Squishy Snak Pak Pouches Make Eco-Friendly Lunches Easier-Giveaway

squishy snak pakMy boys absolutely love fruit puree pouches. These convenient sealed pouches first appeared as an alternative to the glass jar from baby food companies, but older children loved the squeezable pouches so much that it wasn’t long before companies started creating fruit snack pouches especially designed for older children too! Zackary and Benjamin both love eating applesauce and other fruit purees this way and I like it too since it’s less messy and I don’t have to worry about packing a spoon in their lunches!

When Michelle from Squishy Snak Pak contacted me about reviewing her unique refillable pouches, I was intrigued. Having a refillable version of the snack pouches my boys loved wouldn’t just be an eco-friendlier option; it would be less expensive as well. I received a set of two Squishy Snak Pak pouches to review and I couldn’t wait to see how they worked. [Read more...]

Lean Cuisine Fresh Inspirations Meals Make Eating Right Easier-Giveaway

If there’s one thing I take seriously, it’s my boys’ nutrition. I make sure that they have three balanced meals and healthy snacks every day. But when it comes to my nutrition, I’m not nearly as sensible. Like so many parents, I tend to put the needs of my boys first and then neglect my own meals. Lunch is a perfect example. I pack Zackary’s school lunch every morning and make Benjamin a healthy kid-friendly lunch every afternoon, but some days I don’t bother eating lunch at all.

fresh inspirations thai chickenThat’s one of the reasons that I looked forward to the chance to try the new Lean Cuisine Fresh Inspirations. These fresh-tasting new meals in six flavours are a step up from the original Lean Cuisine meals and feature a clever “Simmer and Steam” tray that allows each ingredient to cook perfectly.

One of the reasons I generally don’t eat frozen meals such as these is because they don’t cook evenly. With the Lean Cuisine Fresh Inspirations meals, the sauce and protein simmer in a separate dish as the vegetables and grains steam to perfection. Then the two components are mixed together. As an added bonus, if you prefer a little less sauce in your meal or you like keeping your meat and vegetables separate, you can mix up your lunch just the way you like it! Lean Cuisine Fresh Inspirations come in six delicious flavours: [Read more...]

Enjoy the Flavour of Hunt’s Tomatoes with David Rocco’s Tomato and Lentil Soup Recipe

I absolutely love cooking with Hunt’s canned tomatoes. They’re inexpensive, don’t spoil and can be used to create a huge variety of delicious recipes. From soups to sauces to side dishes, the possibilities are endless. And every time I cook with Hunt’s canned tomatoes, I’m adding Vitamin C, fibre and potassium to my meal too!

There’s a reason Hunt’s canned tomatoes taste so good and it all starts with freshness. Hunt’s is passionate about picking tomatoes at the peak of ripeness to ensure that the true tomato flavour comes out in every dish. That delicious flavour is one that lends itself to all kinds of great meals and so when I got the chance to try out a tasty soup recipe created by celebrity chef and Tommalier (tomato expert) David Rocco, I couldn’t wait.

david rocco tomato lentil soup [Read more...]

Pack a Lunch Your Child Will Love with Snack Pack-Giveaway #NoTradesies

There’s nothing more frustrating than waking up every morning to pack a healthy lunch for my son only to have half of it come back uneaten at the end of the day. Zackary has always been a bit of a picky eater and after a week or two of repetitive lunches, I start noticing that he is eating less and less. That’s why I was so excited to be a part of the Snack Pack “No Tradesies” blog tour. The mission? To start the second half of the school year off right by packing a lunch for my son that he wouldn’t be tempted to trade away or bring home at the end of the day!

To help me complete my task, I received a fabulous “No Tradesies” lunch pack containing three delicious flavours of Snack Pack pudding and an assortment of fun lunch supplies. Zackary and Benjamin were both so excited about the new lunch items and both insisted on picking out a new lunchbox from the set of four Easy Lunchboxes we received. Zackary chose the red lunchbox and Benjamin decided to take green; perfect colours for returning to school after Christmas!

snack pack lunch [Read more...]

Create the Ultimate Sandwich with Maple Leaf Deli-fresh Sandwich Meat-Giveaway

I have to say that overall, I really like making lunches every day, even if I do sometimes flounder for ideas a bit. Zackary is pretty easy to please as far as lunch is concerned; he likes fresh fruit, granola bars and sandwiches loaded with meat. As a result, we go through a lot of deli meat and I always have my eye out for the newest variety to hit the shelves. So I enthusiastically agreed when I was given the chance to try new Maple Leaf Deli-fresh sandwich meat.

maple leaf deli fresh collectionAs it happens, my small town has a local butcher shop that sells the most amazing beef jerky, sausage and sandwich meat, among other things. Having the meat freshly sliced to order makes a huge difference in the taste and so I was very curious to see if Maple Leaf Deli-fresh sandwich meat could compare.

Maple Leaf Deli-fresh comes in four different varieties and I decided on the Oven Roasted Chicken Breast and Sirloin Roast Beef to review. I sent Zackary off to school with a chicken sandwich on rye, but I knew that to really judge the quality of the meat, I would have to whip up a sandwich for myself too! [Read more...]

School Lunches Have Never Been Easier with New Schneiders Lunchmate + Fruit-Giveaway

School lunches are something that are always a challenge in our household. Zackary tends to favour very basic choices like deli meat sandwiches and granola bars but if I give him the same things too often, I notice more and more of his lunch coming back home uneaten. Add to that the challenge of making lunches that are both quick to assemble and healthy and I’m in the middle of a full-blown school lunch challenge.

lunchmate + fruitBut now, Schneiders Lunchmate meals are coming to the rescue! There are very few children that don’t love these handy pre-packaged lunches featuring deli meat, cheese, crackers and a small dessert. But they really never seemed healthy enough to me to be a complete lunch and so I rarely purchased them. All that has changed with the introduction of new Lunchmate + Fruit!

These Lunchmate lunches are a new healthier twist on an old kid-friendly favourite. Featuring Schneider’s Country Naturals deli meat, real cheese, crackers and Del Monte fruit cups, they are a source of calcium, Vitamin A and Vitamin C and come in either Chicken, Turkey, Ham or Pizza varieties. I recently received some coupons to try out the new Lunchmate + Fruit meals and Zackary and Benjamin were both so excited when they saw the packages in my shopping cart. [Read more...]

Find Eco-Friendly Products for Children of All Ages at Baby Organic Joy

Recently I discovered an incredible Canadian online boutique called Baby Organic Joy. Despite the name, Baby Organic Joy doesn’t just contain products for babies. It has a huge selection of the best and hottest eco-friendly items for toddlers, preschoolers and older children as well! Since I’m always on the lookout for new eco-friendly items for my boys, I decided to browse the website and see for myself what kind of fun products for slightly older children the site had to offer.

papar the owl lunch boxBecause I pack lunches and snacks for both my boys, I am always looking for new eco-friendly lunch gear. I have a bit of an obsession with lunch gear and despite the fact that my boys already have quite a few reusable sandwich bags and stainless steel snack containers, I just can’t resist spoiling them with the newest and trendiest items. So the Beatrix NY Papar the Owl Lunch Box at Baby Organic Joy immediately caught my eye.

Beatrix NY has some of the trendiest lunch kits I’ve ever seen and the fun animals themes are appealing to both boys and girls. All the company’s lunch kits are free of PVC, phthalates and lead and are made with heavy-duty nylon for great durability. I adore the cute owl design of the Papar the Owl lunch box and the fact that it features one of my favourite colour combinations: pink and brown. [Read more...]

New Kids Gourmet Squoosh Fruit Puree Provides Great Taste and Nutrition for Your Child’s Lunch-Giveaway

Looking for a fun and easy snack for your school lunches? The makers of Baby Gourmet organic baby food have just what you need! New Kids Gourmet Squoosh fruit snacks are a blend of fruit and vegetables in a convenient foil pouch. They come in four kid-friendly flavours: BeetBerry – banana, apple, beet, blueberry, OrangoBango – mango, carrot, banana, apple, SquabbleBerry – apple, blueberry, squash, banana and Banango – banana, mango, apple, squash. I recently I received two boxes of Squoosh pouches for my boys to test out and I couldn’t wait to dive in.

squoosh beetberry-bilingualI received the Squabbleberry and the Bananago Squoosh flavours to review. I knew right away that Zackary would love these snacks; he’s had similar ones before and always enjoys squeezing the fruit puree out of the clever foil package into his mouth. But I was curious to see if he would notice the vegetables that had been added to the purees to sneak some extra nutrition into a child’s diet.

I shouldn’t have worried. Zackary gobbled up an entire box of Squoosh snacks over the next few days and despite the fact that there was even a picture of a squash on the box he devoured, he never noticed the vegetables in his fruit snack. [Read more...]