn't pay THAT close attention to how much snacks cost per serving. Now that I am considering a membership once again, the cost-per-serving factor plays a major role in my decision. I compared a bulk food warehouse (Costco) to a local store (Target).
But perhaps you don't live by a Costco, perhaps you live by a different bulk food warehouse? Well, my research should give you some indication of the answer to the question ... is buying snacks in bulk cost-effective, or is it a hyped-up, waste of money? Let's take a look.
Please note: Since there were so many snacks, I divided them into two posts - one on munchie-type snacks (crackers, goldfish, etc) and one on fruit-related snacks (dried fruit, applesauce, etc). I will post the fruit-related one on Thursday.

Let's start with the Costco size variety pack of Annie's snacks - pre-packaged Bunny Grahams, Cheddar Bunnies, etc. At Costco, you pay $0.33/serving. At Target, you pay $0.46/serving.

Costco sells a 45-count package of Austin cookies and crackers; the cost/serving is $0.18.

I love the variety, while my kids just love eating any of them, since I rarely buy them. At Target, Keebler crackers (a comparable brand) offers packages of 8 (no variety) for $0.31.

At Costco, you can buy a GIANT box of Cheez-It's for $0.18/serving. At Target, you have the option to buy a box and divide it into snack baggies ($0.24/serving), or purchase the pre-packaged baggies ($0.41). Note that the price difference reflects the convenience factor of pre-packaging. Not necessarily a bad thing, but a good thing to know in order to be an informed buyer.

A massive bag of Food Should Taste Good Multigrain Chips is $5.99 at Costco, working out to $0.25/serving. I don't recall what a normal-sized bag costs at a grocery store, but I'm betting that Costco wins on this one.

A package of 60 string cheese is $0.20/serving at Costco. In the grocery store, string cheese usually costs around $4 for 12 sticks, which is about $0.33/serving. Perhaps not a huge savings, but you won't have to remember to buy string cheese for a while! Plus, you can freeze them!

This is a new-to-me product. I've purchased regular GoGurt for my kids, but I'm glad that there is a natural-flavored, less-sugary option. Costco sells GoGurt Simple for $0.25/serving. I believe that a grocery store sells these for $2.48/8 GoGurt, making the cost $0.31/serving.

Goldfish - A staple in little-kid-households! Costco sells a HUGE box of Goldfish for $8.99, making the cost-per-serving $0.17. At Target, there are a few options - small bag ($0.33/serving), medium box ($0.40/serving), and the large box ($0.24/serving). Even with all of the options offered, Costco still wins.

Costco also sells a pre-packaged, individual-sized bags of Goldfish, at $0.33/serving. At Target, the pre-packaged bags are $0.55 each. Yikes!

These Handi-Snacks are a throwback to my childhood. I will agree with you that there are not very healthy; however, they are PERFECT as a traveling snack. For instance, we are going on a very long plane ride cross-country soon; a Handi-Snack provides a munchie snack, as well as the activity of spreading the "cheese" onto the cracker. Trust me; it's worth it!

Anyways ... at Costco, these are $0.28/serving.

Honey-Maid Graham crackers - another staple in the summer. Graham crackers, left-over from a s'mores evening, make a perfect snack! At Costco, you can purchase a GIANT box for $0.15/serving. At a grocery store, HM graham crackers are around $3, with 13 servings in a box, making it $0.23/serving.

Costco sells a box of Quaker granola bars (chocolate chip and peanut butter chocolate chip) for $0.17/serving. Target sells two sizes of Quaker granola bars (neither of which are variety packs); the small box is $0.27/granola bar, while the larger box is $0.24/granola bar.

Costco sells their own box of Quaker-like granola bars for $0.15/granola bar. (Oops! just noticed my own typo on my picture. Sorry friends!) Target also sells a knock-off version of Quaker granola bars - a small box is $0.22/serving, and the larger box is $0.17/serving.

Animal crackers - another classic. This giant tub of Costco-brand animal crackers contains 65 servings at $0.14/serving. Target's version of animal crackers is $0.13/serving. Target wins this one!

Mixed nuts - a delicious, healthy snack in moderation. This large jar of mixed nuts is $0.43/serving at Costco. (Pardon the blurry picture!)

This Costco-sized box of nuts is $0.66/package. Package, NOT serving size. These are great for a pre-packaged, on-the-go snack, but each package is at least 2+ servings.

Trail mix is a staple for summertime hiking. Costco's version of trail mix costs $0.22/serving. Target's version costs $0.19/serving. Another win for Target!

Similar to the nuts-to-go, Costco has small packages of trail mix at $0.65/package. Good for on-the-go, but not pre-portioned serving size.

Sometimes, it's nice to have a small snack to curb the sweet tooth. Costco sells the perfect thing - a whole variety pack of snacks, including Nilla wafers, mini Oreos, Chips Ahoy cookies, and Nutter Butters. Yum! Only $0.28/serving. At Target, a smaller bag of pre-packaged is $0.35/serving.

My family LOVES granola bars. Oftentimes, I make my own, but it's nice to keep these on hand as well. Costco sells these crunchy granola bars at $0.26/serving. In contrast, Target sells a small box for $0.53/serving, or a larger box for $0.45/serving. Ouch! Stick with Costco on this one.

One of our favorites - Nature Valley Trail Mix granola bar. Only $0.27/granola bar at Costco; $0.53 each at Target and other stores.

Nature Valley Peanut granola bars are $0.27 each at Costco. At Target, they sell for $0.53 each in a small box, or $0.42 each in a larger box.

If you've never tried these, you're missing out. Perfect combo of peanut butter and chocolate, with added protein! Costco sells 26 of these delicious granola bars for $0.46 each. However, Target's prices are $0.80/granola bar (small box) and $0.62/granola bar (larger box). Yikes! Stick with Costco for these granola bars.

Costco offers three different flavors of NutriGrain bars for only $0.27 each. Target offers one flavor per box, costing between $0.31-0.34 per bar.

My kids and my husband love Pirate's Booty once in a while. At Costco, a huge bag of the white cheddar-y goodness costs $0.27/serving. At Target, the pre-packaged portions cost $0.92 for the convenience.

Ritz crackers are only $0.08 per serving at Costco. WOW! And only $0.11 per serving at Target. That price difference is negligible.

Another go-to snack - mini pretzels. At Costco, they are only $0.06/serving. Now, THAT's a great deal!

Pirate's Booty might be a family's favorite, but Stacy's Pita Chips is one of mine! Costco sells a giant bag for $5.79 for 28 servings, making the cost/serving only $0.21. Normally, in a grocery store, an 8-ounce bag sells for least $4, making the cost/serving $0.50. Target now sells a box of pre-packaged, portion-sized bags of Stacy's for $0.75 each. Better stick with opening a bag and making your own portion-sized baggies.

At Costco, a box of pre-portioned Sun Chips cost $0.21/bag. At Target, each portion-sized bag of Sun Chips is $0.75. Yikes!

Wheat Thins come in a big box at Costco for $0.20/serving. Target sells Wheat Thins in a small box for $0.34/serving, and in a bigger box for $0.30/serving.

Two things to remember in making a decision about a bulk food warehouse:

(1) A bulk food warehouse does have an annual membership fee; stores don't.

(2) Most bulk food warehouses don't take coupons; stores do.

Personally, I think that a Costco membership might be worth it. How about you? What are your thoughts? I hope my research helps you to decide what option might be best for your family.