We are back from spring break and what a trip we had!! I'll write more about our adventures throughout the coming weeks so stay tuned. While we were away, This Lunch Rox hit a milestone...the site reached a whopping 250,000 unique visits. That means nearly 1/4 of a million people have clicked on the site and there have been nearly 500,000 page loads!! I started using a web-tracking device soon after the launch of the web-site simply out of curiosity to see if the blog posts were of interest to people. The boys and I got in the habit of checking the stats on the site regularly and have had fun noting where people are reading the blog. We started mapping visits from the U.S., but within a few weeks of launching the blog we were mapping visits from all around the world! We celebrated when we realized the site had been seen on 6 out of 7 continents (if anyone in Antarctica is reading this...HOORAY!! That means we've reached 7 out of 7). It's been a wonderful geography lesson for the kids and it's exciting for me to know that there are people worldwide interested in what I'm saying here on the blog.

My 3rd grader has been working on fractions this year so when the site hit 250k hits I knew it would be a fun way to incorporate a math lesson here at home. When I gave him the number he figured out that 250,000 people visiting the site = 1/4 million people = 25% of a million people. Then we looked at the page loads and he figured that 500,000 page loads = 1/2 million page loads = 50% of a million page loads. Now we'll continue to watch the site stats and see how the fractions change over the next few weeks & months!

Today's 1/4-themed lunch includes: peanut butter sandwich (if allergies are a concern you might consider using sunbutter), 1 stick green grapes and 3 sticks of red grapes, venison sticks, Babybell cheese round, hard boiled eggs, almond flour chocolate chip cookies (if nut allergies are a concern you could try this sunbutter cookie recipe)

My family and I are enjoying a family vacation over spring break this week so I won't be posting any lunches. Instead, I wanted to take this opportunity to write about something that has been bothering me for a while...how food is marketed to kids. About a month ago I had to venture down an aisle of a grocery store I haven't visited in a while. You see, my local grocery store moved the almonds from the baking aisle to the "chips/pop" aisle. On my way to their new location I walked through the cereal aisle where I noticed most of the sugar-filled, cartoon laden cereals were all at hip level or below...right where kids could see them and in turn beg for a box (or two). Then when I turned into the chip/pop aisle I couldn't help but notice just how bright and colorful the food packaging was. Very inciting to little eyes!

This grocery store incident combined with the fact that I've noticed that just about every commercial that comes on tv during kids' programming is marketing junk food to kids made me want to get some specific facts on this topic. I did some digging and stumbled upon a great infographic created by the folks over at teach.com. The statistics shown below illustrate the degree to which our children are exposed to and encouraged to consume foods filled with sugar, calories, and other "junk". These commercials also often mislead our children into believing these foods are somehow healthy and good for them.

Research shows that gluten sensitivity in some form, including celiac disease and mild gluten intolerance,affects approximately 15% of the US population and I wouldn't be surprised to see that number rise. It seems more and more people I come in contact with have gluten intolerance or celiac disease. So what is gluten intolerance? In many people the body reacts to gluten as if the protein is a virus and their body attacks it and the surrounding tissue. This response damages the surrounding tissue and has the potential to set off many health problems within the body. Gluten sensitivity means that rather than digesting gluten the body ends up fighting gluten as if it were a virus which leads to inflammation. This reaction can result in a variety of symptoms such as; gastro-intestinal problems (IBS, bloating, pain, gas, constipation, diarrhea), aching joints, eczema, depression, head aches, exhaustion, etc...

At the requests of some of my readers I've been experimenting with some gluten free lunches. I made two this week that went over well with the kids so I thought I'd share them with you! Before I get into what I included in each lunch I will state that if you are packing a lunch for someone with a gluten sensitivity or allergy I would encourage you to read labels VERY carefully. Gluten is hidden in many foods you might not suspect such as; deli meat, dry spices, candies, sauces, salad dressing, soups, etc...

The first gluten-free lunch includes: gluten-free deli sliced turkey/grape kabobs, two protein packed peanut butter muffins, carrots/hummus, string cheese, two squares of gluten-free dark chocolate

The second lunch includes a peanut butter sandwich using a gluten-free waffleinstead of bread, hard boiled egg, cheese, cantaloupe/grapes, broccoli, gluten-free brownie

It's been a very busy week for me at the studio so I've been throwing together a lot of quick-and-easy lunches for the kids. Often times I don't feel they are worth posting, but after reading through comments on the This Lunch Rox Facebook Fan Pageit sounds like readers would love to see more "quick-and-easy" lunch ideas! So, today's lunch is exactly that...a lunch that took 5 minutes to throw together. When I know I have a busy week ahead there are a few things I like to do to make the process of putting lunches together more efficient. First, when I come home from the grocery store I start by cutting up a few days worth of fruits and vegetables and storing them in single serve Lock and Lock boxes in the fridge. I also like to spend time on the weekends making up 2-3 "baked goods" (typically I make one muffin recipe, one desert recipe, and one bread recipe). Just to give you an example, last weekend I made almond flour blueberry muffins, chia seed cookies, and almond flour drop biscuits. I store the baked goods in an airtight container in the freezer and pull them out as needed for breakfast, lunch, snacks or dinner. I've found that while it takes time up front it's well worth the effort on the mornings when we are all running around trying to get out the door on time. It also ensures I have plenty of snacks handy for the kids when we're on the go!

Today's lunch includes: peanut butter roll-up, strawberries/blueberries, cucumber, string cheese and a chia seed cookie (recipe below)

As mentioned above, this lunch includes a chia seed cookies...this is a new recipe I found recently via Pinterestand my boys LOVED them. Because chia seeds are packed with antioxidants, fiber, and omega-3 I try to include in as many recipes as possible. I adapted this particular recipe from theoriginal versionby replacing the white flour with almond flour and used a natural sweetenerin place of the brown sugar:

Chia Seed Cookies (Recipe adapted from Yummy Mummy Kitchen)

1 1/2 cups rolled oats
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 cup almond flour
1 1/2 Tablespoons chia seeds
1/4 cup butter, room temperature
1/2 cup natural sweetener
3/4 cup natural peanut butter
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 cup dark or semisweet chocolate chunks or chips (I use Simply Lite bars or Chocoperfection bars which are both gluten free)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.
In a medium bowl, stir together oats, baking powder, flour, and chia seeds.
In a separate bowl use an electric mixer to beat butter with sweetener until creamy. Add peanut butter, eggs, and vanilla. Slowly stir in oat mixture to combine. Stir in chocolate chips.Place heaping tablespoons of dough onto cookie sheet. Press dough into balls with hands, as dough will be crumbly. Bake 12 minutes.

Today isNEA's Read Across America day. This is an annual reading awareness program that calls for every child to celebrate reading on March 2, the birthday of children's author Dr. Suess. Last year I posted a lunch inspired by the beloved Theodor Giesel (a.k.a. Dr. Suess) himself in honor of the special day. However, given the recent passing of beloved author, Jan Berenstain, I decided to forgo a "Suess-themed" lunch today and instead create a lunch to celebrate Berenstain's contribution to children's literacy.

When I was growing up Berenstain Bear books were a staple in my home and I can still recall how proud I was when I was able to read "The Spooky Old Tree" all on my own. That was really when my love for reading began! As a former teacher and avid reader I hope to instill a love for reading in my own kids. Over the years we've built quite a library for the kids and The Berenstain Bear books make up part of that collection. I love the the illustrations, story lines and lessons about kindness, courage, tidiness, etc... Because the authors used simple language and illustrations I have found these books help my kids see the connections between the words and the stories which is incredibly important for emerging readers. The Berenstain's have certainly provided a strong reading foundation for myself, my boys and many, many children around the world.

Today's Berenstain Bear lunch includes: ham/cheese sandwich, grapes, dark chocolate almonds, string cheese, cucumbers, chia seed cookies(I replaced the brown sugar with 1/2 c. of Wholesome Sweetener Erythritol which is a natural, plant based sweetener) packed in a Planet Lunch Box

Ironically, as I sat here typing this blog entry both of my boys rolled out of bed and landed in the bean bag next to me and read a few of the books I pulled for this post...a perfect way to start the day! Happy Read Across America Day, everyone!!

Yesterday after school we had to break the news to our son that his favorite NHL player, Nick Schultz, was traded from the Minnesota Wild to the Edmonton Oilers. Anyone who knows my son knows just how much the world of hockey means to him. Not only does he love to play hockey, he loves everything about the game of hockey. Just to give you an idea...my son usually falls asleep reading hockey stat books while listening to a hockey game on the radio. Over the years he has picked a few players that he follows pretty closely...one of whom is Nick Schultz. He likes to check their stats, listen to their post-game interviews, and watches for them in the NHL highlight reels. I think my son was drawn to him at first because they share the same last name, but as my son grew to understand the game of hockey he saw that Nick was a very skilled and talented player. As a parent I couldn't be more thrilled to have my son look up to someone like Nick Schultz. Not only has he been a solid defensemen for the Minnesota Wild, but he has been a leader off-ice as well. Nick has led the team in the annual initiative known as Movember, a charity raising funds for awareness for cancers affecting men. He has certainly been a great role model for our boys and we couldn't be more appreciative for his hard work both on and off the ice.

We told our son as soon as he got off the bus yesterday to avoid him hearing it on the radio. I fully expected tears, but instead he proclaimed that he could still cheer for Nick Schultz and the Oilers (as long as the Oilers aren't playing the Wild). It wasn't until he went to bed last night that the tears started. He realized at that point that he would never again hear Nick's name on the radio broadcasts or see him take the ice one more time as a Minnesota Wild player. The tears were hitting his pillow pretty hard last night, but he seemed somewhat relieved when we told him that we were considering a trip to Edmonton to watch Nick take the ice as an Oiler. So even though Nick Schultz is now an Edmonton Oiler, he will always have a fan in my son!

I posted this lunch before, but I thought it was worth posting again in honor of Nick Schultz and his contribution to the Minnesota Wild organization...

And a very special thank you to Nick for signing my son's jersey...this could quite possibly be the best birthday gift of all-time and might even earn me a "mom of the year award" from my son!!! I can't wait to see his reaction when he opens this!

In a funny twist...Nick Schultz was traded for Tom Gilbert of the Edmonton Oilers. My son had the opportunity to skate with Tom last summer at the Davis Drewiske hockey charity event. What are the odds of that? Something tells me it won't be long before I start hearing Tom Gilbert's name around our house!

Last week I put a call out on my Facebook pageasking readers to list topics they would like to see me cover here on This Lunch Rox. It seems there is a lot of interest out there regarding "quick-and-easy" lunches as well as allergy sensitive lunches. I've made note of all of the suggestions and will make it a point to sprinkle posts related to these topics (along with many other great ideas shared by my readers) over the next few months.

Today's lunch is a gluten and nut allergy-sensitive lunch. If you're like me I've had a hard time wrapping my brain around the overwhelming increase in food allergies in our society. I feel incredibly lucky that neither of my children suffer from food allergies, but a number of their friends do and I'm amazed at how much planning and preparation their parents must do to keep their child safe & healthy. This has prompted me to do a lot of reading and research on the topic of food allergies. One of the best resources I've come across so far is this "Ted Talk" by Robyn O'Brien. In this video she explains what has happened to our food over the years and could very well be the link to the rise in food allergies in our children.

As I mentioned above, my children don't have gluten allergies but we do try to limit the amount of wheat they consume on a daily basis. Over the years our society is consuming an extraordinary amount of wheat. The average American consumes appx 67% of their calories from just THREE foodscorn, soy and wheat. To put this in perspective, the caloric intake from these ingredients by our ancestors ranged somewhere between 1-5%. My kids do love sandwiches on wheat and lavash bread and I haven't found a gluten-free bread option that my boys will eat. Until we can find a good bread alternative I've been limiting other convenient, pre-packaged foods that contain some derivative of corn, soy and wheat (high fructose corn syrup, corn oil, wheat flour, soy protein, etc), to keep the percentage of calories consumed from corn, soy and wheat more in line with our ancestors than todays average American. If you are interested in this topic you can read morehere.

Over the weekend I experimented with lettuce wraps and was thrilled to find that both of my boys gobbled them up without a word about the missing sandwich bread!

I started with a large piece of butter leaf lettuce:

Then I placed nitrite/nitrate free lunch meat and a slice of white American cheese in the center:

Then I simply rolled it up, cut off the ends & secured the wrap with a toothpick:

Viola!! A quick-and-easy gluten free "sandwich"!

Today's lunch includes: ham & cheese lettuce wrap, strawberries/blueberries, Ellsworth cheese curds, cucumbers/hummus, nut-free & gluten-free brownie(if your child is allergic to almonds you will want to replace the almond milk in the recipe with whatever milk option is safe for your child)

Hi all! I made it home from my travels and am looking forward to settling back into routine here. There's so much to do over the weekend to get myself caught up but I'll be back in action next week so stay tuned. I was contacted by the folks behind www.coupons.orgwho offered to do a guest post on my blog to provide readers with some tips on how to save money on healthy foods. I thought it would resonate well with all of you so I gladly accepted their offer. I hope you find the information helpful. Enjoy your weekend, everyone!

How to Save Money on Healthy Foods

This post was written by Coupons.orgs resident writer, Ella Davidson. Coupons is a consumer savings site that strives to save consumers more than just a few pennies.

Whole Foods means you spend your Whole paycheck. It is a joke that has been circulating around the organic and natural foods community for some time. Even though the joke that turned myth has been easily debunked, it still speaks to the idea that buying organic and healthy can be costlier than buying food from the local grocery store. But this does not always have to be the case; with a little forethought and cunning you can manage to buy healthy foods at half the price.

Every good meal begins with preparation. Planning ahead and preparing a meal plan helps cut down impulse purchases, allows you to collect as well as use coupons, and helps you decide where to buy. I know I always end up the sucker to impulse purchases and if I fail to plan ahead I end up with prepackaged food that has an ingredients list straight from NASAs next space adventure: Maltodextrin, Monosodium Glutamate, Sodium Caseinate, Disodium Inosinate, and Disodium Guanylate. But those are just some of the ingredients in a bag of Doritos Chips. To think that if you planned ahead you could have spent the same amount of money on a whole and filling salad or, if you are like me, a healthier bag of potato chips.

If you are trying to save money while buying healthy, then the second key alongside preparation is to buy nutrition and not quantity. Ever wonder why you get hungry an hour after eating off McDonalds dollar menu? Or how much nutritional value actually exists in a Pepsi or a Coke? That is because most fast food and many splurges like potato chips or cookie dough add calories to your day but they add very little nutrition. This means you end up eating more junk because those hunger pains come back a lot quicker than normal. If you plan ahead it makes it a lot easier to avoid these impulse buys and quick fixes to hunger. Instead, planning ahead means less junk in the shopping cart, smaller portion sizes, and more meals cooked at home which overall leads to a smaller food budget.

Now maybe you are already in the swing of preparation. Maybe you already plan and cook all your meals at home but you are looking to make the switch to healthy foods. If that is the case, then try using some of the same money saving tricks that you use on normal food for the healthy food instead. For example, when I try to save money I go to Costco and buy in bulk. Well, why not buy bulk when it comes to healthy food? Most healthy food stores have bulk sections that contain a plethora of common items like flours (gluten-free included), beans, grains, almond butter, and even many alternatives and special purchases. Choosing bulk will help you save money because it cuts back on the cost packaging and the cost of a brand name.

Now here is where buying healthy food gets a leg up on the grocery store when it comes to saving money: local food. Not only does it help save the environment, but local foods help keep that green in your back pocket. If you buy in season local produce it saves on shipping and preservation costs. We all know how expensive mangos out of season from the tropics can cost. The best places to buy local, cheap, and healthy are farmers markets, co-ops, and farms. They can bring the savings on to you since the food came straight from the farm: you can buy wholesale without having to fund large transportation, administrative, or corporation costs.

The largest contention that I hear with buying healthy is that these local foodsvegetables, fruits, unpackaged fresh meats, and unprocessed foodsspoil quicker than jerky sticks or other prepackaged snacks. I would say that this falls largely into the planning category. Try using the same foods you purchase for multiple meals, or try buying more versatile foods. Also, get smart on purchases. For example, buy frozen fruits and vegetables. Many times frozen is just as healthy, they stay fresh for much longer, and then you get to incorporate healthier foods into your meals and snacks. Or even simpler, pack yourself a healthy sack lunch of leftovers on your way to work or school. It is healthier, keeps food from spoiling, and is by far cheaper than eating out every lunch.

So next time you sit contemplating a four-layered, fried chicken, triple-patty, and cheese from a can junk food snack, instead think of how you would feel after a delicious home cooked healthy meal. Satisfying, delicious, fresh, and light on the walletall things I love to see in the food I eatso why not make it healthy too?

A few weeks ago we woke up to a heavy frost outside. The kids were fascinated by how "white" everything looked even though there was very little snow on the ground.

We went outside to take a closer look and the kids had all kinds of questions and theories about how frost forms. I didn't have a great answer for them so I went on-line and found a fun little experiment HEREthat helped explain the process and allowed the kids see the process happen right before their eyes. If you want to try it you'll just need the following:

• Small metal can


• Water


• Salt


• Crushed ice

Step 1:Fill a small metal can 1/4 of the way with water.

Step 2:Stir 4 tablespoons of salt into the water.

Step 3:Add enough crushed ice to fill the cup, and stir the solution.

Step 4:Observe what happens on the outside of the can.

The cold solution in the can lowered the temperature of the can. When the air outside the can came in contact with the cold can, the air's temperature also dropped. The amount of water vapor the air can hold depends on the air's temperature; it cannot hold as much water when it is cold. The water vapor condensed on the cold can, and the low temperature made the water freeze and form frost on the outside of the can.

Today's "frost lunch" includes: nitrate free turkey sandwich with white American cheese, granola bar, venison sticks, cucumber & hummus