Add wow to the bread
Many schools are trying to keep students with nut allergies safe by discouraging peanut butter sandwiches and snacks containing peanut butter or tree nuts. There’s a great new alternative, WOWBUTTER, that tastes like peanut butter (it is a bit stickier) but is allergen-free. It even comes with labels to let school leaders know it isn’t peanut butter. Think creamy or crunchy goodness that’s vegan, kosher and non-GMO. Available at Whole Foods and Wal-Mart.
No chicken needed
Fix up that tuna sandwich or break away and make a pasta salad instead using Just Mayo by Hampton Creek. The mayo tastes like other mayonnaise, but it’s egg-free, making it safe for kids with egg allergies. It comes in original, chipotle, sriracha and garlic. Available at Wal-Mart, Target and Jewel-Osco, among others.
Get a little fresh
Time to ditch the plastic baggies. Nalgene, known for its great leak-proof water bottles, has a collection of different size storage containers that will keep all the goodies in your kids’ lunches (including the products on this page) tasty and fresh. nalgene.com
Sweet, tart and happy
The folks behind noosa yoghurt say it is created with natural whole milk from happy Colorado cows. The result makes for happy tummies since the thick, unique yogurt is totally yummy.
We sampled the kid-friendly flavors of blueberry and raspberry, as well as unique flavors for parents, including a fall fave, pumpkin. The plain is especially terrific with granola or in smoothies. It is available at Target, Whole Foods and other stores.
Yum with a crunch
A huge box of crunchy snacks from Simply7Snacks arrived in our offices, only to be gobbled up. We favored the Quinoa Chips and the Hummus Chips. We especially liked that they have 50 percent less fat than chips, but satisfy that afterschool chip craving, plus they are kosher, non-GMO, gluten-free and vegetarian. Find them at Jewel-Osco, Mariano’s, Treasure Island and Target, among other stores.
Find these great products and more on our Instagram, @ChicagoParent.
