Don’t Be Nutty

Accepting the fact that kids can’t eat peanut butter and jelly sandwiches at school anymore is a sad reality of modern day motherhood.
Our kids can’t bring anything with nuts in it to school—or anything that was made in a factory where nuts have been processed. It’s a part of life now and everyone is responsible and accountable, not just the parents of the children with the life-threatening allergy.

The real challenge lies in the snack though—not the sandwich. These days our time is limited, so making healthy and nutritious snacks from scratch is as tough as finding a healthy, pre-made nut-free snack in the store.

So if you like to know exactly what goes into the snack you’re sending, try some make-at-home time-trusted faves like:

• Fruit—slice, dice, cube or cut into balls and sprinkle a bit of lemon juice on top to stop from browning (this works especially well for apples and pears). Keep seasonal fruits in mind. Mandarins are great this time of year and peel into sections for easy access.
• Yogurt is not just for breakfast anymore. Send a mini tub in the lunch bag with a small ice pack to keep fresh, or freeze yogurt tubes in advance. They will be the perfect temperature by snack or lunch time.
• Small cheese snacks are always popular with dairy lovers. Pack some BabyBels or cheese strings for them—they are fun to play with, too.
• Popcorn is a classic favourite. Pop it at home and send in snack-sized containers.
• Always think ‘mini’ when appealing to the mini people. Mini bagels and mini pitas stuffed with something healthy (like hummus, bean dip or cheese) will keep small tummies filled.