Meet Natalie of Brownies & Burpies!

Natalie makes me smile…on the daily. She is the most dedicated health nut I know yet she’s the first to treat herself to an ice-cream covered in candy crunch topping. She’s awesome. She makes a healthy lifestyle feel accessible without feeling overwhelming and offers encouraging words to her squad on the regular. She’s a girl mom, a rockstar trampoline instructor and I’m honored to call her a friend.

I screen shot her encouraging quotes and her kids snack ideas in almost every Instagram story she posts. When I started feeling overwhelmed by the looming kids lunch box packing I knew I needed her help. I asked her to pull a few favorites and give us a few tips. Here is her Instagram handle… click before moving forward…@brownies.and.burpies …and then come on back for these healthy kid snack ideas.

Enjoy her words…and if you’re up for trying a trampoline class with me I know someone that can help us with that!

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Nourish

by Natalie Klees of Brownies & Burpies

It’s that time of year again! School lunches! Does anyone else out there begin the school year with all the new Pinterest ideas, only to quickly fall behind in their original plan making them feel like a mom failure?! I’ve done it!

I’m going to tell you right here and now - I’m not doing it this year! I’m going to keep it simple and not stress. Here is my plan - buy school lunch once a week, leftovers another day (usually the pasta or chicken night) and the other days I will try to incorporate a protein, a carbohydrate, fresh fruit and veggies, a healthy fat and something sweet 2-3 times a week.

Here are some examples:

mini whole wheat bagel w/ cream cheese, a veggie w/ hummus, fresh fruit, a Siggi’s yogurt strip, and maybe a fruit strip.
leftover chicken with a fun dip (my kids love Noble Made’s mustard bbq), pita chips or pretzels and veggies with hummus, fresh fruit and a mini dark chocolate peanut butter cup (we love the ones from Trader Joe’s)

These are some more of my favorite snack/lunch favorites and hacks: Sigi’s yogurt strips (freeze them so they double as an ice pack and they’re cold when your child goes to eat it), a bag or container of Hippeas (love these because they have protein and fiber so it’s not a useless snack) or Bitsy's cookies or crackers (made with veggies), hard boiled eggs (my kids only eat the white part but love it sprinkled with Trader Joe’s everything seasoning), individual sized hummus for convenience and less mess, homemade muffins (I try to make a batch each week to have for snacks) and we have recently discovered New Primal's turkey sticks. And what kid doesn’t love a Zbar every once in awhile?

Ayla, Emmie, Eleanor, Julia and Andrew approved!!

Always remember to check the ingredients on packaged snacks. Less is usually better and you want to stay away from dyes and artificial sweeteners. Fruit strips and gummies can be misleading. You want them to be made from real fruit and real sugar. Trader Joe’s carries some awesome ones that are organic and the Target brand Simply Balanced are also good. Yogurt strips can also be sneaky! Many are filled with a lot of sugar and little protein. I typically buy Siggi’s or Chobani.

But you know what? Some mornings aren't going to go as planned and you just have to go with it. Take a deep breath and do your best. Keep it simple on those days. Getting overwhelmed about a well balanced lunch isn't going to make anyone feel good. A peanut butter and jelly, a banana and a bag of Pirate's Booty will be just fine. And it will make momma's life a little easier, which we all know makes for happier kids.

- Natalie Klees