Today I’m showing you five different ways that I send dairy products with the kids in their lunches (my lunchbox snack hacks). Each one takes less than two minutes to prepare (most of them are well under a minute!), and all of them are licked clean by the time the kids get home at the end of the day. Another reason I love these, is that I ALWAYS have dairy in the house, and any other ingredients I use are common, every day ones to. Even when I’m rushing in the morning, haven’t grocery shopped in a week, and have no clue how I’m going to get out the door in time, one of these is ready to save me!
Dairy products are like the gold coins in my kids lunches – if it’s in there, they’re eating them. Problem is, for a while there, it was hard for me to think outside of a cheese string for them. Then one day I found Hans Dairy, a small local dairy that produces all natural products, and I realized there was a lot more I could be doing.
One more thing – A GIVEAWAY! Don’t miss all the details at the end of the post!
1. Yogurt with mix-ins
My kids can never agree on what kind of yogurt they want to eat, which makes it really hard to buy pre-flavoured ones when I’m shopping. I started getting this Dahi Natural Yogurt and haven’t looked back! Go for the 3.2% milk fat over the 2% – the kids like the thicker stuff. Then, I just take a second to customize it however they want. Usually that means a little swirl of honey on the top, and then another little container with something they can mix in themselves (they loving doing it themselves at school), like a granola, or some fresh fruit.
2. Rice Pudding
Next up is one of my favourites, and one of the easiest to add into their lunch! This Kheer Rice Pudding from Hans Dairy is AMAZING! It’s not as thick and gelatinous as some of the other brands out there, and it’s not overly sweet. Seriously, I could eat this every day and not get sick of it (which is why there’s always at least half a container in the fridge). My guys love it with a little bit of cinnamon sprinkled on the top.
3. Quick Ranch Dip for Veggies
This is an AWESOME hack to know, and it uses the same Dahi Natural Yogurt again. I’m lucky because all of my kids love vegetables. Nothing makes them happier than some broccoli or cauliflower at the table. Sometimes though, I worry that they same plain, chopped veggies might get boring, so I whip up this quick dip for for them.
Quick Ranch Dip
Whisk all ingredients together. Nothing has to be perfect either, I just use a big spoon (tablespoon) and eyeball it all.
3 big spoons of yogurt
1 big spoon of sour cream
1 big spoon of mayonnaise
dash of dill (fresh or dry) (about 1/4 tsp, to taste)
dash of garlic powder )about 1/4 tsp, to taste)
salt and pepper to taste
4. Grab and Go Smoothies
Then, there are the days where even two minutes is two too many. That’s when I toss one of these all natural smoothies into their lunch. They’ve got five great flavours too, Strawberry, Blueberry, Peach, Mango, and Passion Fruit. The kids love them, and I love that on the days when I really need a helping hand, they’ve got my back.
5. Homemade Smoothies
When I do have an extra two minutes though, I love making my own smoothies for them. My go to uses that amazing Dahi Natural Yogurt again – are you guys seeing how versatile this one product is! Keep a bag of frozen fruit on hand and then just blend it up with the yogurt for a thicker smoothie (the kids call them milkshakes some times). If you want a runnier smoothie, you can add a bit of water, coconut water, or make it using their sweet lassi instead of the yogurt (this is my favourite way to make it!). If you’re curious – the fruit mix I use actually has frozen strawberries, raspberries, grapes, and carrots in it.
GIVEAWAY TIME
I love working with and supporting small, local companies like Hans Dairy. Their commitment to producing only natural products means that you can feel good about buying them for your family too! You could win a $500 visa giftcard to grab those back-to-school things you forgot about (there’s always something we forget!!) or one of five Hans Dairy product packs! Good luck everyone!!!
Hans Dairy Back to School Giveaway
Disclosure: I have partnered with YMC and Hans Dairy and have received compensation for this post. All opinions in the post are my own.
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