Bonus Giveaway – Lunch Box Notes!
There’s nothing like a healthy lunch to make me feel good. That is something I’m trying hard to pass along to my kids as well.
Here’s a sneak peak inside two lunches that went out the door at our house today.
First, my son’s lunch for school.
In his Transformers lunch box, you will find:
- Ham and Cheese sandwich on Freihofer’s 100% Hearty Whole Wheat bread (NuVal score of 33 for Freihofers)
- Chobani Champions Strawberry Banana Greek yogurt (not yet scored – I am eagerly awaiting the score on this new Chobani product for kids)
- Del Monte Fresh Cut Green Beans with No Salt Added (NuVal Score: 100)
- Horizon Organic Reduced Fat Milk (NuVal Score: 55)
- One Lunch Box Note reminding my son to pay it forward
More about those Lunch Box Notes later in this post!
He also took some Chocolate Teddy Grahams (NuVal Score of 25) and a Minute Maid Fruit Falls (NuVal Score of 41) for his afternoon snack. It’s always a challenge to pack something that will sit in his warm backpack until the 2 pm snack time!
I took some extra time to pack a nice healthy lunch for myself as well.
This is actually my morning snack and lunch. I eat a lot of food!
Morning Snack
- Strawberries (NuVal Score: 100)
- Chobani Fat Free Plain Greek Yogurt (NuVal Score: 94)
Lunch
- Romaine Lettuce (NuVal Score: 100)
- Red Leaf Lettuce (NuVal Score: 100)
- Cucumber (NuVal Score: 93)
- Cocktail Tomatoes (NuVal Score: 96)
- Goya Cannellini Beans (NuVal Score: 57)
- Dressing of Olive Oil (11), Balsamic Vinaigrette, Kosher Salt and Black Pepper)
- Cedar’s Red Pepper Hummus (NuVal Score: 61)
- Central Market Toasted Whole Grain Wheat and Flax Crackers (NuVal Score: 36)
- Orange (NuVal Score: 100)
- Ghiardelli 60% Cacao Bittersweet Chocolate Chips (NuVal Score: 8)
I was a little disappointed by the score on the Cannellini beans. I thought they would be higher. I’ve been spoiled by the Beans That Scored 100!
Those Central Market Toasted Whole Grain Wheat and Flax Crackers were a great find!
The average score for crackers is a 16. So a cracker that scores a 36 is great. And they taste great too! I found them on my last visit to Price Chopper.
Packing a healthy lunch is no easy task! And in my case, it takes a lot of containers. My lunch bag was bulging!
Today’s Bonus Giveaway
As you know, I usually reserve giveaways for Trade Up Tuesday, but the nice people at www.sayplease.com were kind enough to send me some Lunch Box Notes to give away after I wrote about them in Two of My Favorite Things. They sent me Volumes 1, 2, 3, and 4 of Lunch Box Love for Kids:
I love these notes! There are even some blank ones inside so that you can personalize your message. And if you are not a Mom, you could win these and give them away to a Mom that you love for Mother’s Day. Also check out their site for:
- Lunch Box Love for Girlfriends
- Lunch Box Love for People You Work With
- Lunch Box Love for Those You Appreciate
To enter, leave a comment below telling me what’s in your lunch bag today. You can enter twice by leaving a second comment with the NuVal score for something in your lunch bag. Check out the NuVal site for some sample scores. I’ll pick one winner at random by 7 am EDT Friday. Good Luck!
Posted by: Melissa 30 comments
Posted in: bread, Chobani, Crackers, Lunch, Salad, tomatoes
Tags: bread, Chobani, Crackers, Lunch Box Love, Salad, tomatoes
on Apr 29th, 2010 at 7:17 am
Today’s lunch consists of a whole grain wrap sandwich with goat cheese, turkey, red pepper, sprouts and tomato. A bottle of water. a big carrot cut into sticks with hummus, a staple apple and a bit of dark chocolate…for good measure.
on Apr 29th, 2010 at 8:10 am
Today’s lunch consist of a spinach salad with feta and strawberries. For snack I have baby carrots. Yum!!!
on Apr 29th, 2010 at 8:14 am
In the mix today for my snack and lunch: a banana, an orange, a few strawberries, Yoplait Light Blueberry yogurt (I’m all out of Chobani!!), 1/4 cup of raisins and almonds, 1/2 package of Nature Valley Honey & Oats granola bar. Yum!
on Apr 29th, 2010 at 8:32 am
Today’s lunch is tuna salad made with green onions, spicy mustard, minced garlic, black pepper and 1 cup of baby spinach on Flat Out 5 Grain with Flax. YUM!
on Apr 29th, 2010 at 8:32 am
Today I have a black bean burger on a multigrain arnold sandwich thin, hummus & baby carrots, a banana, and strawberries. Can’t wait for lunch.
on Apr 29th, 2010 at 8:33 am
…oh and snack is an Apple Pie Lara Bar (my new addiction thanks to your blog) with a Nuval score of 57!!
on Apr 29th, 2010 at 8:41 am
PS my banana gets a score of 91 while my Yoplait yogurt only gets a score of around 60 (the strawberry variety is 60, the boston cream pie variety is a 66 – odd).
on Apr 29th, 2010 at 8:43 am
My strawberries get a score of 100!!
on Apr 29th, 2010 at 9:49 am
My lunch is going to consist of turkey, cheese and spinach on a Pepperidge Farm 100% whole wheat Deli Flat with a banana and some Terra Sweet Potato chips.
on Apr 29th, 2010 at 9:49 am
I would love those notes! My daughter packs a lunch every day. I feel like I bring a ton of food too. Today’s lunch bag for work was breakfast, lunch and two snacks. Lunch is a huge salad with strawberries and Newman’s Own Honey Dijon dressing with Kashi Heart to Heart crackers and an apple with peanut butter.
on Apr 29th, 2010 at 9:49 am
Also I am going to drink a glass of skim milk with that lunch which scores a 91! Yum!
on Apr 29th, 2010 at 10:19 am
Today is a turkey sammich day with some SunChips. I pack lunch every day for my hubby and son. Some of those lunch box notes would really come in handy!
on Apr 29th, 2010 at 10:38 am
My lunch is tuna salad made with Plain chobani, avocado(89), spinach, chili lime cashews, and spelt crackers
on Apr 29th, 2010 at 10:59 am
My lunch actually incorporates your morning snack! Plain Chobani (94), strawberries (100), and peanut butter on a sandwich-thin. I would love to win these notes for my sister in law. My nephew needs something cute like those!
on Apr 29th, 2010 at 12:19 pm
Thanks for sharing your lunches! (Please don’t enter me in the contest, as I don’t pack lunches or have kids!!)
on Apr 29th, 2010 at 12:32 pm
i don’t think you eat alot Melissa! my lunch today contains 2 tangerines and left over pasta!
on Apr 29th, 2010 at 12:48 pm
I usually pack my lunch but I ran out of things. So I went to my favorite italian deli(Costantino’s Deli) and got 1/2 an eggplant-bruschetta sub with a side of fiddleheads sauteed with pancetta& garlice. I’m sure the scores are not even remotely good but it was fantastic going down!:)
on Apr 29th, 2010 at 12:52 pm
OMGosh! I’m so glad I found this site! I’ve been literally stalking these Nu-Val scores at my local Hy-Vee. My boyfriend and I call it *voting* when we choose between certain products and since the introduction of the Nu-Val scores our voting goes so much smoother!!!
My lunch *bag* (ok…so I have to be honest…I live 2 min. from my office and am fortunate enough to have an hour each day to catch up on housework…I still pack my lunch at night so I’m not tempted to come home and just RAID and DESTROY everything in sight) today is a fruit and avocado salad with *strawberries* *grapes* *chopped avocado* *anjou pear* drizzled with agave nectar. I’m dipping some cherry tomotoes and cucumber slices in plain greek yogurt kicked up with some dill!
These notes are quite possibly the CUTEST thing I’ve ever seen! I have three kids and I keep blank “post-its” in their varying favorite colors (pink, blue and green!)in my kitchen to write my own notes to them!
on Apr 29th, 2010 at 12:54 pm
Todays lunch is raosted chickpea salad with a Luna bar and an orange for good measure!
on Apr 29th, 2010 at 12:54 pm
and banana’s score a cool 91. Love that!
on Apr 29th, 2010 at 1:25 pm
Today I’m eating from home so I’m snacking on strawberries for lunch. 100! Woohoo!
on Apr 29th, 2010 at 2:41 pm
My lunch bag had a PB and natural jam spread sandwich on a sandwich thin, half an apple, and a Choibani yogurt. I don’t think you eat a lot either…. looks like a wonderfully satisfying lunch!
on Apr 29th, 2010 at 2:46 pm
Oh ~ apples are a 96 on the NuVal scale….. (big grin)!
on Apr 29th, 2010 at 3:49 pm
My lunch has a romaine lettuce (NuVal Score 100) salad with cherry tomatoes and carrots, Banana (NuVal Score 91) and spaghetti (NuVal Score 57) with home made sauce. My Snack is Planters Mixed Nute (NuVal Score 23):)
on Apr 29th, 2010 at 6:14 pm
today i had a salad of romaine, spinach, cucumber, tomato, carrots, mushrooms, and baked beans, along with a sandwich of freshly roasted turkey breast and laughing cow cheese. totally YUM! i love that sandwich combo!
on Apr 29th, 2010 at 6:16 pm
my arnold’s 100% whole wheat sandwich thins score a 37 on the nuval scale — that’s probably good for whole wheat bread, right?
on Apr 29th, 2010 at 10:00 pm
Homemade turkey soup (turkey breast, onion, carrot, celery, chicken broth), crackers with cheddar cheese, peanuts as a snack. Chocolate. And I agree – that didn’t seem like a lot of food to me!
on Apr 29th, 2010 at 11:22 pm
Aww how cute!
Today I had chicken with some kind of sour cream, I’ve no idea what else, but it was homemade and REALLY good!
on Apr 30th, 2010 at 5:48 am
i have breakfast at work today, so in mybag is a tupperware of dry oats (to make oatmeal) an apple, banana, greek yogurt and kashi cereal! oh and some skim milk in a 12 oz water bottle!
on May 6th, 2010 at 2:14 pm
baked sweet potato (96), mixed raw veggies (sugar snap peas, broccoli, grape tomato, baby carrots, laughing cow light cheese, turkey pepperoni.