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Rockin Mama™

Motherhood, Giveaways and Product Reviews

Easy, Healthy Back to School Lunch Ideas + $150 Giveaway

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Back to school lunch ideas like these can help you get good food into your kids and good time with your kids. When my son is at soccer practice and my daughter is getting her dance on, the surest way for us to connect after a busy week is over a meal. The importance of sitting down together as a family for meals is well-documented, and in our family, this is how everything from missed homework to celebrating academic success has been communicated.

The new school year is always a busy season, yet my kids do really well with the added structure and routine. The one challenge I always have is to consistently prepare quick, healthy meals that my kids will eat. Admittedly, I start the school year off well and begin to lose steam sometime around the Spring. That’s why I came up with these back to school lunch ideas.

Readypac Ready Snax - Back to School Lunch Ideas

Back to School Lunch Ideas

One of my favorite go-to back to school lunch ideas are the salads from ReadyPacFoods. Lunch is always the most challenging meal for both my kids and myself, so I love the fact that the ReadyPac Bistro Salads come pre-packaged with dressing and accompaniments. As much as I aspire to prepare my own salads at home, I just don’t have the time. Since salads are my lunchtime mainstay, I’ll often find myself grabbing a quick bite out. ReadyPac’s Bistro Bowl Salads are a healthy, affordable way to get in a quick meal without any time or effort. I also like the fact that there are so many different varieties, including vegetarian options so I don’t get tired of eating the same thing on a daily basis. My favorites include the Apple Bleu Pecan, Caprese, Cranberry Walnut and Spinach Dijon. Even though these vegetarian options do not contain meat, you can still get in a sufficient amount of protein with the cheese, nuts and eggs included in these salads.

Blu-rugula Superfood Salad - Back to School Lunch Ideas

ReadPacFoods recently launched their ElevAte line which features 8-nutrient-dense, ready-to-go salads. I am hugely passionate about healthy, organic eating, so when I saw these I knew I would enjoy them. Each salad includes superfoods such as ancient grains, plant-based proteins, nutrient-dense greens, nuts, legumes and seeds. The nutrients you’ll take in from these salads include omega 3 and 6 fatty acids, vitamins and antioxidants. Many of the products in this line are Non-GMO Project Verified, Organic and/or Gluten Free and free from antibiotics, ideal for families like ours looking for cleaner nutrition. My favorite salad in the ElevAte line is the blu•rugula which includes arugula and baby greens, Aronia berries, almonds, cacao nibs, sorghum and chia seeds accompanied by a blueberry vinaigrette. This salad is absolutely divine and something I would expect at a high-end vegan restaurant. I absolutely love that the line is available for under $4 at my local grocery store, because back to school lunch ideas are better when they’re affordable!

Kids Picnic - Back to School Lunch Ideas

Healthy Snacks - Back to School Lunch Ideas

I pack my kids’ lunches at least 50% of the time, but I would really like to increase this. Since my kids both enjoys healthy foods, we decided to have a picnic at our local park. My goal was to see if this could be a regular lunch option during the school year. I packed a few of ReadyPacFoods’ salads and Ready Snax and we spent the afternoon playing, lunching over healthy foods we feel good about, and catching up on the first week of school.

Barbeque Chicken Salad - Back to School Lunch Ideas

These back to school lunch ideas featuring salads are winners! Both of my kids enjoyed the salads we tried, specifically the Kickin’ BBQ Chopped Salad. For my 9-year-old, the portion size was perfect because he is very active in sports and growing quickly. I could pack my daughter half of a regular Bistro Bowl Salad and that would give her 2 healthy, delicious lunches in one week.

 Picnic For Kids - Back to School Lunch Ideas

During our picnic, we also snacked on ReadyPacFoods’ Ready Snax. This line includes fruit and vegetables paired with yogurt, cheese, nuts, pretzels, and more. While I think that healthy snacking is good for adults and children, the challenge is to find foods that aren’t filled with excess sugar, unhealthy fats and artificial ingredients. I prefer good-for-you snacks that will fuel my kids brain and provide lasting energy through their day. Foods like veggies and hummus or apples and yogurt that taste good and help my kids feel good in between meals.

Ready Snax - Back to School Lunch Ideas

If you’re looking for healthy, meal and snack ideas for the new school year, check out ReadyPacFoods. You can find their Bistro Bowl Salads, ElevAte Salads and Ready Snax at your local grocery store using their product locator.

Win It!  Right now, you can enter to win TWO giveaways from ReadyPacFoods!  Here at Rockin’ Mama, you can enter to win a $150 Visa Gift Card. Simply complete the Rafflecopter form and leave me a comment with the name of the salad or snack you’d like to try with your family. Comments will close on September 23rd, 2016 at 11:59 PM PST.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

US Residents only. Duplicates and comments not including the above information will be disqualified. Comments are moderated. If you don’t see your comment in a reasonable amount of time, send me an email. Bloggers and non-bloggers may enter. If you don’t want to leave your email address, please be sure to check back for my announcement on the winner. Please note that winners must respond within 48 hours of being announced/contacted or another winner will be drawn.

You can also enter to win $3,000 in prizes during ReadyPacFoods Back-To-School Sweepstakes. Here are the prize packs you can win:

3 Grand Prizes (ARV $3,000)

– $2,500 Amazon gift card
– $250 Herschel Supply Company gift card
– $250 Grocery gift cards

Eight Runner-Up Prizes (ARV $1,000)

– $800 Amazon gift card
– $100 Herschel Supply Company gift card
– $100 Grocery gift cards

Simply complete their easy entry form online before September 18th, 2016.

Caryn Bailey
Latest posts by Caryn Bailey (see all)
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115 Responses to Easy, Healthy Back to School Lunch Ideas + $150 Giveaway

  27. I would like to try the Raspberry Chipotle Salad Kit.
    I love fruit in salads and I love spicy food so it’s perfect! 🙂
    thanks!

    Reply

  29. I’d like to try the Raspberry Chipotle Salad Kit.
    I love fruit in my salads and I also love spicy food so it sounds perfect.
    thanks!

    Reply

  57. I would enjoy trying the ReadyPacFoods Turkey and Bacon Cobb salad
    I love everything in it!
    thank you
    form name Barbara Montag

    Reply

  58. I haven’t tried the Ready Pac Foods Bistro Dinner Solutions salads Chicken Caesar yet. I love the salads and snacks we’ve tried so far. So good and easy, kids love the snacks, they just get them out of the fridge and enjoy.

    Reply

  79. Ooh! I really love their salads. Just had one this eve! I would love to try the Chopped Thai Style Crunch kit. That sounds delicious!

    Reply

  96. I honestly love all of the products from ReadyPac Foods but one of my favorites is the Carrots, Grapes & Cheese with Pretzels Ready Snax. These are great for lunch boxes.

    Reply

  112. I want to try this new item from Ready Pac Foods: The Autumn Harvest Complete Salad Kit, is a blend of spring mix and carrots, topped with crunchy roasted
    pumpkin seeds, diced dates, raisins and pumpkin-spiced cornbread croutons, all dressed with a tangy pumpkin
    vinaigrette.

    Reply

  115. Sorry to see this contest ended early; you say 9/23 11:59pm PST; at 9/23 10:10pm PST it said ENDED. Perhaps this is a glitch in the system that you might correct. Thanks for the giveaways; I have entered most of them.

    Reply

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