Sweet Find Wednesday: Dipping on the Go

Chip & Dip Container
I didn't know this until a few years ago, but some manufacturers actually pay grocery stores for prime shelf space. It's the same basic principle as in real estate (location, location, location!) and makes perfect sense: If they can get their product on the shelves at eye-level, we're more likely to see--and subsequently purchase--it before other products that are stocked above or below eye-level. Thus, I've tried to make a game out of looking high and low while I'm in the store, seeing what I can find. Anything to make the humdrum shopping trip a little more interesting. :)

After some good detective work in the food container aisle, I found these little chip and dip containers.

They were so forgotten that I literally had to blow the dust off of them, find one with a bar code, and then locate one of those obscurely placed price checkers. My labor was not in vain: They were only two bucks! I grabbed two to try.

Some of our poorest food choices happen when we are traveling, so I packed these guys up with about 1/4 cup of hummus and some assorted vegges for an overnight trip. The container held plenty of veggies to supplement our meals. 

In the future, I'm sure our 2-year-old will love taking these to MDO in her lunches, but for now we grownups are enjoying the bit of variety these have made possible in our own lunches.

Where you Might Find One
You can try Walmart, but I also found this one from the Container Store. It's a few dollars more expensive than ours, but it's definitely still very reasonable.

I'd love to hear any other ideas you have for filling up your chip and dip containers!

Enjoy the day. :)

Lunch Box Ideas for Toddlers

Thankfully, I get to stay home with Laila most days; however, on Tuesdays and Thursdays, we go to Mother's Day Out. I teach the three-year-olds, and Laila heads to her class for some much-needed socialization with other kids her age. She loves the time with her friends.

Chef Laila, helping Dad wash potatoes for Sunday lunch

As much of a blessing as MDO has been for us, it's also presented a challenge: What do we pack in Laila's lunch? She's not been the best eater in the world anyway, and I feel like we end up sending the same thing all the time. Last week I set out in search of lunch ideas for toddlers, and here are some I think might work for us (as well as a few L has actually tried and liked):

• French toast, made the night before and cut with cookie cutters (I eat the scraps or put them in my own lunch--yum!)
• Hard boiled egg, cut into bite-sized pieces
• Grilled cheese, cut into strips
• Quesadilla, cut into strips
• English muffin with peanut[or soy]butter and banana
• Core an apple and cut it like donuts
• Pasta salad with corn and black beans
• Mini-bagels with cream cheese and finely chopped fresh veggies
• Frozen peas or corn (it will thaw by lunchtime)
• Veggie pizzas - Found a recipe using an English muffin, pizza sauce, your favorite toppings, and a slice of mozarella. Sounds good!

 Tips I found helpful:

• Vary the kind of bread you use for sandwiches: English muffins, bagels, croissants, fruit bread, etc.
• Top fruit with leftover sprinkles.
• Create "mini" versions of typical foods.
• Sprinkle particularly nutrient-rich foods on top of your child's other foods: Flax seed, toasted nuts and other seeds make great toppings.

I found this eHow article helpful, perhaps because I enjoy making lists. The Recommended Serving Size page from this PDF was also helpful to me.

I hope these tips have helped you out somewhat! Be sure to check the recipes tab (see top of page, below the banner) for this week's recipe recommendations. Enjoy your day. :)

Sweet Find Wednesday: Munchkin Cloth Snack Bags

New Section!
So often when I am talking to my friends, we end up swapping tips about items we have found recently that make life more simple, beautiful, or just more enjoyable in general. In the midst of the daily grind, these finds can be pretty exciting! I've decided it might be fun to share that excitement with you on the blog each Wednesday. Enjoy the first "Sweet Find." 

Snack sacks!
Say that five times fast. I have been eying these cute, environmentally friendly snack sacks on Etsy for quite some time. Take a look at a few of my favorites:

Available from Bag it Conscious

Available from Mada's Place

"Manly" bags I found for Mike, also available from Bag it Conscious. Non-girly looking reusable bags are unfortunately quite scarce.

In the midst of my deciding on which ones to purchase online, I trudged into Walmart for my weekly shopping. Low and behold, I found these reusable snack sacks from Munchkin! They were about $7 and came three in a pack.

I love the zippered closures--and so does Laila. She can "unzipper it" all by herself, which is a BIG DEAL to her as a toddler.

I even like the fabric better than any that I found on Etsy. Even though it is not the most masculine pattern ever made, Mike takes them in his lunches too. What a man!

After a few uses, we turn them inside-out and run them through the washer and dryer. Good as new!

I may eventually purchase some handmade sandwich-sized reusables on Etsy, but for now we are quite happy with these from Munchkin. You can purchase them at Walmart or look for them online; however, I couldn't find them online for less than $12 at Amazon.

And that's today's Sweet Find. Hope you enjoy the day! :)