Back-to-School Lunchbox Ideas + Cabot Giveaway

07 Sep Back-to-School Lunchbox Ideas + Cabot Giveaway

This post was sponsored by American Dairy Association Northeast. All thoughts are my own

Start the school year off by sending your kids to school with simple, creative lunchboxes. When putting together my kid’s lunchboxes, I always keep in mind the flavor, nutrition, and eye appeal. I also want to make sure it’s easy to pick up with smaller fingers and not too messy. Here are three fun lunchbox ideas that my kids love made with Cabot cheese. You can then enter for your chance to win a Cabot cheese gift basket to make any of these creations!

What to Pack?
When I think about what to pack for my kid’s lunch, I always make sure to include at least three food groups coming from fruits, vegetables, whole grains, dairy, and protein. That way I know my kiddo is getting the nutrients they need to grow and thrive.

Dairy is one of the most important ingredients in building a lunchbox because it gives kids the nutrition needed to stay focused to learn. Dairy, like cheese, provides protein and calcium kids need to fuel growing bodies. Whether it is sliced or cubed in a bento box, shredded on a wrap or stacked on their favorite sandwich…any which way you slice it, cheese helps fuel their school day! Some of my favorite go-to ingredients from each of these categories include:

• Fruits: Grape halves, berries, melon chunks, and apple or pear slices (with a squeeze of lemon or orange juice to prevent browning)
• Vegetables: Baby carrots or carrot sticks, celery sticks, cucumber coins, canned low-sodium vegetables like green beans or carrot coins, jicama
• Whole Grains: Whole grain crackers, whole wheat tortilla (filled with cheese or beans), 100% whole wheat bread
• Dairy: Cabot cut slices of cheese, Greek yogurt, drinkable yogurt, low fat chocolate milk
• Protein: Hard boiled eggs, sunflower seed butter, turkey, chicken, beans, lentils, edamame, canned tuna or chicken, hummus

And don’t forget the milk money – at just 0.35 cents and kept cold at 35-degrees – this farm fresh beverage is something ALL schools have available that you don’t need to worry about packing.

3 Lunchbox Ideas

Here are three of my kid’s favorite lunches I pack for them.

The All-American

As PB&J being the quintessential lunch sandwich, I incorporate it into my kid’s lunchbox. As most schools are nut-free, I used sunflower butter instead of peanut butter. I also incorporate purple and green sliced grapes, sliced red bell peppers, pumpkin seeds, dried tart cherries, and slices of Cabot cheese

The Mediterranean

I grew up eating a Mediterranean diet, so I have always incorporated Mediterranean-style foods into my kid’s lunch boxes. This lunchbox contains my Israeli-Style Salad topped with a hard-boiled egg, canned chickpeas (rinsed and drained), whole wheat crackers with Cabot cheese slices, and diced watermelon.

 The Mexican-Style

I’m a huge fan of Mexican fare and so are my children. In this lunch box I made cheese quesadillas using Cabot cheese slices, a side of low-sodium black beans, salsa, and long carrot and celery sticks (my kids love them this way), and skewered grapes and strawberries. For a variation, you can make the quesadillas with both beans and cheese.

Enter For Your Chance To Win

One randomly selected participant will win Cabot’s Cracker Cut Gift Box, Cabot tin lunchbox, Cabot water bottle, and 2 VIP coupons.

Giveaway Begins: Friday 9/7/2018 at 12:00 am ET
Giveaway Ends: Tuesday 9/11/18 at 11:59 pm ET

 You can enter my giveaway for the Cabot gift basket above by doing any of the following:

• Go to my Instagram page and tag two people in the giveaway post
• Go to my Facebook page and tag two people in the giveaway post
• Follow me on Instagram
• Follow me on Facebook
• Copy and paste this tweet, “Enter for your chance to win @CabotCheese delicious gift basket on @TobyAmidor #giveaway from @AmericanDairyNE https://bit.ly/2CwglJm”  (only one time per day)
• In the comments below, tell me which lunchbox you will make for your kids.

You do not need to purchase anything to win. Only open to legal residents of the 50 U.S. states, D.C. or Puerto Rico, and you must be at least 18 years of age to enter.