Stop & Shop is the One-Stop Shop for Back-to-School Lunch Essentials

A product was given for review for my honest opinion. No other compensation was given.

Well, back to school season is well underway but it definitely has taken some getting used to for me since this is the first year I have a child in full time, every day school. The hardest part for me is having to pack my son's lunch every day. Although, I love knowing he is eating healthy, organic foods every day for lunch, it does take some extra time planning the perfect lunch every day that will keep my son healthy, energized and happy!

Stop & Shop knows the difficulties you may face while trying to maintain a nutritious yet tasty lunch. But, fear no more – your local Stop & Shop is the one-stop-shop for all your back-to-school lunch essentials.

Stop & Shop offers some tasty organic foods that my family has really been enjoying from nut mixes that make great snacks to oatmeal that my children eat for breakfast to Organic Almond Butter that my son loves on his sandwich in his school lunches! They have a great selection and it can really help inspire some tasty and healthy lunches!

Stop & Shop Nutritionist, Julie Hersey, MS, RD, LDN, has put together a list of essential items along with tips and tricks to help you and your kids succeed this school year, which can be found below.

Lunch Box Supply Kit:

Essentials-

· Insulated lunchbox or cooler

· Reusable water bottle

· Freezer ice packs

· Reusable storage containers

· Sandwich & snack bags

· Insulated hot & cold container

· Reusable utensils

· Hand wipes


Extra Credit Packing Tips-

·  Offer a variety of nutritious foods throughout the week.

· Create a menu for the week and make a list of items to purchase.

· Pack lunches the night before to minimize morning rush. Getting breakfast set out helps too!

· Cook extra at dinner to have leftovers for lunch the next day.

· Eat with your eyes so you make sure food looks as good as it tastes by including a mix of colors, shapes, textures and flavors.

· Let your kids pick their own reusable water bottle with colorful shapes and patterns.

· Put drinks in the freezer the night before so they double as ice packs.

· Involve kids in the packing process. By being actively involved they can learn more about healthy eating, be more likely to eat the foods they chose and develop a sense of ownership.

· Look for sectioned or bento-style lunch boxes to help with portion control and offering a variety of foods.

· Reusable yogurt tubes are cost effective and you can fill with a smoothie and freeze.

· Include portion-controlled sweet stuff like chocolate kisses, chips or squares as an occasional surprise.

Buy It:

You can purchase many organic products and other great lunch items at your local Stop & Shop.

* Thank you to Stop & Shop for their product for review! Disclosure - This product was given for review for my honest opinion. No other compensation was given.*

Head to Savers for Your Halloween Costume!

A product was given for review for my honest opinion. No other compensation was given.

The day I stepped into my local Savers store, my life changed forever.

Seriously. 

That first time I spent only $20 and bought several maternity shirts, capris, and two pairs of jeans for my husband. I was forever a loyal customer at my local Savers.

Now with Halloween approaching, Savers was the first thought for me when I started thinking about my children's Halloween costumes. They have an awesome selection of new and used Halloween costumes and I just love this Elsa costume for my daughter this Halloween! She would LOVE that!

Savers is a chain of thrift stores that offers the largest selection of new and used Halloween costumes in North America.

Savers thrift stores also recently released their fifth annual Halloween Survey and the report is chock full of interesting data like these stats:

· 30% of adults look to traditional themes like vampires or witches for costume inspiration, while 31% get ideas from pop culture, like movies, TV shows and celebrities.

· Holiday creep is on: 82% of those who usually dress up plan well in advance – on average, preparing for the big day two and a half months ahead of time!

· With the “selfie” bigger than ever, more than 60% of social media users who dress up report their social networks will impact their costume choices.

· Prince George is costume royalty this year with respondents picking him as “Best Celebrity Child Costume,” beating out Queen Bey’s Blue Ivy Carter.

· Americans believe Lady Gaga will take home the award for best Halloween costume this year, followed by Ellen DeGeneres.

· Survey respondents think Disney’s “Frozen” will glide out in front of “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles” and “X-Men: Days of the Future Past” for the top movie costume inspiration.

· 88% of parents report their children dress up for Halloween, and more than 50% let their kids have free reign over their costume choice.

So this Halloween get BIG SAVINGS on your Halloween costumes - whether for you, your children, or adults, they have a great selection and they are at a great price!

Buy It: 

You can find your local Savers store here

* Thank you to Savers for their product for review! Disclosure - This product was given for review for my honest opinion. No other compensation was given.*