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If you’re nervous about the first day
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Hi Reader, If you have a kid starting school for the first time or starting at a new school, and you’re feeling a little nervous about how lunchtime is going to go, there are a few things you can practice at home ahead of time. 1. If you only do one thing, do this: Do a full lunchbox test run. Pack their lunch and snack exactly the way you plan to send it to school: water bottle, lunch box, thermos, pouches — everything. Then have them open it all by themselves. If there’s something they can’t open easily, you’ll know before the first day instead of when they’re sitting in a busy cafeteria waiting for help. Lunch at school can feel surprisingly fast! Find out how long your child will have for lunch, set a timer, and let them practice eating within that window. You don’t need to pressure them to finish. The goal is just to help them get a feel for how much time they’ll have. School mornings are not the time you want to be asking, “what do you want in your lunch?” Make a little menu of meals your child likes so you don’t have to think about what to pack — a main, fruit or veggie, snack, etc. You can use my packed lunch menu to make this incredibly easy! What Everyone's Making From Mama Knows Fudgy Sweet Potato BrowniesThis has been the #1 recipe on my website for months – and for good reason. The recipe makes a delicious brownie, while also being packed with nutrients. Win-win-win.
3-Ingredient Oatmeal CookiesThe easiest cookies you can make with ingredients you have on hand right now! Personally, we’ve been eating too many Oreos and it feels like time to switch to something a little more wholesome. Oatmeal cookies fit the bill perfectly.
What Everyone's Reading from Mama Knows ON THE BLOG Healthy Bread BrandsI love finding healthier versions of our everyday staples. Check out my favorite bread brands that are packed with nutrition and loved by families.
The Best Cups & Water Bottles for KidsThis post was originally geared toward toddlers, but I’ve edited it to highlight the 8 best cups and 8 best water bottles for kids of all ages. One of my most popular posts ever!
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Mama Knows Nutrition
Subscribe to get weekly inspiration with kid-friendly recipes, my personal meal plans, quick nutrition tips, and relatable mom tales that will make you smile, laugh, or cry, depending on what kind of week I'm having!
Hi Reader, You know when you see some startling headline, like what I just saw yesterday – “sparkling water now linked to colorectal cancer” and you want to know whether it’s ACTUALLY a real concern, or if you can just go on living your life? I wanted to make it quick and easy for you to get to the bottom of it, no matter what the headline is. So I created a prompt that you can copy and paste directly into ChatGPT that will evaluate the claim the same way I would. (Except ChatGPT will do it...
Hi Reader, I tend to wait til the last minute to do everything – I’m the one panic ordering things on next-day Prime because I thought I had all kinds of time before whatever holiday or school event is happening, and then all of a sudden… I didn’t. If you’re already fully ready for back-to-school, I applaud you. Truly. I am in awe of your planning prowess. Those of you who are more like me, we still have time! And the time is now. Because you don’t want it to be 2 days before school and still...
Hi Reader, While we still have a few weeks before school, one thing that I’d start thinking about right now is healthy snacks. Because we always need ideas for that – and most schools require nut-free snacks, which limits your options. The next couple of weeks are the perfect time to: Toss one new school-friendly snack into the afternoon snack rotation. Find 2–3 winners before the school rush. Avoid buying a giant Costco box of something that comes home untouched every day. Here are some of...