Year 2, Week 28: Frozen Lunch With Elsa & Olaf. If you are like our family, your kids are addicted to the Disney movie FROZEN. My children are always singing the soundtrack and they have watched the movie countless times. I have written two other posts about FROZEN but have never done an actual school lunch for my daughter. If you want to see the other posts they are A FROZEN Day, with Sven Sandwiches and Olaf Banana Snacks, and 5 Ways Being a Parent is Like Being a Character From FROZEN. 

I'm not even gonna pretend that this didn't take longer than normal. Honestly, it's one lunch that would be more difficult to reproduce as well. This was worth it, however, because my daughter has been asking for a FROZEN lunch for awhile. Since I am writing this post late at night and you can probably see how to put it together anyway, I'm just going to post ingredients and not directions. One unique item I used is called "Yummy Dough." You can shape it like Play-Doh, but it is edible. It works well for the hair and the blue dots around the head. I am doing a review on it and will post the review in about a week. I made Olaf with a background of baby carrots because it reminded me of a sunny day and he always wants to be "In Summer."

The castle in the background was made using a Lunch Punch Sandwich Cuter. This lunch was made in a yubo lunchbox. 

Ingredients

Multi-Grain bread slices
Peanut butter
Yellow and blue Yummy Dough
Fat-free cream cheese for the eyes
Food coloring (black, blue, red)
String Cheese, cut into jagged chunks
Apple, peeled and cut into chunks
Blue sprinkles
Chopped baby carrots
Small piece of tortilla

#lbdbento

Review: Little Green Pouch Reusable Food Pouches

Food pouches are a fact of life for many parents today, myself included. They are just so convenient to grab and go for busy families. They can be eaten with little mess and you don't need a spoon. Not only do my kids love them (well some of the flavors), but I have started to have some as snacks as well. The drawbacks to these pouches are the expense and the garbage they produce.

Little Green Pouch wants to change that. The moms behind this company were fed up with disposable pouches for the exact same reasons I just mentioned. This is when they developed their reusable food pouches. I have seen products like this before, but when the company emailed me to see if I would like to review them, I was curious about what made these different. Plus, my wife and I just had another baby so I knew we would be going through more pouches than ever.

When they arrived they definitely looked interesting. The spout protrudes from the side and you load them through the top. We are huge smoothie fans in our family. We make spinach and fresh fruit smoothies 3-4 times a week for breakfast. The issues is that they take tons of time to make each day. We put our Little Green Pouches to work and filled them with smoothies.

The first time filling it was honestly a little tricky. You can use a funnel, spoon, or spout to fill the pouches. Each item helps tremendously but I like the funnel because you can fill the pouches quickly. The problem was I filled it a little too quickly and I couldn't get the top shut. I found the trick is to fill it with a little less than you think you need. You seal the pouch with a plastic zipper seal. I thought I had it sealed but then it blew open because I hadn't sealed it well. It was really my own fault though for not checking. After the first time, I easily sealed the pouches no problem and have had no issues ever since.

I threw the smoothie pouches in the freezer and used them a couple days later. I just ran one under warm water and it was ready to eat. My 3 year old had no problems with them and they work well for just about any pureed food you fill them with. I have also washed them numerous times now and they have done fine in the dishwasher, as well as being hand washed. it is actually easy to clean them because of the large opening in the top. You might need a bottle brush for stubborn or dried on foods.

I am also impressed with the amount of accessories you can buy from Little Green Pouch. You can get extra lids, water dissolving labels (which definitely come in handy), silicone straw extensions, and more. All of these items are available on their website. Speaking of which, I was thrilled by their recipe section on the website as well. If you are wondering what to fill the pouches with, they have you covered.

Overall, I would highly recommend these pouches. Their durability seems good and the ease of cleaning impressed me. You can buy them online in a pack of four for $14.99. Check out www.littlegreenpouch.com for more information and to see their whole line of pouch accessories too!

Disclosure: Little Green Pouch gave me their products to review. I have received no other compensation for this post and the opinions I’m expressing here are solely my own.

#lunchboxreview

Buzzer Beater Bacon Buffalo Wraps #FrozenChefMadness

There's nothing like watching the thrill of a last second shot hitting nothing but net as time expires. The crowd goes nuts and emotions run wild. The only thing better than seeing it happen is seeing it happen while enjoying amazing party food at the same time. The big college basketball tournament is in full swing and it has been exciting to watch. Chances are you have been invited to a party, are throwing one yourself, or are watching the games with a few friends. It is illegal to do any of this without good food, well, at least it should be. This is where my Buzzer Beater Bacon Buffalo Wraps recipe comes in. 

I entered the #FrozenChefMadness contest from EasyHomeMeals.com and LifeOfDad.com a couple of weeks ago. It's National Frozen Food Month and we were tasked with the challenge of building a great recipe that is both simple to make, and takes little time in the kitchen. This is so you can spend more time watching your favorite team win. My recipe for Bracket Buster Breakfast Sliders made it to the Elite Ate and then amazingly the Final Fare! You can see the recipe HERE. This meant I needed to come up with yet another recipe to propel me to the championship. Since this is for National Frozen Food Month, I needed to pick three more frozen foods to make the delicious winning combo. There are so many delicious options in the frozen food aisle, it was hard to choose! 

I believe I found the right mix of flavors with my Buzzer Beater Bacon Buffalo Wraps. These things seriously will make your mouth water and your taste buds give you a high five. The great thing about them is that they are so versatile and quick to make. Every hot ingredient can be heated in your microwave, which gives you more time to cheer for your team! The wraps can be cut into large pieces if you are just feeding just a few people, or they can be sliced liked sushi and arranged on a party tray. You will be your party MVP if you make these!

Ingredients

Tyson Buffalo Chicken Strips
Ore-Ida Extra Crispy Easy Fries, Golden Crinkles
T.G.I. Fridays Spinach & Artichoke Cheese Dip
Jimmy Dean Fully Cooked Hickory Smoked Bacon
Burrito sized flour tortillas or wraps
Bagged cole slaw mix

Directions

1. It is very important that you heat the ingredients in the microwave in this order, according to package instructions: cheese dip, chicken strips, french fries, and bacon.
2. Once all ingredients are heated, place 1-2 chicken strips across middle of tortilla. Spoon desired amount of cheese dip on top of chicken. Put french fries on top of cheese dip and bacon strips on top of fries.
3. Spread coleslaw mix on all of the ingredients. You can get a bag of it, with the other bagged salad, in the refrigerated section of the store. Do not mix the coleslaw with the dressing. The coleslaw, along with the french fries, bring crunch and a nice texture to the wrap. 

4. Tightly wrap ingredients in tortilla. If making larger wraps, use a sharp knife to cut down the middle, and put a toothpick in each piece. If making a sushi sized pieces, as in the picture above, slice thin pieces off of wrap and insert a toothpick into each piece.

Have a fun time watching the rest of the basketball tournament and I hope your bracket is doing better than mine! Be sure to watch for the winner of the #FrozenChefMadness contest on EasyHomeMeals.com. 

*I have partnered with Life of Dad, LLC for the #FrozenChefMadness promotion. Sponsored by NFRA ( https://www.nfraweb.org/), the #FrozenChefMadness promotion gives anybody the chance to win a $800 Visa gift card.
#lbdbento

What Did You Get Done Today?

How many of you can relate to this? This is what my "To Do List" looks like sometimes at the end of the day. Being a parent is full of interruptions and unplanned events. If you are like me, you love seeing a projects get finished and it eats at you when it is half done. I've come to learn that part of being a parent is accepting those half done projects and trying to enjoy the day's interruptions with your kids. 

What interruptions have you had today? What are some great memories you have made with your kids because you put aside your list and had spontaneous fun? Share these below!

#fatherhood

Dr. Seuss Yertle the Turtle Lunch

Year 2, Week 27: Yertle the Turtle lunch. It is still National Reading Month and so I thought I would attempt another book lunch. This one comes from one of my favorites as a kid. I must have read this book a thousand times growing up. I had the chance to introduce it to my kids last night and they loved it. My daughter thought it was hilarious how the turtles kept piling on top of each other to make a higher throne for Yertle. I hope you have had a chance to read some books with your kids this month. If not, its never too late to start! I cherish the times I get to spend with my kids laying on the floor reading with them. It's how we end our night and it is so fun! 

This lunch was made with a ton of leftovers. Chicken, rice, and veggies, leftover from dinner are perfect to make into a fun lunch for your kids. I know what you are thinking though. How do you put the lid on this box? The turtle stack is on a skewer and I just pulled it out of the rice and laid it down. It was really pretty easy. I thought the mango, chicken, and rice flavors combined well to make a tasty main dish. Yertle the Turtle also talks about a blueberry bush and a moon so that is why I used those here. The yogurt covered raisins reminded me of turtle eggs, so I threw them in for a dessert.

For this lunch I also used Lunchbox Love notes and I made it in an Easy Lunchboxes container. I hope you have a great rest of the month reading to your kids and remember to follow me on Twitter @LunchboxDad. I have spent some extra time there lately sharing some of my fun (and funny) times with being a dad.

Ingredients

Rice
Chicken chunks
Fresh sliced mango
Fresh blueberries
Snap peas
Broccoli
Babybel cheese
Yogurt covered raisins
Black food coloring

Directions

1. Cut two snap peas in half long ways for every turtle you wish to make. Place two on skewer in an "X" shape then one more on top of those. Put broccoli on top of snap peas for shell. Repeat for as many turtles as you want.
2. Arrange rice, mangos, and chicken in main container. I thought the mangos and chicken pieces looked like rocks and plants. I used a silicon cup and grass shaped green baran to separate an area for blueberries as well.
3. Cut moon shape out of the wax in a Babybel cheese round. Place in second side dish.
4. Optionally, put a Lunchbox Love note in your container to show your kids how much you love them and it also gives them a fun fact.

#lbdbento

5 Ways Being a Parent is Like Being a Character From Disney's FROZEN

I am a member of the Collective Bias® Social Fabric® Community. This shop has been compensated as part of a social shopper amplification for Collective Bias and its advertiser.

If you are like many parents, when you get into the car and take your kids to school, their friend's house, church, or anywhere else, you hear one question. "Can we listen to FROZEN?" Disney's FROZEN has taken the world by storm. It's not just the soundtrack, but the whole movie. My kids are no exception to the situation above. They sing Let It Go and In Summer every chance they get and they were drooling for the DVD release. It came out on March 18, and we rushed to Walmart to get it. We also couldn't resist some of the incredible FROZEN toys and merchandise that is for sale there! The toys will be a hit when my kid's friends come over to play, because they have all seen the movie and love the characters.

When we saw FROZEN in the theatre, it was a very memorable experience. From the story, to the songs, to the message, our family drank it all in. Some of the best parts of FROZEN were the characters' personalities and the relationships that were developed. It is now one of our favorite Disney movies of all time! To read all about our experience and get some fun recipes to for Sven Sandwiches and Olaf Banana Snacks, read my post about it HERE.

After seeing all the fun toys, books, and clothes that have helped the movie come alive for so many kids, I thought back on FROZEN and decided that in many ways being a parent is like the being a character from the movie. Below you will understand what I mean and also see some of the cool FROZEN toys, books, and more we were able to find at Walmart.

Lets face it, being in charge can sometimes be a lonely task. Not only do you have to explain to your daughter why she can't give her hamster a bath in the toilet, but you have to follow through with the consequences. How many of us parents haven't had a day when we wanted to be like Elsa and run away to our own little kingdom for awhile? Sometimes that "kingdom" is even just a trip to the grocery store...with no kids. Does it feel like for the first time in forever that you haven't had to break up an argument, convince someone to eat, or clean up that mystery goop off the carpet? Sometimes that precious time away only lasts a few minutes, but it's worth it. Welcome to being Elsa and being a parent.

This Elsa Sparkle Doll at Walmart is a fun present for any child

The part of Anna that I liked the best is that she was committed to helping her sister and never gave up on her. Being a parent is hard. To be honest, sometimes it's a victory if you can just keep your kids from shaving the dog and turning their bunk beds into an indoor skydiving arena. However, no matter what our kids do, we never give up on them. We always hold out hope for them and we pursue them with all that is in us. We chase them and bring them back because, as parents, we will do anything to help them succeed. Anna did the same for her sister. It's pretty easy to see how being a parent is like being Anna.

We bought this Anna doll to give away to my daughter's friend for a present

Olaf might be my favorite character in FROZEN. He is silly, upbeat, and brings just enough playfulness to situations to lighten the mood. Olaf reminds us that, as parents, we should laugh more with our kids. We need to get down on the carpet and have fun with them. We should wrestle with them, tickle them, play games with them and be goofy. Grownups can be way too serious and well...grownup. There is a time for that, but lets not forget that there is a time to be silly as well. In this way, being a parent is a lot like being Olaf.

This Olaf stuffed animal says some funny stuff and can even be pulled apart!

If there was an award for hardest worker in FROZEN, Kristoff would win hands down. Not only does he dig up ice for a living, but he outruns packs of wolves while taking care of his reindeer. This guy works his butt off and barely takes time to sleep. If you have ever had a baby, you know this is true for parents also. Not only do you have to accomplish most of the same things you did before you had the baby, but you have to do them twice as fast because everything needs to get done during the kid's nap time! No one works harder (and gets less sleep) than parents. The good news is that your baby will eventually sleep through the night and stop having diaper blowouts. The bad news is time passes quickly and your kids will grow to be teenagers before you know it. This age brings a whole new set of challenges! Kristoff worked hard, and being a parent is like being him, except much more work.

This "look and find book" features Kristoff and all of your favorite FROZEN characters

Sven the reindeer is Kristoff's right hand man...um...deer. We first see Sven and Kristoff together when they are very young and find out that they have been inseparable ever since. Sven is always there when Kristoff needs him and saves him more than once. Although Sven doesn't always agree with Kristoff, he supports him no matter what. Sven sometimes needs to give him a nudge in the right direction, but when push comes to shove, Sven always has Kristoff's back. Yes, I know, Sven tries to eat Olaf's nose a few times, but no one is perfect, right? Being a parent means supporting our kids like Sven supported Kristoff.

This little Sven stuffed animal is perfect for a young child. My kids sleep with it all the time!

Give your family some warm hugs and have fun watching FROZEN for the first time or for the seventh time. It really is one of the those movies that your whole family should watch over and over again. So remember to hurry out to Walmart where you can get awesome FROZEN products. The DVD has even been dropped in price from $16.96 to $14.96! Also, on specially marked Eggo waffle boxes you will find a coupon worth $5 off the DVD. No more excuses, plan that family movie night with your kids tonight and see for yourself how being a parent is like being a character from FROZEN.

#FROZENFun #Collectivebias 
#fatherhood

Throwback Thursday Lunch Linkup #6

Here is today's "Throwback Thursday" lunch post linkup. This is to give everyone a chance to post their past fun meals! The rules are simple. Anyone can post their fun lunch, but it has to be at least 6 months old. Not the lunch itself, the post. A 6 month old lunch would be gross and no one wants to see that. The lunch also has to be your own, not one that you saw on someone else's site. So dig up those old pictures and post them for everyone to see. Please share the linkup on your social media networks as well so everyone can join in on the throwback fun.

My Throwback Thursday bento lunch for today is:

A "Wreck-It Ralph" lunch! I saw this DVD laying around the other day so I thought I would revisit this one from last January. You can see the whole recipe HERE:

An InLinkz Link-up

Review: Takeya Iced Tea Maker

I love iced tea. I'm pretty picky about it as well. I don't go for the sweet tea but when I need a healthy alternative to soda, I turn to unsweetened iced tea. It is low in calories and can give a great little pick me up when I need an energy boost. The only problem with iced tea is that it can be time consuming to make at home. I almost exclusively buy it when I am out around town. I hate paying $2.50 per cup for it at restaurants and fast food places, but when I am craving it, I have to have it!

When Takeya offered to send me their Iced Tea Maker to review, I jumped at the chance. As a parent you need a healthy alternative to sugary drinks. However, between swim class, homework, and picking up kids from preschool you can't spend a ton of time making drinks. I was hoping that this iced tea maker could solve this problem for me at home.

The directions are pretty simple. You just heat water and pour it into the jug. Then you put your tea in the funnel shaped infuser, put that into the jug, and let it steep for a few minutes. After that, you take out the infuser and fill the rest of the jug with ice. Shake it all together for a minute or so and it is chilled. The whole process only took me about 5-7 minutes once the water was heated. I have to say, it was a quick and simple process. The whole system worked exactly as it claimed it would.



But what about the taste of the tea? Takeya sent me two flavors of their whole loose leaf tea to try. You can also infuse your tea with fresh fruit using the infuser. I prefer my tea without adding anything, but this looks like a tasty option if you like it that way, or for something a little different.

The first flavor I tried was the tropical black. I enjoy black teas because of their strong flavor. This tasted great, but what surprised me was the hint of fruitiness. It was more of a scent than a taste but it really put a pleasant and refreshing twist on your traditional black tea. I served it to a few other people and they all liked it as well. This was a winner if you want to stick with Takeya's brand. I didn't enjoy the coconut lime rooibos as much. It was a lighter tea and the mix of flavors didn't work for me. Maybe it was because I wasn't used to that type of tea, but I liked the tropical black much more. Although you can use whatever tea brand you like, the nice thing about the Takeya brand iced tea is that it is pre measured to easily work with their system.

The only real drawback to this system was the size. I was given the larger 2 quart size to review. I could not get it to stand upright in my refrigerator, it was just too tall. I had to lay it on its side. Thankfully it is made to do that without leaking. However, you will want to be careful to seal the lid tight every time you put it back, or you will have tea all over your refrigerator and floor. If this is a concern I suggest you go with the smaller 1 quart size. 

The large container will make eight glasses while the small one will make four. It is also dishwasher safe, which is another feature that can save busy parents time. The whole system retails for between $21.99 and $39.99 depending on which options you choose.

Overall, I am extremely happy with this system and it has worked well for my family. If you are a fan of iced tea, but don't want to take much time to make it, you should definitely check out the Takeya Iced Tea Maker. You can learn more and buy it online at www.takeyausa.com or check them out on Facebook HERE.

Disclosure: Takeya gave me their product to review. I have received no other compensation for this post and the opinions I’m expressing here are solely my own.

#lunchboxreview

St. Patrick's Day Shamrock Sandwich Lunch

Year 2, Week 26: St. Patrick's Day Lunch. Believe it or not this is the first St. Patrick's Day lunch that I have done. That is kind of weird since it is such a fun holiday. My daughter will be celebrating it at school today so I wanted to make sure her lunch went along with the theme. It is pretty basic and still fun. This is an easy one to do, especially if you have a clover shaped cookie cutter. This lunch is made in a yubo lunch box and I also put in a Lunchbox Love note. 

Ingredients

Sliced strawberries, pineapple, snap peas, broccoli, and blueberries
2 slices whole wheat bread
Strawberry jam
Fat-free cream cheese
Greek yogurt
Leprechaun treasure (Pirate's Booty)
Green food coloring
Green sprinkles

Directions

1. Slice whole wheat bread into the shape of a clover. If you have a cookie cutter just use that. I used sandwich rounds because it was very little waste for this shape. Spread jam between the two slices. Tint cream cheese green and spread over the top piece of bread.
2. Arrange sliced fruit and veggies in the shape of a rainbow in your main container. The ones I used are listed under the ingredients. I used broccoli for grass as well. Place shamrock sandwich on top of fruit rainbow.
3. Place shallow layer of fruit in side dish. Tint yogurt green and spoon on top of fruit. Finish off with some green sprinkles if desired.
4. In second side dish use something that looks like Leprechaun treasure. I used Pirate's Booty snacks but you could also use popcorn or gold chocolate coins.
5. Place a green Lunchbox Love note on top if you have them. My daughter loves these!


Happy St. Patrick's Day! I hope you have a chance to be silly and have some fun with your kids. Please check out my Twitter and Facebook accounts for so much more great stuff. You are seriously missing out if you don't!

#lbdbento

Review: So Delicious Coconut Milk Products

I have to be honest about my bias. I really don't like coconut very much. In fact, there is really only one recipe that I enjoy coconut in. That recipe is my wife's amazing magic cookie squares. When So Delicious offered to send me a few of their products to sample, you can understand why I was skeptical. However, I do enjoy finding healthier alternative to my favorite products so I decided to try the two products they sent me with an open mind.

The first product my family tried was the So Delicious Coconut Milk Mini bars. I wanted to see how my kids liked them, as well as us adults. I, of course, went for the chocolate first. I was immediately impressed with the chocolatey taste, even with the hint of coconut. I actually felt that the coconut added a fun twist to the normal chocolate flavor. I found myself enjoying this very much. My kids sucked these down as fast as a regular fudge sickle. We also enjoyed the Just Java flavor (as you can see in the picture below). However, the strawberry mini bars came in last, which was surprising. My kids are usually big fans of that flavor. It lacked intensity and was a little chalky. 

Besides being impressed with the taste, I was surprised that there were only 80 calories in each bar. Even though the 2.3 ounce bars are called "mini," they were big enough to satisfy us. Plus they are all organic and the stick is even compostable. They are also gluten free. The fact that they are nondairy makes it a perfect choice for those who are lactose intolerant or vegan. I would definitely pick up these again and even choose them over a regular fudge sickle because of the taste and healthier ingredients.


The other product my family was able to sample was the So Delicious Cultured Coconut Milk. Essentially this is a coconut milk version of yogurt. I wasn't sure exactly how to eat this at first so I did a little experimenting. It is a little thinner than your normal yogurt and doesn't have a strong flavor at all. Because of this, I did not prefer to eat either flavor by itself. 

My first idea was to mix in fruit with it. I chose some frozen assorted fruit and discovered it added just enough sweetness to balance out the yogurt. The taste was excellent! However, my kids still had a hard time with it prepared this way.

The other way I prepared the Cultured Coconut was in a fruit smoothie. At my house, healthy fruit smoothies are a breakfast staple. We are always looking for ways to improve them. I combined the So Delicious Cultured Coconut Milk with frozen fruit, spinach, and a bit of juice. It was as tasty as other smoothies that we have made except that you had the subtle coconut flavor. It really added to the tropical feel of the drink. 

My kids had mixed reactions. My daughter loved it for breakfast and my son pushed it away. I tried to serve the smoothie again at lunch, and with kids being kids, there were different results. This time my daughter didn't like it and my son couldn't get enough. Kids...sometimes I think they do stuff like this just to mess with our heads. Since both of my children finished their cups (at different times) I would call this recipe a win for my family.

Overall, we enjoyed So Delicious products quite a bit. For someone who doesn't like coconut, I was pleasantly surprised with the taste of So Delicious products. If you need to find a dairy-free alternative then I would definitely look into this brand. They make more than just these two products and are sold everywhere. As for my family, I really see us buying the So Delicious Mini Bars again. They impressed us that much! I'm just sorry there isn't anymore chocolate flavored left in the freezer right now. You can find So Delicious online at www.sodelicious.com and on Facebook at www.https://www.facebook.com/sodeliciousdairyfree.

Disclosure: So Delicious gave me their product to review. I have received no other compensation for this post and the opinions I’m expressing here are solely my own.

#foodreview

Throwback Thursday Lunch Linkup #5

Here is today's "Throwback Thursday" lunch post linkup. This is to give everyone a chance to post their past fun meals! The rules are simple. Anyone can post their fun lunch, but it has to be at least 6 months old. Not the lunch itself, the post. A 6 month old lunch would be gross and no one wants to see that. The lunch also has to be your own, not one that you saw on someone else's site. So dig up those old pictures and post them for everyone to see. Please share the linkup on your social media networks as well so everyone can join in on the throwback fun.

My Throwback Thursday bento lunch for today is:

A "Where the Wild Things Are" lunch! Since I am doing many book lunches this month I thought I would revisit this one from last year. You can see the whole recipe HERE:

An InLinkz Link-up

Win Your Own Prize Pack of WaterWipes!

Disclosure: I was provided with this opportunity thanks to WaterWipes and Mommy Bag Marketing, Inc. They sent me this product to review. I also received other compensation for this post, however, the opinions I’m expressing here are solely my own.

For the last two months, WaterWipes have been a staple of our family. I shared before that I ordered a whole case of these after I saw how great they were. We love that they are 99.9% water and the purest wipes that you can find. One of the biggest points that we tell people about WaterWipes is that they feel so thick and you only need half as many as other brands to clean up your baby. They are good for doing much more than diaper changes, however. We use them to clean our family's hands when on-the-go, wipes noses, etc. Whenever anyone asks about wipes we always point them first to WaterWipes because, after three kids, we have found that they are simply the best wipes we have ever used. To see my full review click HERE.

WaterWipes are easily found in store at your local Walgreens and online at Walgreens.com. The great news is that you can actually win a WaterWipes prize pack right here through Lunchbox Dad. But believe me, once you win this prize and get your hands on these, you won't be able to go back to other wipes! 

It is very easy to enter, just use the Rafflecopter widget below. It only takes a minute and you could end up winning some awesome 99.9% pure WaterWipes! You can find out more about WaterWipes online at www.waterwipes.com and on Facebook at www.facebook.com/waterwipesusa.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Review: Do "Way Better Snacks" healthier chips live up to their name?

Every once in awhile I come across a food product, am impressed with the sample, and am then ecstatic to tell you about it. Way Better chips is one of those products. I first discovered Way Better at the Fancy Food Show in San Francisco. When I saw their booth at the show, I was skeptical. Many times healthy chips are a step below styrofoam in the taste and texture department. However, when I tried their samples I became very interested in learning (and tasting) more. Way Better sent me bags of all their flavors to try and I have been like a kid in a candy store since the package arrived. I LOVE chips but hate that they are so unhealthy. If I am honest with you tortilla chips are my kryptonite. I would much rather have a handful of chips than a chocolate bar.

I need to tell you that what goes into, and stays out o,f each chip is very impressive. Way Better chips are Non GMO Project Verified, Certified Gluten Free (tortilla chips only), Certified Whole Grain, and OU Kosher. Each bag includes a plethora of sprouted grains, seeds, and beans. They incorporate an abundance of Chia, Flax, Quinoa, Daikon Radish and Broccoli seeds. You also won't find a bunch of chemicals that you can't pronounce. This all means they are one of the healthiest chips that have been in my house. But how is the taste? Avid readers of Lunchbox Dad know that I test food like this with my whole family because food is not just about one person, but the kids and spouse as well. Let me tell you about some of the flavors that stood out to my family.

After fully immersing myself in the world of Way Better tortilla chips, I have decided I would rather eat their "Simply Unbeatable Blues" blue corn chip than any other basic tortilla chip around. I have been so impressed with this flavor I just want more...all the time! My kids both inhaled these as well and my seven year old daughter gave this the title, "best chip ever." The texture is different and the crunch is better than any other baked chip I have tried. We sampled this flavor by itself and with dip. It was awesome either way. If you like basic tortilla chips, you need to try this flavor.

The "Simply Sweet Potato" was a nice change of pace. Once again my kids enjoyed them. My wife thought this was decent but tasted more like a cracker. I liked the subtle flavors in this one. You don't walk away feeling like you've ingested a gallon of oil and fat and they were satisfying. 

Another tortilla flavor that I need to mention is the "Simply So Sweet Chili." I'd like to tell you what my kids thought of this one, but unfortunately my wife and I polished off the bag ourselves before putting it into my kids hands. It wasn't intentional, it just sort of happened. This was my wife's favorite Way Better chip and I thought it was superb. It had a nice little kick, not too spicy, but flavorful. I don't really think I could compare it to another chip by a leading manufacturer, because it is unique. You just have to trust me and try it for yourself. My wife told me she would definitely buy this again when she sees it in the store.

We also tried the "No Salt Naked Blues" blue corn tortilla chip. My whole family agreed that it wasn't their favorite flavor as a standalone chip, but when we used it in a nacho recipe it worked great. Sometimes nachos can be way too salty and full of fat. Not only did I feel better about using a healthier chip, but I wasn't overloaded with salt! This is the perfect chip for nachos. You can see how we used it in the picture above. It blended nicely with cheese, olives, avocados, and tomatoes.

We also had the chance to test out Way Better's new line of pita chips. They are a healthy alternative to other pita chips and are made with sprouted Red Fife and Spelt. If you prefer a cheese flavored chip, that doesn't cover your hands in orange, I recommend you give the "Pita-ahh Smoked Havarti" a chance.

Although my family preferred the Way Better tortilla chips to the pita chips, we found that in an appetizer dish the pita chip was absolutely addicting. We combined the "Pinch of Sea Salt" flavor with a Chevre goat cheese and drizzled it with local honey. Chevre is a very creamy, spreadable cheese that complemented the other ingredients well. The savory salt of the chip went hand-in-hand with the sweetness of the honey. You should use a good local honey, as your run-of-the-mill store bought variety just won't bring out the flavor as much. Trust me, this appetizer is simple and will be the hit at your party. I know, because it was at mine!

The question remains, does "Way Better" live up to its name? Overall I say yes! If you are a chip fiend like me, but want a tasty and healthy alternative, you must give Way Better chips a chance. I have been recommending them to everyone, and I don't usually like baked chips. So when this chip company says that they are "Way Better" I wholeheartedly agree. You can find them online at www.gowaybetter.com. Find out where to buy them locally HERE.

Disclosure: Way Better Snacks sent me their products to review. I have received no other compensation for this post and the opinions I’m expressing here are solely my own.

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