Do you send snacks to school with your kids? Finding snacks that are organic, healthy and at the same time, delicious enough that your children will eat them is easier than you may think. I have been packing organic, healthy snacks for Eben for many years and have a list of goodies that he will happily eat.
These snacks can be made in large quantities, then stored in reusable containers. All you have to do is pick one each morning to throw in your child’s backpack and feel great knowing that your child has a healthy snack for school. Check out my eight favorite backpack snacks that are kid approved for back to school.
If there is one item that I never forget to back in Eben’s backpack each morning – it is his reusable water bottle. Kids work and play hard – so having a great reusable bottle full of fresh water with them all day is essential for optimum health! However, if that water bottle is made using BPA – Yikes! We have a great selection of BPA free reusable water bottles in our home that we refill using our fridge filter, so I thought I would share my top five favorites for your back to school shopping list!
#1: EarthLust
EarthLust reusable water bottles have been one of my favorites for years. I love their kid friendly 13 oz. bottles made of food grade stainless steel and the designs – oh, the designs! Printed with non-toxic paints, EarthLust bottles aren’t just for keeping your kids hydrated they are portable pieces of art. Top that off with a BPA free cap with carabiner – which makes it perfect for clipping to a backpack. + EarthLust 13 oz. Bottle $16
#2: KleanKanteen
Eben has been using a 12 oz. Klean Kanteen reusable bottle for ages – because it is the perfect size to fit inside a lunchbox. Klean Kanteen reusable bottles are made using 18/18 food grade stainless steel and the lids are also BPA free. These reusable water bottles are heavy duty – yet extremely lightweight, ours is banged up from years of use, but it’s one of our favorites so we keep using it! + KleanKanteen 12.5 oz. Bottle $16.95
#3: CamelBak
We are a family of hardcore hikers, so we have been using CamelBak products for years and years. CamelBak also offers great reusable water bottles for kids that are 100% BPA free. These water bottles are also sturdy and durable. I am a huge fan of the Kids’ Stainless Bottle 12 oz. bottle made from stainless steel! + CambelBak 12 oz. Bottle $13
#4: Vapur
Vapur’s Quenchers are fantastic for lunchboxes, since it is a flat reusable water bottle. You can fill it, freeze it and use it as a ice pack in your child’s lunch box. Then, by lunch time it will have melted enough to drink! Vapur reusable bottles are also BPA free and great for on the go – Eben can shove the water bottle in his pocket and fill it up at school. We have also used our Vapur reusable bottles when we hit the amusement or water park – because we can drink the water in between rides and then roll up the bottle, put it in our pocket and hit the roller coasters! + Vapur 13 oz. Bottle $11.99
#5: Kor
The Kor One reusable water bottle is BPA free and has a hinged cap which makes it simple to add ice cubes! Kor One has a great spout that makes drinking splash free – and with their Kor Stones, you can see a message of inspiration every time you take a swig! + Kor 25 oz. Bottle 29.95
Chances are you have a birthday on your summer calendar, which means you may be serving your child cake in the near future. The problem with most store-bought or box cake varieties is that they’re packed full of artificial colors, flavors, preservatives and sugar. You can celebrate your favorite people and serve them cake too – just serve a fun, tasty alternative birthday cake that is actually good for them too. Here are my five favorite healthier alternatives to the birthday cake and believe me, your children will devour them.
Are you a hot sleeper? I am – especially in the summertime in Florida. Between the heat and the humidity, I have a hard time staying asleep. I will wake up several times throughout the night to flip the pillow to the cool side. Do you do this too? That was until, I received a set of standard organic wool pillows from Savvy Rest.
The mister and I have been testing them out for a few months, so that we could give you our overall opinion on the pillows. Our opinion in short – these organic wool pillows are fabulous!
Since wool is a natural insulator from both heat or cold it stabilizes your temperature. It also promotes moisture evaporation which is perfect for the humid Florida climate – allowing me to sleep all night long without flipping the pillow. Hooray!
I also feel very comfortable sleeping with my Savvy Rest organic wool pillows because they are toxic-free, I never have to worry about chemicals while we sleep. The mister is especially smitten with his wool pillow, he said that it his favorite on our bed. He likes the comfortable, firm feel of the pillow – and I am not sure if the pillow has anything to do with this, but the mister no longer snores at night! That right there is worth every penny!
Next, on our list is to replace our mattress with an organic version (saving our pennies!) When it comes time to make the purchase, I will be consulting Savvy Rest’s great section on their website to help me choose the right mattress (they also have videos!)
And, since Mr. Sweet Greens has a back injury (he likes a very firm bed) and I like a super-soft bed, I love that Savvy Rest can customize a bed that will work for both of us!
Savvy Rest has a great selection of organic mattresses, bedding, pet beds, and pillows – if you are in the market for new pillow or other bedding option, I would highly recommend them.
Do you have organic pillows or an organic mattress? Have you noticed a difference in the way that you sleep?
Summer vacation is here and you know what that means – you’ll have children coming in and out all day long grabbing frozen treats and lots and lots of drinks. Save your money and the environment this year by making homemade refreshing fruit-infused water for the kiddos. By making these beverages in mason jars, you can store a lot of them in the fridge and your child can easily grab a fruit-infused cooler anytime. I have a stack of these at Eben’s eye level in the fridge, making it easy for him to grab on the go! They aren’t filled with sugar like fruit juice, but still provide enough flavor to please kids, mine included! Jump over to Inhabitots to learn my top three favorite fruit and vegetable infused water recipes.
