March 2013 Preschool Snacks - Week 4

Gluten, Nut, and Artificial Ingredient-Free Preschool Snacks

Monday 3/25 through Thursday 3/28, 2013

Monday

Home-made kale chips w/Naturebox garlic pumpkin seeds, organic sugar snap peas w/Ranch

 

I packed Monday's snack in some cute little duck and squirrel snack boxes. I put a mix of savory kale chips and Naturebox Roasted Garlic Pumpkin Seeds in the larger one. (I think the code SNACKHEALTHY is still good to get your first Naturebox for only $10!)
In the smaller container, I put some Ranch dressing in a small yellow sauce box to dip her organic sugar snap peas.

I used a spare elastic bento strap to hold the two boxes together, but the lids stay on pretty well by themselves, and I think they'd be water-tight.

Tuesday

Organic string cheese nibblets, GF Van's crackers, Graze antioxidant berry mix

 

Since the two-little-boxes had worked so well the day before, I went with my new bear and bunny snack boxes for Tuesday's snack. Gluten-Free Van's Everything crackers with some string cheese nibblets in one, and a mix of dried raisins and cranberries (and a few goji berries that didn't get picked out. She doesn't like them, so I try not to waste any on her!)

The berry mix came from a weekly snack box I'm trying out, from Graze.com. I'm on the fence about them. They've had a few frustrating kinks at the beginning, and getting a $5 box every week is almost too overwhelming. Unless I remember to eat one of the four snacklets every day... But I can opt for only gluten-free items, and I can rate things I've been sent, and "trash" the things I hate, so I won't get them again.

I used the bento strap again to hold these together.

Wednesday

Naturebox Kettle Corn Kernels, kale chips

 

My new bear snack bento box was perfect to hold a few kale chips and a muffin cup of Naturebox Kettle Corn Kernels. Soooo goooood! Like kettle corn Corn Nuts. Only without the GMOs and MSG. (Although all the current Corn Nuts flavors except the BBQ have no artificial ingredients. And if you don't care about GMO corn, they use mostly good oils, like corn and sunflower, versus "canola" (aka: carcinogenic rapeseed) oil.)

Thursday

Enjoy Life Margherita Plentils, Ghirardelli Dark Chocolate Raspberry Square

I had planned on sending something fun in the pink bunny snack box that matched the bear box from the day before, but I lost track of time and had to grab something as we were headed out the door.
I had an individual-serving-size bag of Enjoy Life Margherita Plentils from one of my monthly foodie boxes. Enjoy Life products are made in a dedicated facility free from the Top 8 Allergens (peanuts, tree nuts, dairy, eggs, soy, fish, shellfish, and wheat) plus are all gluten-free as well. And no artificial ingredients! A win-win-win for my house!
Since a bag of chips isn't very exciting compared to my normal snack, I tossed in a Ghirardelli Dark Chocolate Raspberry Square, since they're kept in the same place as the chips (my "dye free treaties" cupboard!)
I can't honestly recommend either product specifically. I never got to try the Plentils, and Little Z said they were a little too spicy for her. And the chocolate is full of GMO soy, corn, and possibly sugar. But no fake colors or flavors. And she loves them as the occasional treat. So while I'm trying to eliminate GMO products as well, it's still a little too soon for a total purge after going dye-free a year ago, and then gluten-free a month ago. I can't handle having to make more homemade stuff (or toss out more special dye-free items) just yet.

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