Back-to-School Snacks & Hacks

This post is sponsored by Santa Cruz Organic but the content and opinions expressed here are my own.

Unless you are lucky enough to be savoring these last few weeks of Summer as actual Summer, you are in full on back-to-school mode. We’re a few weeks deep, and already we are counting down to the first break where we can turn off our alarms and put away that dreaded homework folder.

But until then we’ve come up with a few hacks to make the back-to-school transition just a little smoother. With a few easy adjustments morning routines become a little easier, days progress a little happier, and sports/after school activity nights are just a little less chaotic.

7 BACK-TO-SCHOOL HACKS

1: Pre-make your lunches the night before. Quite possibly one of our favorite back-to-school hacks.This saves a ton of time and stress both in lunch planning as well as eliminates one step from the already chaotic morning routine. 

2: Create a morning toiletries basket. Put all your morning toiletries essentials in a small basket to keep on the main floor of your house. Include toothpaste, toothbrushes, deodorant, vitamins, hair ties - basically any getting ready toiletry items your kids might need. Putting one of these together has been so helpful! Every precious second counts on those busy mornings and keeping everything together in one central spot eliminates some of that last minute running around that can occur during morning routines.

3: Choose protein packed snacks. There’s no getting around it - kids snack a ton. Try to opt for protein packed snacks. Protein gives a much needed boost in energy and makes you feel more full. So ultimately your kids, pantry, and budget will thank you. If you need a great idea we love peanut butter based snacks and these Peanut Butter Fruit Bars top our list of snack time favorites. They are quick, easy, and made in just a few simple steps with the help of Santa Cruz Organic Dark Roasted Creamy Peanut Butter and Santa Cruz Organic Strawberry Fruit Spread. (See below for full recipe.)

4: Keep Everyone Hydrated. Kids are so much more active during the day. And considering we start back-to-school in July, they’re tackling all those new routines and activities in the hottest part of the year. Hydration is important for energy, learning, and aids in making better eating choices. We send them off each day with a large water bottle, but also keep them in the car, and HUGE jugs in their sports bags year round. 


5: Keep homework time frames small. Okay we had a hard time with this because we originally wanted to do all our homework at once and just get it out of the way. We realized our kids were giving us big push back about that. We learned at the suggestion of a teacher that kids are much more productive when they are given multiple smaller blocks of time to do their homework. So grab a snack, give them a 15-30 minute timer, head over to their designated homework area, and let them do what they can. They re-visit later. 

6: Keep everyone on a sleep schedule. This goes without saying, but everyone does better when they are well rested. We know it is tricky with after school activities and sports some times, but we try to keep everyone on a good sleep schedule. Even us mommies! It’s so tempting to put everyone to bed and stay up late because we finally get some “me” time, but good rest supersedes a good reality TV binge watch sometimes. 


7: Say yes to some sweets. Did you know that eating chocolate while studying will help retain information a little easier? Now that’s advice we can get behind! Peppermint has also been proven to stimulate the brain and help with concentration. We try to have tiny individual wrapped  options of these available when studying for tests. Mommy might sneak a piece or two as well because let’s be honest - a lot of this we are re-learning too.

PEANUT BUTTER FRUIT BARS

There are a few snacks or homemade treats that our kids request over and over again. These Peanut Butter Fruit Bars are one of them. They are super easy to make and beyond delicious. We make them with Santa Cruz Organic Dark Roasted Creamy Peanut Butter because we love the taste and the fact that they use they are certified organic. Santa Cruz uses non-GMO ingredients and processes, which we are all here for because we want those little bodies to get all the good fuel it can for back-to-school.

We make these on Sunday nights and they usually make it at least three or four days. I make more some weeks, but they gobble them up just as fast!

Peanut Butter Fruit Bar Recipe

Serves 8-16

Prep Time: 10 Minutes

Total Time: 60 Minutes

Ingredients:

- 1 cup of Santa Cruz Organic Dark Roasted Creamy Peanut Butter
- 3/4 cup of Santa Cruz Organic Strawberry Fruit Spread
- 3/4 cup of light brown sugar
- 1/2 cup of unsalted butter
- 1 large egg
- 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
- 1 3/4 cups of all-purpose flour
- 3/4 teaspoon of salt
- 1/2 teaspoon of baking powder

Instructions:

1: Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2: Line an 8x8 inch baking pan with foil, leaving one inch overhang. Spray with cooking spray and set aside.

3: Put peanut butter, sugar, and butter in a large mixing bowl and mix until well blended.

4: Add vanilla to mixture and stir evenly.

5: Combine flour, salt, and baking powder in a separate bowl. Mix evenly and then add to peanut butter mixture. Stir until even.

6: Press the batter into the bottom of the pan.

7: Bake for 25-30 minutes or until bars are golden brown on top.

8: Allow bars to cool completely for 15-20 minutes. Lift bars out of the pan by the foil overhang, and then cut evenly into squares. 

9: Spread strawberry fruit spread evenly over the batter.

10: Serve and enjoy!

What back-to-school hacks or snacks do you have for rocking back-to-school season?

To learn more about Santa Cruz, and their line of yummy organic products to help get you back-to-school ready, visit HERE.

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Cheers to Summer: Vrai Canned Cocktails

This is the South we are in the throws of Summer with months of glorious warm weather, and cool(ish) nights ahead of us. The days are longer, dress code requires little more than shorts and flip flops, and the possibilities of activities are endless. For months on end we get to simply enjoy the lazy days this season provides.

Or maybe not.

Somehow school didn't get that memo. You know, the one titled "Summer: Take a Break!". It must have fallen somewhere in between "Hurricane Release Emergency Plan" and "Winter: What is that White Stuff?!"

I might sound a little bitter, but I'm a southern girl at heart and we like our summers! Summer break officially ends for us next week. The end of July has been a whirlwind of back-to-school prep. School supplies, shoe shopping, hair cuts, after school activity registration - lazy has been taken right out of the equation.

We're soaking up every last little bit of Summer we can! To kick off the weekend we had a pool play date with Carrie Beth and her crew, and then we spent the rest of it outdoors. While we grilled out for dinner, we reflected on how this was the best Summer yet!

And it really was!

We went on multiple vacations, we celebrated holidays with friends, we cheered on our kids at the ballpark, we had the opportunity to spend multiple nights cheering on our hometown sports teams, we boated, we celebrated birthdays, and the list goes on and on.

We sat there in my backyard lounging on my Adirondack chairs in the summer twilight drinking our new favorite cocktails, and came to the realization. We packed so much fun in those short weeks its no surprise we aren't willing to give it all up so quickly!

Smiling at the sweet memories we've made, we clicked our canned cocktails together and cheers-ed to the epic summer of 2018. The cool, crisp sweetness of our drinks reminding us that we still had a little bit of summer to savor and enjoy.

Even though summer might have to end, delicious tastes of summer don't have to! Somewhere along the way of our summer adventures we stumbled upon these Vrai canned cocktails. They are our new favorite go-to cocktails of choice. Not only because they are convenient to tote from the backyard to the boat (and everywhere in between!), but because they are YUMMY! It's like drinking summer in a can. Now that I can get behind no matter what season Mother Nature tells me it is.

Vrai cocktails are all certified organic, and use all natural and gluten-free ingredients. They also aren't malt based like other canned cocktails. They are vodka-based, which in our opinion adds to the flavor and their delicious taste! There are three flavors available: Tangerine, Green Tea, and Paloma. The Tangerine is my favorite, but they are all quite tasty!

Cocktails? We're in!

Healthier for you cocktails with the convenience of not having to be mixed, and the portability of a can? We are SO IN!

Getting the chance to enjoy the sweet tastes of summer and it's memories all throughout the year? I'll cheers to that!

To learn more about Vrai, their delicious canned cocktails, and where you can snag some for yourself check out: 

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What has been your favorite memory this Summer? 

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** Thank you so much to Vrai for sponsoring this post. All thoughts and opinions are our own. 

Amara Organic Baby Food

I am continuously amazed at how genius some people are. When I stumbled upon these organic dried baby food packets from Amara Baby Food, I had an "aha!" moment. I only wish I had found these a little sooner. Like six years sooner. They would have made life so much easier when I started this little journey called motherhood. Now I am making up for lost time though, as they have quickly become one of my favorite healthy ways to feed my children children on the go.

(Parents of older children, stay with me - because even though these dried baby food packets and for tinier tots, I have a sneaky way or two on how to make them useful for older children as well.)

These organic dried baby food packets make feeding baby so easy! Imagine getting all the healthy benefits of fresh homemade pureed baby food with out any of the time, effort, or the huge mess and clean-up in your kitchen. All you have to do is add a little water, formula, or breast milk to the contents of the packet and you have an amazing meal ready to go for your little one.

Not to mention the packets are light weight and mess free. Say goodbye to those cumbersome baby food containers! You can free up all that space in your diaper bag, and no longer worry about any accidental spills or breakages that might have previously occurred.

Now Baby Cute is just beyond the age of baby food, but I've loved feeding her a serving of the Oats n' Berries packet with her breakfast. It makes for a quick, easy, and healthy addition to what finger foods she might be eating.

We've been working on her utensil skills lately and clearly she's in love with the taste as much as I love feeding it to her.

And apparently so is L.C. Queen Elsa.

As for Cute, and L.C. they have no idea, but they love the Amara Organic Baby Food packets too! While I've tried my best to get my children to eat great right from the start, sometimes they need a little boost now and then. And never in my life have I heard either one of them utter, "Mom, I would absolutely love a large serving of kale right now! And can I get that with a large side of broccoli, please?". Not in my wildest dreams would that ever happen.

Long ago I was given a sneaky little trick to get kids to incorporate more fruits and veggies into their diet. A friend told me to mix baby food into their smoothies or into certain recipes. I love this little healthy hack because I feel like I'm totally beating them at the "anti-veggie" battle.

So when I received the dried baby food packets, I realized using my sneaky trick would work a lot easier now for some of my favorite recipes.

After school I mix up a quick smoothie of some fruit (usually a banana or strawberries), yogurt, a little ice, and then blend in a little dried baby food. Voila! Healthy snack that everyone is happy about. 

Later I realized that I'm not the only one who has thought of this genius idea. Upon visiting their website, and social media accounts, I noticed the lovely people at Amara also have some fabulous ideas for how to use their packets in other yummy recipes. 

If you're interested in testing out the Amara Organic Dried Baby Food, I was able to find the packets at Whole Foods, but spotted all the flavors on Amazon as well. 

Now tell me, what mom hacks do you have for sneaking in extra fruits and veggies into your children's diets? Inquiring minds want to know!

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