20 Healthy Fast Breakfast Ideas for Busy School Mornings Busy school mornings means fast breakfast ideas, and this awesome list of 20 healthy breakfast options for school is perfect. Simple recipes ready in less than 5 minutes and perfect for days when you need something fast and healthy! :: DontWastetheCrumbs.com
Duhn-duhn-duhn.
Here we are again, at the start of another school year. Back to alarm clocks, school lunches, and homework.
Are you ready? I know I’m not.
We’ve had a great summer, and I’m just not ready to let it go. But all good things must come to an end, so I’m tryyyying to get some plans in place for making healthy breakfasts and dinners on those busy school days.
Today, I’m planning breakfasts – 20 breakfasts, in fact. That’s a different healthy breakfast for every school day of the month!
Update: This post now has 34 breakfast ideas – enough to cover you for nearly 7 full weeks of school!
All of these are healthy and will add only 5 minutes to your morning routine. I’ve divided them into categories based on whether they should be made in the morning vs. ahead of time, whether they can be taken on the go, etc.
So, enough gabbing – here we go!
Busy school mornings means fast breakfast ideas, and this awesome list of 20 healthy breakfast options for school is perfect. Simple recipes ready in less than 5 minutes and perfect for days when you need something fast and healthy! :: DontWastetheCrumbs.com
Healthy Breakfasts Ready in 5 Minutes
Note from Tiff: My eBook “High Protein, No Powder” has 20 smoothie recipes that are super high in protein without any processed powders in sight. As a bonus, every recipe includes a dairy-free option as well! Read more about it HERE.
Busy school mornings means fast breakfast ideas, and this awesome list of 20 healthy breakfast options for school is perfect. Simple recipes ready in less than 5 minutes and perfect for days when you need something fast and healthy! :: DontWastetheCrumbs.com
Use Homemade Bisquick in lieu of store-bought and make your favorite boxed recipes from scratch
Tip: Plan breakfast tacos the same week you’re making tacos for dinner. Then you can make a double batch of homemade tortillas without double the mess!
Busy school mornings means fast breakfast ideas, and this awesome list of 20 healthy breakfast options for school is perfect. Simple recipes ready in less than 5 minutes and perfect for days when you need something fast and healthy! :: DontWastetheCrumbs.com
Busy school mornings means fast breakfast ideas, and this awesome list of 20 healthy breakfast options for school is perfect. Simple recipes ready in less than 5 minutes and perfect for days when you need something fast and healthy! :: DontWastetheCrumbs.com
Portable Breakfasts for Eating on the Go
What are your favorite fast breakfast ideas for a busy school morning?
Original article and pictures take dontwastethecrumbs.com site
20 healthy easy recipes your kids will actually want to eat
Every year in January it seems like it would be a good idea to make an effort to cook healthier meals for my family. Of course, I’m kind of a lazy cook, so while the idea of cooking healthy food sounds good, I’m probably not actually going to do it if it takes lots of extra time. And then there’s the fact that my children are perhaps the pickiest kids on the entire planet (I know, it’s my own fault for not exposing them to lots of different foods when they were younger, but if you’ve ever had a kid that throws up every night at the dinner table for weeks on end you’ll understand why I caved and started serving nuggets and yogurt on a regular basis).
Anyway, we’ve actually made great strides in the past few years and recently I’ve managed to sneak in some healthier options (my kids actually like quinoa!), but I’m always looking for new healthy dinner recipes my kids will actually eat. Here are 20 easy, healthy main dish recipes that also happen to be kid-friendly.
1. We tried these super easy & healthy Santa Monica street tacos a few months ago and the kids request them weekly now! Fresh ingredients and a quick cook time make this recipe a winner.
2. I was slow to jump on the cauliflower bandwagon (‘cuz AS IF my kids are going to eat that), but when I made fried rice using chopped cauliflower instead of the rice my kids couldn’t even tell the difference!
4. Spaghetti and meatballs in always a hit with kids, and when you use a flavorful sauce you might be able to swap out the noodles for spaghetti squash without anyone noticing!
5. My older kids are finally realizing that salads can be delicious! This colorful Thai chicken salad has a peanut butter based dressing that kids will love – allowing you to sneak in extra veggies.
6. Familiar southwest flavors make it easier to switch from rice to quinoa without causing the kids to boycott dinner. Try this slow cooker quinoa tex mex meal.
7. Stews and soups are the easiest way to get veggies in my kids’ diet – since the vegetables cook soft and take on the flavor of the meal as a whole they go down a whole lot easier. I can’t wait to try this vegetable tomato basil chicken stew!
8. Cauliflower strikes again – this time as a substitute for potatoes in a low carb loaded chowder that tastes surprisingly like your favorite cream of potato soup.
9. Chicken tortilla soup is a classic for good reason: tons of flavor, lots of nutrition, super low in calories. Yum.
10. My kids absolutely love rotisserie chickens from the grocery store – we just slice them up and serve them with fresh fruit, cheese, and raw veggies for a healthy, simple meal. Learn how to make you own rotisserie-style chicken in the slow cooker with this recipe.
11. Just about everyone likes chicken parmesan, but there’s not way the classic fried version counts as healthy. This easy to make lightened up chicken parmesan looks just as tasty for a fraction of the calories.
12. I’ve tried loads of “light alfredo” sauces and they’ve all been terrible. Except for this guiltless alfredo sauce! My kids LOVE alfredo – they’d eat it every single night – so I love having a version we don’t feel bad about eating regularly.
13. I was really nervous my kids wouldn’t eat this teriyaki chicken stir fry because it contains ingredients they wouldn’t eat separately, but everyone loved it!
15. Lasagne was one of the first meals all five of my kids would eat without complaint, but classic versions aren’t exactly healthy. These skinny lasagne rolls lose some of the calories and sneak in some spinach while keeping all the flavor of lasagne.
17. Here’s another kid classic made over: veggie mac and cheese. The sauce is made with olive oil instead of butter to cut calories, and the vegetables amp up the nutrition.
18. Even my young kids love the taste of sweet potatoes, and they’re higher in nutrients than regular old potatoes. Clever topping substitutions make these loaded baked sweet potatoes extra tasty without lots of added calories.
19. Another comfort casserole option, this easy chicken and stuffing bake is much lighter than other casserole options, especially if you use reduced fat cream of chicken soup.
20. If your kids like scrambled eggs, they’ll like frittatas – and they’re great for adding veggies (try chopped spinach – you can hardly taste it!
Have any favorite healthy meals your kids will actually eat? Let us know!
Original article and pictures take www.itsalwaysautumn.com site
Summer is here! The bitter cold temperatures of this past winter will soon be a distant memory as the days get longer and warmer. So what can you do to take advantage of these longer, warmer days?
20 Free Frugal Family Fun Outdoor Activities 2
Our family loves to be outside. My kids would spend entire days outside if I let them. They love riding their bikes, going on walks, and just running around in the sun. But there are so many more family activities you can do outside! And many of them are free! Here’s our 20 favorite Family Fun Outdoor Activities!
Have a day out at the park. Visit your neighborhood park or venture to a new park across town. Don’t forget to take along a picnic lunch and enjoy even more time outside. Don’t forget your sunscreen. While you’re at the park, you can also play catch or frisbee golf, if there’s a course.
Let’s go fly a kite. Better yet, make your own homemade kites and take them out to see who’s kite goes the highest.
Go on a nature walk or hike. Let your kids take along disposable cameras to show what they see on the walk!
Many city and neighborhood parks have a splash pad. They are typically free and the kids have so much fun at them. Again, don’t forget the sunscreen.
If you live near a lake, make a day of it or better yet, plan a few days and take the family camping. Campsites are usually fairly inexpensive and you can include all kinds of learning experiences: cooking, setting up camp, fishing, nature walks. Try creating a fun scavenger hunt for your kids to learn even more about their surroundings.
Take a family bike ride.
Take a family walk around your neighborhood
Set up lounge chairs or blankets on your lawn and do some star-gazing together. Do this several times during the year and you can see different stars and constellations as the seasons change. Don’t forget extra blankets and hot chocolate for those cooler nights.
Play a fun game of Flashlight Tag. Wear dark clothing so you are harder to find.
Go swimming. If you have a pool, try a night swim with glow sticks!
Play a game of night tag or capture the flag. This is especially popular with older kids.
Have a cookout and bonfire.
Have a water balloon fight. Use sidewalk chalk to draw a target on the ground and toss water balloons.
Outdoor movie night—hang up a sheet outside or project the movie on the side of your house.
Geocaching—don’t know what it is? It’s like a scavenger hunt with your smartphone and GPS.
Blow bubbles: always a popular activity with my little ones. Try make homemade bubbles or try these sock bubbles.
Take some of your kids small toys (figurines & cars work great) and freeze them in a block or tub of ice. Take it out on the back porch and let the kids chisel away to recover their “treasures.”
Have a Family Field Day: set up game stations outside and have each person record their scores. Some fun games are Tug-of-War, Horseshoes, Corn Hole, Long Jump, Jump Rope Challenge, and there are many more! Use your imagination.
Find a local farm where you can pick strawberries, blackberries and pumpkins when they are in season. Don’t forget about picking your own Christmas Tree as a family too! Just be sure to bundle up.
What are your family’s favorite outdoor activities?
Original article and pictures take www.intoxicatedonlife.com site
20 Critical Questions Answered About Essential Oils
Have you ever wanted to sit down with a veteran of the essential oils world and just get some straight answers? Today we’re cutting through the fluff and asking 20 of your questions.
One of the things I have enjoyed in my research, talking to essential oil experts. For this interview, I spoke with Paul Dean a former owner of a popular essential oil company. He has been very willing to answer any questions I might have. So I’m going to share that information with you.
Tough Questions, Straight Answers
Here are the answers to 20 of your questions. I have answered the first few with some background information and the rest are gleaned from phone and e-mail conversations with Paul. Don’t see your burning question represented here? Leave a comment and I’ll do my best to get that answer for you! Yes, Paul has an interest in representing his company, but my experience has been that Paul is straightforward and does not shy away from hard questions, so ask away!
Who is Paul Dean and why should I listen to what he has to say?
What are essential oils and how do they work?
How do you know which oils are quality when they all claim to be the best?
What are the top facts/points someone should consider when it comes to oil purity and choosing a company?
How can I tell the difference between adulterated oils and pure oils?
How do I find out if a company I am considering sells adulterated oils?
Why is it so important to buy high quality oils?
What is the best method of using essential oils: applying to skin, diffusing, or internally?
What do I need to know about using oils safely, especially in children?
Is it really safe to ingest oils? I am very skeptical about this.
Often people treat essential oils like a fix-all. Do essential oils really do “better” than conventional treatments?
What’s a good book for beginners?
What are the top 5 single oils a mom should consider buying for her family?
What are the top 5 blends to have on hand?
Can you over-use oils? Can they overload your system?
What are the best ways to boost immunity with essential oils?
What are the best oils for preventing and alleviating seasonal threats?
Presumably oils won’t prevent and heal all seasonal threats. How do I know it’s working at all?
Is there an oil that can help with treating bed wetting?
What is the best oil for stomach or intestinal issues?
Who is Paul Dean and why should I listen to what he has to say?
Paul Dean was the former owner of a popular essential oil company and is passionate about essential oils use, purity, and education.
What are essential oils and how do they work?
See our first post in the Skeptic’s Guide to Essential Oils series: How Do They Work?
How do you know which oils are quality when they all claim to be the best?
What are the top facts/points someone should consider when it comes to oil purity and choosing a company?
“Since most oils come from the so called experts, adulteration in the industry is rampant,” Paul said. “Most people do not know they are using adulterated oils.” (Paul is publishing a book later this year packed with helpful details on this.) The top three things you want to look for when choosing a company are:
Selling mostly all Wild or Organically Grown oils.
No synthetics or adulterating of the oils. This is harder since the “experts” hide their adulteration, so find a company that is purchasing the oils direct from the farms instead of through these “experts.”
Proper extraction of the essential oils (i.e., no added pressure and for the therapeutic properties).
How can I tell the difference between adulterated oils and pure oils?
The more experience you gain and the more sensitive you get to oils, you will begin to tell the difference by smell and effectiveness. For example, pure peppermint has a more “herby” scent rather than the sharp mint scent you get with improperly extracted oils. But when you’re first starting out, you probably won’t be able to tell.
How do I find out if a company I am considering sells adulterated oils?
Paul estimates that “90-95% of the higher-end oils on the market are adulterated.” He adds that “ten years ago I would have said 99% but now it’s improving a bit” as smaller companies crop up that are dedicated to purity and proper farming and extraction practices. “Most oils are supplied by the essential oils ‘experts’ that have large volumes of oil available.” They may have a 5k acre lavender field, for example, so they’ll get a lot of oil compared to a 5 acre lavender field. Most of the oils are supplied by the “experts,” so there’s not a whole lot of difference between the oils available.
“It comes down to the adulteration factor,” Paul says. Companies will say they sell all-natural therapeutic grade oil, etc., but they’re actually often only 5% pure and 95% synthetic. How is that possible? With the “experts” working on the oils after extraction, they can be passed as 100% pure and unadulterated. Paul points out “there’s a reason France exports more 100% pure lavender oil than they grow every year. Something fishy is going on there. Many companies buy these oils from the experts and then adulterate them further from there.” For example, they might mix oils of different qualities because the resulting oil will still pass the tests for purity.
Then there are farming and extraction issues. “When you have a large farm, you’re going to deal with large farm issues. At harvest time you only have a certain amount of time—a couple of weeks—to get your harvest in and distilled before it becomes worthless. These large farms do the tricks of the trade to get as much oil out of the plant as quickly as possible.” This often lowers the quality of the oils in ways that aren’t as obvious with the standard tests. In addition, having several distillers doing low pressure, low temperature extraction at the same time is more expensive, so quicker and less ideal extraction methods are usually employed.
Paul says that, in general, it’s best to find a company that uses small locally-operated farms that grow the plants in their native environment, taking the best care of their plants with a hands-on approach and traditional farming, and distill the oils properly with quality in mind (i.e. using an open system with no added pressure and no high temperatures).
Why is it so important to buy high quality oils?
Higher quality organic oils will do a few things for you: A bottle lasts much longer because it’s not “watered-down” with fillers. The oil is pure, and so no additives are absorbed into your body. You also get a better value than when buying low-quality oils because a little of the oil lasts much longer (no fillers) and is more potent (higher therapeutic value).
What is the best method of using essential oils: applying to skin, diffusing, or internally?
“Depends on what you’re trying to do. The quickest way to get it into your bloodstream is through smell, where it rapidly absorbs into the blood. That’s also the only way to effect certain parts of the brain. But if you fall down and get a sprained ankle, for example, you apply it locally.”
What do I need to know about using oils safely, especially in children?
“If you look at the toxicity level of most of the oils you are looking at, it’s not that concerning. If you use common sense, you won’t drink a gallon of tea tree oil. Nearly everything is toxic if you use too much of it. Just keep the general rule that the smaller the child, the more diluted the oils should be. A 1:20 ratio of essential oils to carrier oils is a good place to start.” (Carrier oils include coconut oil, olive oil, nut oils, and many others.)
Do what is in your comfort level. A good book will tell you what you may want to look out for as far as which oils are “hot” or might be best to stay away from with children. For most oils, just use your common sense and start highly diluted and decrease dilution until you find a ratio that is effective. Paul is not as concerned about it as he used to be, and suspects that those who are overly concerned about safety (don’t ever ingest, don’t ever use with kids, etc.) are either misinformed or really more concerned because of the additives in the oils.
Is it really safe to ingest oils? I am very skeptical about this.
“If you do it safely, there are some powerful benefits for ingesting the oils: protecting cells, detoxing, addressing specific intestinal issues. But mostly you don’t need to take them internally. They work so powerfully externally that you can skip the whole digestive process and use them more effectively other ways. Smelling is the quickest way to get an oil into your bloodstream. I really don’t take many oils internally and would advise people to do the same.”
Often people treat essential oils like a fix-all. Do essential oils really do “better” than conventional treatments?
Paul laughed, then said, “That’s a complicated question! All the modern treatments have their basis in organic chemistry. Pain killers originally came from the white willow bark. That’s why the billions of dollars are done on plant research at the universities, because the companies want to find the next latest, greatest treatment. If they do all this research on plants, isolate a chemical, and learn how to synthetically create a chemical. Chemically based treatments can be very very powerful, and they can be a lot more powerful than just the plant because they are super isolated, depending on their purpose and intended usage.
“Now, all synthetic treatments are toxic to the body. There’s not one that does not cause harm to the body. So, long term use of synthetic treatments is very harmful. Essential oils can also be very powerful and very healing. They are super concentrated plant treatments much like the synthetic treatments, especially if you find the right oil for your particular concern. Personally, I believe that there is a lot less harm, if any, done by the pure oil than by the synthetic pharmaceuticals, but again you’ll have to use them with wisdom. It may take a while, but everyone who continues to use oils will become sold on them. Many come to essential oils when modern treatments have failed, and we turn around and get rapid results with the essential oils. Over time, you will find that essential oils really do work so well, so quick, and so powerfully.”
(I appreciated that with all the stories of successful essential oil uses, Paul also brought up times when certain oils didn’t work as well for him as they did for others.)
What’s a good book for beginners?
“We sell Bevonne’s book called The Healing Powers of Liquid Copals, and that is a good book. Really, grab any book and start reading and using the oils.” Paul also has a book he hopes to publish by the end of the year.
What are the top 5 single oils a mom should consider buying for her family?
“Lavender, Peppermint, Lemon, Melaleuca, and Eucalyptus. If you can afford it, replace Lemon with Frankincense and Melaleuca with Helichrysum.”
What are the top 5 blends to have on hand?
A digestive, pain relief, germ-destroyer, calming and immune booster.
Can you over-use oils? Can they overload your system?
“You can over-use the oils and cause an ‘Improvement Reaction,’ detoxifying too quickly. If you use an extreme amount of oil it can be harmful. To much oil on the skin can ‘burn’ it. Taking to much oil internally will kill your good intestinal bacteria.”
Use the oils with wisdom and go slow. Figure the oils like a day at the beach: you can have a great day if you remember to wear sunscreen, and swim with care. Or you can have a horror day and get burnt or drown. Use everything with wisdom. The best caution is to start out slow and with a carrier oil. After you understand how you feel you can use more oil. Go with how you feel and use wisdom.
What are the best ways to boost immunity with essential oils?
“If you have not caught the virus yet, you will want to diffuse. If you have caught something, rub the oil on the feet. This is also a good time to take a small amount of oil internally. Example: For a throat discomfort, mix some Immune Strength with olive oil and rub a drop or two on the back of the mouth.”
What are the best oils for preventing and alleviating seasonal or environmental threats?
Try Frankincense and/or immune booster.” A blend with Frankincense, Juniper, Nutmeg, Holy Basil, Ravintsara, Rosemary, Oregano, Ginger Root, Chamomile, Black Cumin, Clove or Hyssop is also good to diffuse when you are trying to stay healthy.
Presumably oils won’t prevent and heal all. How do I know it’s working at all?
“You feel better and it speeds up the healing process. Sometimes you may not be able to tell its working but other times you’re only feeling unwell for two days and people without the oils are unwell for two weeks. The oils work quickly”
Is there an oil that can help with treating bedwetting?
“I have not found an oil for bedwetting. I would try our a blend with Hyssop, Lavender, Lemon, Orange, Geranium, Rosewood, Sandalwood, Myrrh, Sage, Spruce, Frankincense, Rose, German Chamomile, Ylang Ylang, and Neroli and also wake up the child every couple of hours and take them to the bathroom. (Get them used to waking up.)”
What is the best oil for occasional stomach discomfort?
“A blend with Peppermint, Juniper, Anise, Fennel, Ginger, and Tarragon for intestinal issues.”
There you have it! What other questions do you still have?
Use Essential Oils Safely and Confidently with Your Family
Would you like a resource to help you learn to use essential oils with your family? Download this free 3-page printable:
Basic guidelines for using essential oils around kids
A list of safe, kid-friendly oils essential oils
Helpful essential oil recipes
Click the link or image below to download the 3-page Mom’s Essential Oil Cheat Sheet. I’ll follow it up with more resources and free printables to help you on your essential oil journey. Grab your copy now!
Download Now
*FDA disclaimer: “These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent disease.”
Original article and pictures take www.intoxicatedonlife.com site
As a mom of three small children, starting out with a healthy breakfast always makes me feel better about our day. If lunch and dinner don’t meet my perfect vision of healthy eating, at least we hit a home run with one meal, right?
Getting Kids to Eat Healthy Breakfasts
Since focusing a lot of our efforts on healthy breakfasts, we’ve noticed a big difference in our family’s general health. We’re lucky that none of our kids have been particularly picky eaters, but we also try to encourage them to eat a wide variety of foods by not catering too much to the picky phases all kids cycle through. We do NOT make multiple meals for kids who don’t like what we’re serving.
Our kids eat what we eat as soon as they can eat solids. Eating the healthy meal they’re served is a pretty established rule in our house so we rarely have to argue about enforcing it, but occasionally we do face the “I won’t eat what you just made but I will ask for a snack as soon as the dishes are cleared” phenomenon. And that makes me a little crazy, so we nip it in the bud.
Tips for Encouraging Healthy Eaters
Don’t say yes to snacks just before mealtimes. We often make this mistake and then our kids aren’t hungry for the meal we prepared!
If you grow any vegetables (or even just have some kitchen herbs) involving the kids in growing and harvesting the veggies makes them much more excited about eating them!
Open up the kitchen and let kids assist in the cooking preparation. They will be more likely to eat what’s prepared, even if there are ingredients they don’t usually love.
Encourage variety, but be sensitive to the major dislikes. Our kids don’t like spicy foods so we keep the meal mild and then add extra sriracha if needed to our own plates.
When eating foods they don’t love, reward a “good try.” I distinctly remember how hard it was to choke down my green beans when I was little. If our kids have a least a couple bites of the brussel sprouts, they can move on to the other options provided.
Put un-favorite ingredients (for our kids, that’s onions) on the side if possible.
If they don’t eat any of a meal but ask for a snack soon afterwards, offer to heat up their leftovers rather than provide a snack. That way you avoid hungry kiddos but also get the healthy food in their tummies. We learned this the hard way when my oldest kid was on a bananas only streak and would refuse his meals and then fill up on bananas all day long. It took a couple of days to get out of the habit, but now we say yes to an after-meal banana if the plate is nearly clean and everybody’s happy.
That being said, none of our kids have health problems that would require more cajoling to get the calories they need and they’ve never gone on a hunger strike because they didn’t like something. So we’ve had it pretty easy.
And that’s just what works for the kids in our family. I have friends who have had a much more challenging time encouraging their kids to eat healthy meals and what works for us totally didn’t work for them. So, every kid and every family is different. I hope some of these tips will help you figure out what works in your home!
Make It Fun
We try to cook healthy meals that our kids like to eat to avoid the arguing or snack requests at 8:30 am. And in addition to the tips above, one way to encourage this is to make the presentation FUN. My husband is much better at this than I am!
Presentation matters for grown-ups, of course, but kids are especially susceptible to the “it looks gross, it must taste gross” mentality and very gullible as far as the “it looks awesome, it must taste awesome” trick goes. So we try to make breakfast look a little awesome sometimes. More fun=full tummies + less grumbling.
So I give you the Dinosaur Nest! Sure, it’s just an egg sitting in the middle of a tomato and avocado salad. But if you call it a Dinosaur Nest, you’ve piqued a 5-year-old’s interest.
Letting the kids peel their own hard boiled eggs can also add to the fun. We add homemade tortilla chips on the side and our kids love anything they can eat with chips so this goes over surprisingly well. I love this on days when I’m craving something fresh tasting but not heavy.
And what’s more fun than breakfast? Breakfast in a boat. My husband made these little breakfast boats as a way to use up some leftover baked potatoes and they were a big hit and a great way to sneak in some leafy greens (which are sometimes controversial ingredients with my kids).
2 Easy Steps for Non-Toxic Air in the Home Environment 2 Easy Steps to Non-Toxic Air in the Environment (and how to make it smell nice without icky chemicals!)
How lovely to step into a fresh home: a home wherein the air feels light and there’s the scent of water or green or… something beautiful…without sharp odours or clinging perfumes.
You want to breathe deeply. Your body and mind awaken just a little bit more.
Creating a home eco-system which expresses clean and organic interior air can be difficult.
Off-gassing from fresh paint and synthetic fibres (furniture, flooring, shoes), toxic preservatives such as formaldehyde (mattresses, carpet), phthalates (cleaners, body products), and many other volatile organic compounds and chemicals are swirling down the hall and into our lungs with each breath.
Depending on lifestyle, décor, and ventilation, it’s possible that your interior air is even more toxic than the smoggy city you’re living in!
While some markets suggest a quick fix such as a ‘Febreeze’, these products simply mask offensive smells. (Note: The original recipe actually used zinc chloride to block scent receptors in the nose! The smell was still there, but everyone’s nasal passages were coated in toxic chemicals and telling their brains that everything was fine! Yikes!). Others use scented candles and further contribute to the issue with even more perfumes and parabens. It’s a vicious cycle.
Through years of trial and error (and a houseful of stinky boys!) I have found a rhythm towards cleansing the air of my home.
Essentially, there are two components:
If you want truly fresh air, you need to support fresh air movement and filtration.
Sometimes, this is as easy as opening the windows (a good daily practice). Other times, depending on exterior air pollutants, temperature, noise, or other factors, it’s not the best option.
To help you out purify air naturally, bring in some reverse respirators—plants! They inhale our waste (Carbon Dioxide) while exhaling what we need (Oxygen). Win win! Some of the best cleansing plants include the ficus, spider plants, and various palms.
Next, now that the air is moving and being filtered, contribute something lovely. Skip the plug-in synthetic scents and stay away from those toxic candles.
Instead, choose a few essential oils which bring a smile. Wanting a room to feel a bit brighter? How about some pink grapefruit! Wanting the office to be a bit more inspiring? Try sweet mandarin with a touch of spearmint! Need a cozier touch in the baby’s room? Lavender with a hint of bergamot! And what about the bedroom? Sandlewood with a note of ylang!
Mix and match or just use single notes (sweet citrus oils with lavender suit every room!). Blend with water for a room mister, use with reeds in a bottle, or diffuse in a burner. The oils contribute to the air quality rather than compromising.
{Note: start small and go from there. You can always add more. Remember to dilute and avoid direct contact with pure oils on eyes, skin, and fabric}
Need one more push towards inspiration? Try starting something at home that is both purifying to your interior air and lovely AND fun! Start your own houseplants! Google ‘sprouting avocado pits’ or ‘growing a yam vine’ for some ideas, grab the kids, and go from there. It’s amazing to see the beautiful, helpful, and essentially free air-purifiers you can start from kitchen materials. Helpful and lovely!
Original article and pictures take redandhoney.com site
2 {MORE} Weeks of Non-Sandwich Lunch Box Ideas Kids will LOVE- No Repeats!
No more boring lunch boxes that are the same day after day! Find 10 complete easy lunch box ideas – that’s two whole school weeks- of unique and wholesome school lunch ideas that are fun, filling and even customizable for your kid’s taste preferences right here in this post. These are perfect for switching it up a little throughout the week, or finding new lunch box ideas to keep lunch a new and fun but still simple to make with healthy ingredients you can keep on hand.
We are in our final count down for the start to school, so I have been experimenting with lots of new, fun, and totally portable lunches that I can send to school with my kids! My kiddos really loved helping me test these ideas to tell me if they were a super yummy recipe to add to the list, or an “ewwwww YUCK!” one to toss in the trash. We had fun, got creative and made some really fun lunches I am excited to share with you!
If you make these, make sure to snap a pic and tag me on Instagram (@easyfamilyrecipes) so I can see your creations! And if you have more simple lunch ideas, please let me know in the comments! I am always looking for more to add to our rotation too! So without any further adieu, here we go:
10 Non-Sandwich Lunch Box Ideas
As you have heard from me in my other lunch box ideas posts, the first rule of cool lunch box making is that there are no rules.
Remember that! If your kids don’t like pepperoni, use ham, chicken, or turkey instead! If they are a vegetarian, just leave out the meat all together. If they hate carrots but love sweet peppers, then by all means, use sweet peppers in place of carrots. Allergic to peanuts? Use almond butter! The key is to use these ideas as inspiration and modify, or trade out things you need to for dietary restrictions, so please don’t feel like there are rules, it is all just inspiration for easy and healthy lunches!
My recipe for the perfect lunch box is:
A main dish consisting of a protein– This helps me know they are getting healthy food that will keep them full until the end of the school day.
A veggie or fruit– At every meal I want my kids to eat one super healthy, wholesome thing. We talk about this a lot, and to help my kids understand what healthy food is, I often ask what they want their “healthy thing” for the meal to be!
Something crunchy- I love to have something with a little crunch. I think it helps pace the meal as you have to slow down a little to eat crunchy things and it just balances the textures in the other part of the meal to make it feel complete.
Something sweet- Everything in moderation! I my kids and I both love to have a little something sweet to finish off our meal and my kids absolute favorite is Mott’s Medley Fruit Flavored Snacks. Even my littlest, sneaks into the pantry to find them! I feel like it is pretty win-win as far as sweets go!
Having a formula to generally follow makes it easy for me to figure out what to put in the lunch when I am in a rush, or haven’t planned ahead. All of my lunches below pretty much follow this rule as well.
No 1: Turkey Ranch Roll Up Lunch Box Idea
This is one of my kids favorites! Heck! It is one of my favorites too! Creamy ranch flavored cream cheese layered on to a soft tortilla with tender turkey on top. Roll it up and you have a super easy to eat, delicious lunch idea. You can also change it up with whole wheat or veggie tortillas. Grab the recipe for these Turkey Ranch Roll Ups here!
Turkey Ranch Roll Up Lunch Box
Turkey Ranch Roll Ups
Dried Cranberries
Sweet Potato Chips
Apple Cinnamon Crunchies
Mott’s Medley Fruit Flavored Snacks
No 2: Crackers, Meat & Cheese School Lunch Idea
This lunch option is so simple but so fun! You can put just one choice of meat, cheese and crackers, or a bunch of kinds. Your kids will love mixing and matching the toppers to make their own combination of flavors. Even though this is the same type of thing you would find on a sandwich, kids have so much more fun when they get to create it themselves all in a kid sized package the size of a cracker!
Crackers, Meat & Cheese Lunch Box
Crackers
Deli Meat
Sliced Cheese
Grapes
Yogurt Raisins
Mott’s Medley Fruit Flavored Snacks
No 3: Pizza Dippers Lunch Box Idea
Who doesn’t love pizza?! These pizza dippers are a kid favorite! We take all the goodness of pizza, a pepperoni and a mozzarella cheese cube and sandwich them between a slice of a mini bagel. Then serve pizza sauce on the side to dip away at lunch time! This makes sure that nothing gets soggy if you make the lunch the night before, or while your kids are at school in the morning.
Pizza Dippers Lunch Box
Mini Bagels
Pepperoni
Mozzarella cheese cubes
Pizza sauce (we use our favorite spaghetti sauce)
Pretzel crips
Pizza veggies like sweet peppers
Mott’s Medley Fruit Flavored Snacks
No 4: Nachos Lunch Box Idea
My kids two favorite foods are without a doubt, pizza and nachos. I made a lunch box version of each! Nachos get a bad wrap, but I actually think they can be a pretty healthy option when you do it right! To start out I give my kids a mixture of chips and crunchy veggies for dipping. Since we can’t just pile the toppings on like we could at home since it would get totally soggy by lunch time, I pack all different nacho toppings and let them dip instead and they love it!
I include cheese sauce, which you can usually easily find on the Mexican aisle at any grocery store, salsa that is packed with wholesome veggies, and guacamole for more veggies and healthy fats. The guacamole I usually make at home with this recipe, just add extra lime to keep it from turning brown, but you can also pick up quick and easy single sized serving containers at many stores.
Healthier Nacho Lunch Box
Chips
Crunchy veggies like snap peas and carrots
Nacho cheese sauce
Guacamole
Salsa
Mott’s Medley Fruit Flavored Snacks
No 5: Pita & Hummus School Lunch Idea
This lunch is great because you can really tailor it to your kiddos tastes. Hummus is packed with protein, and you can find it in no less than 10 flavors in just the average grocery store. Add white or whole wheat pita bread, and whatever deli meat or combo of meats your child prefers and they can build their ultimate lunch!
Pita and Hummus Lunch Box:
Pita Bread
Hummus
Deli Meat
Cucumbers
Tomatoes
Mott’s Medley Fruit Flavored Snacks
No. 6: Tuna Stuffed Tomatoes Lunch Box Idea
This is a great twist on an old kid favorite! I use small roma tomatoes, cut them in half and hollow out the inside. Then I fill it with tuna salad and pop it in a plastic container. TIP: to keep the tomatoes from rolling over, cut just 1/4 inch slice off the very bottom to give it a flat surface to balance on. I throw in some carrot strips just to help keep them in place and my kids love them!
Tuna salad can be as quick and simple as mixing a con of tuna with some mayo, salt, and pepper, or you can find tons of recipes for any flavor you can imagine to dress it up. If you really want it fool-proof, then they even sell premeasured kits to throw together at the store. And in the event your kids doesn’t go for tuna, you can use chicken! If they don’t like tomatoes, then use sweet peppers, cucumber slices, avocado, or even hollowed zucchini or squash. The options are endless!
Tuna Stuffed Tomato Lunch Box
Tuna Salad
Roma Tomatoes
Pretzels
Cheese Cubes
Banana
Mott’s Medley Fruit Flavored Snacks
No. 7: Apple Pizza Lunch Box Idea
This is one of the more creative lunches I send with my kids and they absolutely love it! It is so simple but really, really, yummy! I even eat it for a snack sometimes myself! All you do to make these apple pizzas is slice an apple horizontally, spread peanut butter over the top, then put on your toppings! We use toasted coconut as the “cheese” and raisins on top usually, although you could get really creative with it! When you make this you can either core the apple first, or leave the core in and the kids just eat around the sides. Both work!
Apple Pizza Lunch Box:
Apples
Peanut Butter
Toasted Coconut
Raisins
Cheese Cubes
Carrot Sticks
Whole Wheat Crackers
Mott’s Medley Fruit Flavored Snacks
No 8: Pizza Kabobs Lunch Box Idea
Why is it that my kids love everything cute, little, or on a stick? Who knows, but this is definitely pizza made cuter! We use wooden skewers I cut down to lunchbox size to put a pepperoni, a tomato, and a cheese cube together just like the flavors you find on pizza! If your kids love other veggies or meats on their pizza you can add those too! My kids love to help make these little guys as much as they love eating them!
Pizza Kabobs Lunch Box:
Pepperoni or salami
Tomato
Mozzarella cheese cubes
Whole wheat crackers
Sweet peppers
Apple cinnamon crunchies
Mott’s Medley Fruit Flavored Snacks
No 9.: Chicken Salad Lunch Box Idea
I absolutely love chicken salad as a lunch box filler. It is awesome because it is really anything but boring when you do it right! You can make it in so many flavor combos, so there is something for everyone! Plus, I hide tons of healthy veggies in mine to up the nutritional value and they don’t even notice with all the great flavor! My kids absolute favorites are ranch chicken salad, fajita chicken salad, cranberry almond chicken salad and this classic chicken salad.
Chicken Salad Lunch Box:
Pita bread
Cherry tomatoes
Sweet potato chips
Mott’s Medley Fruit Flavored Snacks
No 10.: Savory Bagel Lunch Box Idea
Bagels aren’t just for breakfast, but if breakfast is your kids favorite meal of the day then you are going to love this school lunch idea! All you need are bagels, I use the mini ones, some cream cheese and your favorite savory toppings. You can use plain cream cheese or mix the cream cheese with ranch powder for an extra delicious treat. Then top the bagel with meat and veggies you love! I serve it open face for twice the goodness!
Savory Bagel Lunch Box:
Mini bagels
Cream cheese
Toppings: Turkey, carrots, sweet peppers, etc.
Sweet potato chips
Cucumber slices
Apple slices
Mott’s Medley Fruit Flavored Snacks
Hopefully this leaves you inspired to spice up your lunch boxes and convinces you it doesn’t have to be hard with just a few things on hand! Do you have any creative lunch box favorites? I would love to hear about it! Leave me a note in the comments and it would make my day! I read each and every one!
Original article and pictures take www.thepinningmama.com site
