It’s back-to-school time, wa-hoo! Maybe your family needs some new ideas for quick snacks or lunchbox goodies? Admittedly, we’ve chosen some single-use prepackaged snacks that include plastic—just don’t forget to recycle. Also, sometimes a little bit of convenience on occasion can really save your sanity, so we get it. Have a happy and healthy school year!
Organic Valley: Grass-Fed Teriyaki Meat Stick, gluten-free
He Said: Meat sticks these days are the hot dogs of the snack world. The consistency ranges from a stick of grease to, like this one, a dry tube of dish sponge material. It did taste like teriyaki as it was robbing my mouth of all moisture. When I was a kid, we ate beef jerky, a piece of meat that was as tough as shoe leather, and it took us an hour to chew it up… and we liked it. 2 stars
She Said: I had high expectations from this well-known brand. Sadly, it was slightly dry, grainy and salty without enough sweet teriyaki flavor. I struggled to finish the .75oz package. Organic Valley might want to stick with what they do best – dairy. 2 stars
Applegate Naturals: Uncured Turkey Pepperoni & Cheddar
He Said: The tried-and-true holy trinity of meat, cheese and bread. This snack has probably been around since the dawn of time. This Applegate snack was quite tasty. Crisp wheat crackers with salty pepperoni and mild cheddar cheese. Our boys kept trying to steal this while I was trying to review it. I have no doubt that they’ll eat some if I put it in their lunchboxes. 5 stars
She Said: I stacked these up, as you do, and wow – flavor explosion! Salty, creamy, crunchy goodness. I understand the lure of Lunchables and I appreciate an option with better ingredients. My kids always ask for them, so now I can surprise them on occasion with these. 5 stars
Mush: Oats in Dairy-free Milk with Blueberry
He Said: This product had to be created by accident. The breakfast factory hired a new guy and he accidentally dumped all the oats into the blueberry milk. Then someone was like, “Hey boss, what do you want us to do with all this Mush?” It’s exactly what you’d think it is – chewy, blueberry-flavored, day-old oatmeal. There’s really nothing bad about it, but there’s really nothing good about it either. 2 star
She Said: Hmm, this is not for the texture-shy folks. Yes, it is indeed “Mushy.” I’d say it’s sort of like pudding, that you have to chew (a lot of soggy oats). But I liked the cold, creamy, not-too-sweet blueberry taste. At 5 grams of protein, and clean ingredients, it’s not a bad quick snack for any time of the day. 3 stars
Good & Gather Organic: Sweetened Dried Cranberries
He Said: This was just dried cranberries and cane sugar, and it was as sweet as candy. Not quite as healthy as raisins, since most of the sugar is added and dried cranberries have the nutritional value of a wooden nickel. But they’re still good for an energy-boosting treat. Pack it with a turkey sandwich and you’ve got a mini Thanksgiving lunchbox. 4 stars
She Said: Are your kids rolling their eyes at another box o’ raisins in their bag? Toss it up with these! Conveniently found at Target, too. They are quite tart, but very tasty. Now, keep in mind there’s 19g of added sugar, so maybe throw a toothbrush in the lunchbox too. 4 stars
Honest Kids: Twisted Tropical Tango
He Said: Honest Kids is essentially just watered-down juice. This one had a nice tropical taste, with the mango flavor doing most of the work. We actually took these on a camping trip and the pouches made them easy to fit in the cooler. Our boys drank these like they were going out of style, and with only half the sugar of regular juice, we were happy to let them. 4 stars
She Said: I’d say if your kiddos are used to a low-sugar diet, these would be enjoyable. I’m definitely NOT avoiding sugar, as my waistline would show, so the juice tasted more like flavored still water. Sour apple with a hint of mango just wasn’t my thing, to be honest. Kudos though, to an easier-to-stab-with-a-straw design! 3 stars
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