Sanity Savers for Back to School: Immune Boosting Snack Kits

Last year, on the second day of school, Pea threw up on her new shiny pink sneakers while walking across the street from our car to the school.

Needless to say, I put her right back into the car and brought her home.

She had a stomach bug that quickly passed–but it put a wrench into our back to school festivities.

This year I decided to add these balanced immune supporting snack kits to my sanity savers for back to school toolkit.

Parenting with intention

I rarely say the phrase “parenting with intention.” The phrase is trendy these days. However, I couldn’t think of another way to describe my caregiving style. Just looking at all my parenting tips for mothers, it is clear to me that I am purposeful in many of my tactics.

• I clothe things my kids dislike in things they do like. (For example, the veggies I hide in the fried rice.)
• I strategically make and give the kids popsicles. 
• I make “just in case she get carsick” kits and leave them in our cars.

So during the weeks leading up to and into the school year, I purposefully choose the snacks I give my kids. I give them fresh fruits and vegetables that are high in vitamins and antioxidants and I make it fun. 

This fall, soccer started a couple of weeks before school starts. The kids spent most of the summer in the pool, so needless to say, they tried to snack us out of house and home. More time at home=higher grocery bill in this home. Now that it is soccer season, we aren’t in the pool as much because of practice. The good news is that the two locusts are not at home feasting out of our pantry. The bad news is that I have to plan meals and snack times.

So I like to put together snack kits to bring with use while we run errands and run out to the fields.

These kits include fresh fruit, nuts, and protein.

How to make immune supporting snack kits

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Ingredients: 

• container. I used the plastic bento box insert from my son’s Bentology Lunch Boxin these photos.
• pistachios or almonds (Pea is allergic to peanuts but eats tree nuts.)
• fresh pineapple (known for its anti-inflammatory benefits)
• fresh sliced strawberries (chock full of antioxidants and vitamins)
• hard boiled eggs (for protein and healthy fats)
• water

Directions:

Slice the fruit. (Trust me. It doesn’t take long to make if you have a strawberry slicer and pineapple corer!)

Put the fruit in the largest compartment of the plastic container.

Add the pistachios and hard boiled eggs.

Pack it in a lunch cooler and bring with you!

While we are at the park or practice fields, we stop to rest and enjoy our snack kits.  We eat and rehydrate.

Nutritionally balanced snacks give us the energy to keep going and stay well.  I also add vegetables to the kit. My kids are partial to fresh raw green bell peppers!

Nutrition, rest, and hydration will help our bodies stay healthy.

What healthy snacks do you feed your kids during cold and flu season?

More Resources:

Cheerio Snack Balls

Super Tasty Chia Pudding Recipes

40 Healthy Snacks for Kids