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Vegan
Healthy Lunch Box Essentials
Welcome back to early mornings, packing lunches and carpooling! While we can't ease traffic or stop toddlers from kicking your seat, we can offer some advice when it comes to packing a healthy lunch. Here are our top must-haves for every kid's lunchbox this year.
Made Good Bars
MadeGood Granola Bars are the peanut and tree nut free organic snack that really hits the spot. Not only
do they contain the nutrients in one full serving of vegetables from six different sources, they’re also made from whole grains and are non–GMO verified. These wholesome bars come in four delightful flavours and make the perfect afternoon pick-me-up at school or on the go.
Enjoy Life Plentils
Plentils are chips with benefits. From ancient times to the present, the lentil has been one of the b
est sources of plant-based protein and is a staple in diets throughout the world. Enjoy Life Foods has captured the essence of this vital legume’s all-natural goodness and turned it into a unique, protein-packed, crunchy experience.
Kiju Juice Boxes
Kiju Organic 100% juices are premium, certified organic juice blends with no added sugar. The fruits used to make Kiju Juice are grown and processed naturally for maximum health and great taste – that means no artificial colours, flavours or preservatives. Plus,
they are non-GMO project verified!
Chia Pudding
Swap processed pudding cups for a tasty homemade version. We really love this overnight chocolate chia pudding recipe by Minimalist Baker. Chia seeds are
filled with fiber which will help to keep little tummies feeling full. Try topping your pudding with fresh fruit, nuts, crunchy cereal or So Delicious coconut whipped topping!
S'well Bottle
Eliminate plastic bottles from your child's lunch box and try S’well instead. It's the only reusable bottle that looks great (with a variety of great colours and patterns) and does good. It keeps your drinks cold for 24 hours and hot for 12. S'well is the fastest growing woman-owned company in the USA and a proud partner of UNICEF.
Smart Sweets
We would never recommend adding conventional candy to your children's lunch box, but Smart Sweets could definitely be an exception! Each package contains 24g of fiber and only 2g of sugar. They're available in two fun flavours - Fruity and Seriously Sour.
Simply Protein Kids Bars
This kid-friendly
snack is filling and nutritious with 4g of protein and 4g of fiber in each bar. They're also free from peanuts, gluten, GMOs and are 100% vegan. Find fun flavours like Chocolate Brownie and Strawberry Vanilla at your local Kardish!
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You may also be interested in top 4 allergy-friendly school snacks. Share your thoughts with us on Facebook, Twitter and in the comments below.
Five Great Meal Ideas That Make Life Easier
We all know that the healthiest meals are what we prepare ourselves from whole ingredients, but when you've been working late, when you're the only one who can drive the kids to the hockey rink (or the dog to the vet), when you don't have time to focus on food preparation and you don't want to leave a pile of dishes in the sink for when you get back—we do our best to stock choices that you can feel good about. The team at Kardish has compiled a list of five foods that are easy, for when life isn't.
1. Need a Quick, Dairy-Free Breakfast?
Looking for something to spread on a bagel, but can't stomach dairy? According to a national survey from 2013, 16% of Canadians report being lactose intolerant, and that percentage is even higher among women and many other groups of Canadians. Zengarry Cashew Cheese is not only dairy-free, it's rich, creamy, and as spreadable as cream cheese. It's also a local product, made only about an hour away from Ottawa using raw organic cashews and few added ingredients.
The best part is Zengarry Cashew Cheese isn't limited to just one or two non-dairy options, that you might see on big box store shelves. On our shelves you can find flavours that range from Raw Brie to Smokey Jalapeño, Garlic & Fine Herbs, as well as Sun Dried Tomato and Basil. These dairy-free cheeses can be used in pasta sauces, layered bean dips, and quesadillas, but when you need to dash out of bed and eat something before your day starts, they make excellent savoury spreads. Check out zengarry.com for dozens of recipe ideas.
2. Need a quick side dish?
Easy side dishes come in handy when you try a new recipe, but find that there's not quite enough for a satisfying meal. One healthy option is GoGo Quinoa's ready to cook sides. From their 5 grain mix to dairy-free soup, these options are vegan-friendly, gluten-free, are certified organic, and are prepared in St Laurent, Quebec. You could make your own colourful, creative sides with cooked red and black quinoa, seasonings, lemon juice and olive oil.
Also, quinoa may be even better for you than you thought! Along with tofu and sushi, the New York Times recently listed it as a food that experts are more likely to consider healthy, when compared to opinion from the general public.
3. Need a meat-free option,
but are tired of veggie burgers?
Looking for a meat-free meal that isn't a veggie burger? Noble Bean is a Canadian company (based out of Montréal) with the goal of creating a meat alternative that's better than tofu -- tempeh! Noble Bean tempeh is vegan, gluten-free and high in protein. Organic soybeans are transformed into a super-food through natural culturing and fermentation. It's a delicious, nutty-flavoured whole food that tastes great in a variety of dishes including this marinated peanut tempeh.
Oh, and they also make great veggie burgers.
4. Need just a few greens in a recipe?
When you think of your worst experiences with frozen vegetables, do you picture shrivelled lima beans, freezer burnt broccoli, limp peppers, and water chestnuts that smell like bad compost? It can be hard to believe, but frozen vegetables can be more nutritious than their "fresh" counterparts that have been shipped long distances, since vitamins break down and degrade over time. But all of that depends on how fresh the vegetables were before they were frozen.
Stahlbush is a sustainable, family farm located in Oregon’s lush Willamette Valley! If you don't have experience preparing kale or butternut squash, Stahlbuch maintains a helpful list of recipes on their website. You can also saute veggies with garlic and a splash of olive oil, or just toss them into pasta sauce or stir fry.
5. Need a crowd-pleaser, fast?
When all else fails, there's pizza. Here are two highlights that can make dinner quick and easy, even when you have guests with multiple allergies:
Udi's Bakery makes Gluten-Free Pizza with a brown rice and tapioca-based crust, which is suitable for those with celiac disease. In terms of toppings, Kardish carries the Pepperoni, Three Cheese, Margherita, and Spinach & Feta varieties, as well as 2-Packs of Udi's Bakery's 9-inch pizza crusts, which make it easy to bake a gluten-free pizza with any toppings you want.
If you have multiple food allergies and dietary restrictions at your table, you may not have known that Daiya's deliciously dairy-free pizzas are also free of gluten, peanut, eggs, meat, and soy. Look for Daiya's Cheeze Lovers, Margherita, and Fire Roasted Vegetable pizzas in our freezers.
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We hope that our suggestions can make mealtimes a little easier for you. If you have advice for an easy meal, side, or cooking tip, and would like to share it with our community, please get in touch with us on on Facebook,Twitter, or in the comments below.
