Back To School – Being Prepared With Healthy Foods!

It’s hard to believe summer is coming to an end! For most, back to school means back to a regular routine. With preparing our book bags and closets for back to school we cannot forget our fridges, freezers and kitchen cupboards. Here are a few tips to stock up and stay on budget with easy healthy items for breakfast, lunch and recess on those busy school mornings.

• Pick up bulk fruits and veggies: prep them when you return from the grocery store and put them in small baggies or containers so that they are ready to go for meal preparation
• Bulk up on meals so that I have extra meals on hand throughout the week. ie. make an extra batch of pancakes or French toast to freeze for breakfast, make large batches of soup or chili to freeze for lunches, and make large batches of pasta dishes with extra veggies to freeze for dinner
• Planning ahead allows you to know exactly what’s on the week’s menu without having to think at the end of the day and buying “something quick” on your way home. It also allows you to budget more effectively
• To save money – rather then purchase individual yogurt and cheese portions – purchase cheese and yogurt in bulk and have plenty of reusable containers on hand to portion out items for breakfast and lunch on the go

Tyr these few tips to be more prepared and organized for the school year to com

Kristin Hedges is a Registered Dietitian with  Kids Eat Smart Foundation Newfoundland and Labrador.