Christa Orecchio and TheWholeJourney.com simplify healthy breakfasts and healthy snacking for back to school for the Peace In Your Home audience.

Smart Eating for Back to School

Morning, noon and night, it’s important that children heading back to school (and adults at any age) get the healthy foods that help us function. Here, some smart choices to start the school year off right.

Kick off the new school year right, with our Online Parenting Course!

Breakfast

Our grandmothers were right when they said that breakfast is the most important meal of the day. The first thing kids put in their bodies is certainly key, and will set the stage for the entire day, dramatically affecting their energy levels as well as their ability and desire to focus and learn.

Protein and healthy fat are the two key ingredients to a healthy, sustainable breakfast.

Try one of the following:

1. Protein smoothie: 1 scoop of  high quality (hormone- and antibiotic-free) whey or egg white protein powder, a cup of frozen berries, a cup of unsweetened almond or coconut milk, a pinch of greens powder or juice (or ¼ cup of spinach) and 1T ground flaxseeds. You can add a teaspoon of raw honey if a sweeter taste is desired.
2. Oatmeal (or leftover brown rice) with ground flaxseeds or hemp seeds mixed in with some protein powder. Or, serve a hard-cooked egg on the side.
3. Sprouted whole grain toast (Ezekial is my favorite brand) with unsweetened peanut butter or almond butterand raw honey, plus a pinch of cinnamon to balance blood sugar.

What should you send with your child to school and what should you feed them afterward? Have a look at my healthy snack list to see which items might best excite your child’s taste buds. These are healthy choices that you can feel good about.

Learn how to navigate the grocery store  through our upcoming online nutrition course, How to Shop for Healthy Kids with Christa Orecchio!

Snacks

For that satisfying “crunch”, try these good-for-you options:
• Rice cakes, rice crackers or raw flax crackers
• Light popcorn or plain popcorn: use coconut oil to pop in a covered pan
• Spelt or kamut pretzels
• Carrots: particularly the super sweet, organic baby carrots
• Crunchy raw veggies and dip (hummus, tabouli, vinaigrette or a favorite dressing)
• Celery and peanut butter or almond butter (use non-hydrogenated peanut butter)
• Hummus with sprouted whole grain toast/tortillas, baby carrots, flax or rice crackers
• Raw cashews or almonds – or make your own trail mix!

Who doesn’t like something sweet? Here are tasty choices:
• Fresh, whole fruit or frozen grapes or berries
• Organic plain yogurt and ripe fruit with stevia or raw honey
• Apples and almond butter with a touch of cinnamon
• Sprouted date bread with naturally-sweetened jam
• Frozen yogurt or kefir: freeze your own!
• Dried fruit mix and raw cacao nibs

More sweet ideas:

• Use leftover brown rice to make sweet porridge: drizzle maple syrup, sprinkle with cinnamon, add almond milk and serve.
• Smoothies: mix whatever you have in the kitchen, such as fruit, ice, almond/rice milk, plain yogurt, carob or cacao powder, bee pollen, greens mix, etc.
• Fruit “ice cream”: peel a banana, freeze, blend in a food processor with nuts, berries or raisins and serve. For a creamier consistency, put through the screen of a juicer.
• Freshly-squeezed fruit juices: make your own and try different combos/
• Sweet vegetables: yams, sweet potatoes, squashes (acorn or butternut). Cut into chunks; sprinkle with cinnamon and bake or add maple syrup to a baked sweet potato.

For that satisfying salty taste without excess sodium, snack on these:
• Olives or unpasteurized pickles
• Raw French feta or raw goat cheese
• Tabouleh, or tzaziki hummus (with chickpeas or black beans)
• Steamed vegetables with tamari (wheat-free soy sauce)
• Baked blue corn tortilla chips and salsa or guacamole: try whole grain chips and freshly made salsa
• Roasted nuts
• Raw flax chips, raw corn chips, raw kale chips

Follow The Whole Journey’s Christa Orecchio on a tour through the grocery store! She’ll give you all the information you need to make healthy and tasty choices for the better health of your entire family!

Click here for all the exciting details!

Find more great articles on nutrition and lots of healthy recipes on TheWholeJourney.com.