Nourishing nibbles (but don’t tell the kids)
The new school year is around the corner, which means it’s time to upgrade the contents of those lunchboxes. Here are some healthful ideas for snack time alongside the requisite five-a-day fruits and veggies.
On-the-go snacking
Year-old brand Pure Growth Organic makes these Breakfast Biscuit Bites in four flavors — chocolate, blueberry, apple cinnamon and strawberry; the slender, lightly sweetened whole-grain biscuits have no fake colors or flavors and are free of trans fats. Co-founder and Chief Executive Sabrina Peterson said her goal was to offer organic products (many of the other products in the brand’s portfolio are vegan, gluten-free and nut-free) at an affordable price for families.
$2.98 at select Target and Wal-Mart stores. PureGrowthOrganic.com
Easy-to-eat bars
Just launched under the Clif Bar’s Clif Kid banner is its new ZBar Filled — a baked organic snack bar filled with nut butters. The offering pairs popular flavor combinations — apple with almond butter, chocolate with peanut butter — into an easy-to-eat bar that has no high fructose corn syrup or chemical additives.
$4.99 per box of five at Target, Whole Foods and Wal-Mart. ClifBar.com
Cheesy snacks
If your tyke (or you) crave a little crunch, Annie’s Homegrown recently launched its Organic White Cheddar Bunny Tail Puffs and Cheddar Cheesy Puffs. The all-natural products are baked (many similar conventional products are fried), are made with eight grams of whole grains and are covered with a dusting of real cheese from cows raised without antibiotics or synthetic hormones.
$4.20 for a 4.3-ounce bag at Target. Annies.com
A guilt-free, sweet drink
Can’t get your kid to drink water? Irvinebased AquaBall was founded after former Los Angeles educator Kevin Sherman noticed that children weren’t consuming enough water — but were drinking plenty of “sugary beverages.” (Sometimes equivalent to 30 teaspoons of sugar a day, he said.) AquaBall is a fruit-flavored water sweetened with all-natural stevia and packaged in kiddie-friendly bottles featuring popular Disney and Marvel characters. “The characters help entice children to drink the healthier alternative,” Sherman said. The zerocalorie beverage comes in berry frost, fruit punch, grape and strawberry lemonade.
$1.19 at Albertsons, Pavilions and Vons. AquaBallDrink.com