Disclaimer: This post is sponsored by Moms Meet and Barilla. I received product and compensation in exchange for my honest opinions.
The new school year is well and truly under way for most families by now, and one of the (many!) stresses for us parents is working out what to pack our kids for lunch every day. Do they seriously have to eat every day? Ha! Ok, of course they do, but trying to come up with something beyond regular sandwiches can get a little tricky, especially when you're limited by foods that can be eaten in limited time (lunch break is always too short) and don't need to be reheated.
One of my favorite things to make for the kids (and myself) is cheesy pesto scrolls. Made simply with store bought puff pastry, pesto and cheese, these scrolls are super simple to make, are perfect for lunch boxes, can be eaten hot or cold, and they're packed full of Italian flavor thanks to Barilla.
Today I'm sharing my simple recipe for these tasty scrolls. This is my favorite sort of recipe because you can add as little or as much of each ingredient as you like, and you can totally customize it with your favorite ingredients. Creamy pesto, mozzarella and parmesan are my go to ingredients, but you can use any sort of cheese that you like and even add things like salami, sundried tomatoes, mushrooms or pine nuts for extra flavor.
Disclaimer: This post is sponsored by Goldfish® but the content and opinions expressed here are my own.
My karate kids are growing up!
A few weeks back it was belt test day for all three of my girls and they all passed. Blue belts for both Ava and Lola, and a white belt with two black stripes for my littlest ninja Mathilde.
The girls worked so hard preparing for their belt test. They practiced their kata moves and their sparring skills every week at karate class in the park until they had perfected them.
All that karate work makes for hungry kids and hungry kids need tasty snacks that pack a punch like a blue belt!
Goldfish crackers have been one of the kids' favorite go to snacks for such a long time, so we were super excited when we discovered the new Goldfish Epic Crunch Nacho flavor. A classic favorite with a new twist for my growing girls. The perfect after karate class snack.
Talk about packing a punch! These tasty little morsels sure do live up to their name. The zesty nacho cheese flavor was a big hit with the kids (and grown ups!) and the extra tortilla crunch made for epic snacking fun.
Goldfish Epic Crunch are baked with whole grains and contain no artificial flavor or preservatives. They're always baked, never fried.
The big, bold flavor of Goldfish Epic Crunch comes in a big, bold new size. With a flavor and crunch that appeals to bigger kids, these tasty snacks come in a bigger size for more flavor and crunch in every bite.
A knock out hit with my karate kids!
Looks like we've found our new go to snack for lunch boxes, road tripping and sharing with friends after karate class!
This post is sponsored by Real California Milk but the content and opinions expressed here are my own.
Now that the kids are back at school, after school snacks have become a big thing in our home again. It can be so tempting to grab a pack of chips or a cookie, but I like to make sure that my kids eat something healthy after school. Of course, healthy doesn't have to mean boring!
My kids already eat a lot of fruit after school and they don't need much tempting to choose an apple or strawberries as their snack option, but sometimes it's nice to make it a little more fun for them, while still keeping it healthy. Fun, tasty and healthy!
Today on the blog I'm sharing a simple recipe for a sweet creamy dip to make snacking on fruit just a little more tasty. It's also a great source of protein which gives kids the energy they need. It's great for after school snacks at home but can easily be taken to after school activities or even in a lunch box for a lunch time treat. It would even make a great party dish!
Best of all? It's super easy to make and only require three ingredients! The kids can even help.
Sounds great, right? Let's take a look at how to make it...
What you'll need:
8oz light cream cheese
8oz light vanilla yogurt
1 Tablespoon agave syrup
Plus fruit for dipping eg. strawberries, blueberries, apple slices, mandarin, banana and grapes
Place the cream cheese in a large bowl and mix until smooth.
Add the yogurt and mix together until smooth.
Add the agave syrup and mix together. Give it a taste and if it's not quite sweet enough for your liking add a little more agave syrup.
Place the dip in the fridge to chill while you prepare the fruit.
Cut the fruit to your liking and place on a large platter with a small bowl in the center.
Add the creamy dip to the bowl and voila, it's ready to eat!
My kids like to use their fingers to hold apple slices, mandarin pieces and strawberries, but for smaller fruit like grapes and blueberries (or squishy fruit like banana) they like to use a toothpick.
For on the go snacks, I like to place the fruit into a bento box with a small dip container, but any container will do. This recipe makes such a great snack to take along to after school activities or picnics and is great for sharing with friends. Mathilde took this along to karate class in the park this week and the sweet creamy dip was a hit with all her friends - although she was pretty keen to eat it all herself!
I love that this simple recipe combines two of my kids' favorite (and my favorite!) food groups - dairy and fruit. We eat a lot of both in our home, not only because they taste good, but because they're great for fueling active bodies. My kids are so busy with school followed by swim team or karate class every day that they need the vitamins, minerals and protein that dairy provides. Of course, it doesn't hurt when it tastes this good!
When it comes to dairy products, I like to make sure I'm buying products that are produced with local Californian milk. I love knowing that not only am I helping to support local dairy farmers, but my purchase is helping local communities. To make sure I'm buying products made with local milk I keep an eye out for the Real California Milk seal.
