Wateroos & Water Bottles

After my recent post on Hint, several readers emailed me with further suggestions for healthy, kid-friendly beverages. One reader recently sent me a link to Wateroos, plain and naturally flavored water in juice boxes.

They sound very similar to Hint, but in a smaller package that would fit in with the Juice Box Crowd at preschool and the playground. Again, I hate to see the wasteful packaging; at least with Hint we are refilling the plastic bottles several times (and still get a tiny "hint" of flavor) before we recycle them. Juice boxes are not even recyclable in some areas.

But still, it's a product I wanted to share for those of you in the midst of the Sweetened Beverage Battle. If it helps your child feel good about drinking water while those around them are sucking down Kool-Aid Jammers, I'm all for it.

I think perhaps the best choice is a cute refillable water bottle, like these SIGG Kids Bottles and Klean Kanteens. We like our Klean Kanteens, but I've heard that the SIGG bottles chip and dent easily. Anyone want to share their experience with SIGGs?

Also, I've been looking for for a long time is a juice box-shaped refillable water bottle. Anyone?

Don't Try This At Home

In my recent post in praise of Hint I talked about our struggles with the Juice/Soda/Sports Drink Monster, and about how having naturally flavored, unsweetened waters on hand has helped us tremendously. Many of you wrote in to share your own struggles with sweet drinks and to offer additional healthy beverage suggestions.

I was especially taken with these Stevia Spring Water Flavors. I liked the idea of keeping a bottle in my purse to pull out at restaurants. I imagined dropping a few drops of fruit flavor into his water glass as a special treat, thereby cleverly avoiding the soda pop whine. "Ha HA!" I thought. "Take that, Soda Monster!"

Well, we were sadly disappointed. First of all, the little bottles don't come with dropper tops, so you have to buy and pack a dropper or "disposable pipette" or make a big mess trying to pour out a few small drops. Without a dropper the liquid ran down the side and made a sticky mess. Shmoo reported that the flavors were okay in the water but left a strong, unpleasant taste in his mouth after drinking.

So we're sticking with our beloved Hint, but I'm still looking forward to trying other healthy drink ideas, especially True Lemon (Update: Someone just pointed out that True Lemon and True Lime both contain lactose from milk -- this means they are not vegan, so we won't be trying them after all!) and Suzanne's Aromática de frutas. And yes, I have also tried serving fruit-flavored herbal teas quite a bit, although shmoo sees them as an excuse to hit the sugar bowl.

In the meantime, does anyone want these little flavor bottles? ("This tastes terrible, try some.") We have grape, passion fruit, and mango; the last two are unopened. Email me with your address and they are yours. Update: they're gone!

Get A Clue, Have A Hint

Oh, I love Hint. Really, I don't mean to sound like some crazed phony bloggin’ corporate-sponsored shill (although I'll gladly accept payment for my little "get a clue" slogan...clever, no?) But I really have to say I think Hint water is one of the best things that's happened to us around here drinkwise.

Here's why: like the big dummy I am, I made the mistake of introducing my son to sweetened, sugary beverages when he was still a baby. Although I almost never drink juice myself, I guess I thought sweet, sticky apple juice was just the thing toddlers had to have in those little sippy cups of theirs. Apple, cranberry, grape...it wasn't long before he was moving on to the harder stuff: soda pop and "lemonade" at restaurants ("You call that a child's size cup?!?"), disgusting blue technicolor sugar water at school and playdates. Juice every day, juice at every meal, juice in a bag, juice in a box...even my husband started complaining if juice wasn't present at every single meal.

If I could go back again, of course, I would never introduce shmoo to this terrible juice habit. I know now that juice is only marginally better than soda; they’re both essentially a mixture of water and sugar without fiber. I know all things are fine in moderation, but too many sweet, calorie-packed beverages may be part of what’s contributing to our growing childhood obesity epidemic. And, as I can certainly attest, a tiny tummy filled with a big glass of juice or soda at mealtime won’t have much room for all the healthy foods that are on its plate (But that same stomach will somehow manage to empty itself just in time for dessert. Or so it seems.)

Anyway, the damage was done. This year the situation has been made ten times worse by shmoo’s introduction to the world of "sports beverages". That’s right, the Forces That Be have taken something naturally healthy – staying hydrated while playing sports – and turned it into another excuse to stuff our children with sugar, artificial sweeteners, flavors, colors, and preservatives. The whining, wheedling "please mom can I have a sports drink after practice, please, please, please?" campaign I have been listening to for the past 6 months has made me rue the day my son accepted his first little blue Propel from a teammate.

Then a few weeks ago I read an article in Shape magazine about Hint, and I practically gasped out loud. That’s it! That’s what I need to end this kid’s Gatorade Obsession! It's just water and natural flavors, period: no preservatives, no Sucralose, no bright purple dye, no calories.

Shmoo was quickly presented with his very own collection of all 8 flavors. His favorites are Pomegranate-Tangerine, Raspberry-Lime, and Tropical Punch. Cucumber, not so much. Oh, but he loves these silly little waters just as much as he did the sports drinks and sodas of the past, and I don’t cringe every time I see him suck one down. The Beverage Battle is over, and I am thrilled.

Now I’m just waiting for the 1 - 2 gallon jug sizes to come out, so I can use refillable bottles and save on plastic. But one battle at a time, I suppose…

Layered Bean Dip

Stone-ground corn chips for lunch today with a layered bean dip made with refried beans, avocado, salsa, vegan sour cream, and black olives. On the side are slices of watermelon and jicama. Beverage: Rice Dream Horchata (cinnamon rice milk).
Verdict: It must have been quite a while since we last had horchata. When I told him it was in his lunch today he said, "Oh YUM! I don't remember what that tastes like." A good lunch, easy to throw together and very well received. 5 stars.
P.S. No lunch tomorrow, see you Thursday!
P.P.S. Gee, if I'd been thinking at all I would have saved this lunch for Friday -- Cinco de Mayo!! Oh well, I guess I posted it early so now you all can make it for Friday!

May Day

It's an old May Day custom to give May Baskets filled with flowers and treats to your friends. I didn't think real flowers would hold up well at school, and what schoolkid really needs another piece of candy? So I'm surprising shmoo with sheets of flower stickers instead.

For lunch I made cream cheese spirals: wholegrain dough spread with vegan cream cheese and a sprinkle of chopped fresh herbs (basil, parsley, thyme, and dill), rolled up like a cinnamon roll, cut it into slices, and baked. On the side are an Odwalla Chocolate Chip Peanut Nourishing Food Bar and a fruit salad of strawberries, orange, and banana. Beverage: Kagome Purple Roots & Fruits Juice, a veggie/fruit juice combo. "Wow...now I can drink my vegetables!" the bottle enthuses. Let's see if shmoo will say the same...

Verdict: He drank all the juice! It tastes mostly of grapes and blueberries; you would never guess it contains spinach, beets, cabbage, etc. At the last minute I worried that I hadn't packed enough food for him, and threw in two more spirals. I shouldn't have worried; he ate the bar and all the cream cheese spirals, but then got too full to finish the fruit salad. Four would have been just right. 4 stars.

Blueberry Pie

More Chicken-Free Nuggets today, along with organic tater tots and blanched green beans. For dessert I baked two of the tiniest blueberry pies you'll ever see, using eensy little pie tins.

Blueberry season is fast approaching, and I wanted to tell you all about Polly's Perfect Blueberry Pie now so you'll be ready. This is a fantastic pie recipe we came across two years ago. It's ideal for those who don't like making and rolling out pie crust. The crust is mixed right in the pie pan -- you press the pie crust into the pan and the pieces that fall over the sides are used as a crumble crust on top. How brilliant is that? It's easy to veganize by using nondairy milk, and I just leave off the bits of butter on top of the pie filling, but you could use margarine. When fresh aren't in season I use frozen (not thawed) blueberries instead, and bake the pie about 10-15 minutes longer.

Oh, and the beverage today is shmoo's new favorite nondairy milk -- oat milk!

Verdict: The pie pans came back empty, but the fork and spoon were still mysteriously clean, wrapped neatly in their napkin. "How did you like the pie?" I asked.

"Good!" shmoo replied.

"How did you eat the pie?"

"I just scooped the pie out with my teeth."

Oh, my. "Show me how the piggy eats." My husband has also enjoyed these past couple days, with brioche and blueberry pie around the house. He didn't face plant into it, though. 4 stars.

Quiche

I decided to try another recipe from the new Vegan Family Favorites cookbook today. I used mini-tart pans to make individual Quiche Lorraines filled with crumbled Smart Bacon and broccoli in a savory tofu custard. I packed one mini-quiche along with some honeydew melon balls and two chocolate creme Oreos for dessert. Beverage: vanilla soymilk with a shot of the hoity-toity all natural French hazelnut syrup my husband bought me for Valentine's Day (isn't he sweet? -- we love soymilk with hazelnut, the flavors are so right together).
Verdict: I added a bit more silken tofu than the recipe called for so the texture was quichey but solid enough to travel well. If I were to make it again I think I would add some nutritional yeast flakes for a "cheesier" taste. Shmoo said it was "good!" but still left the edges behind -- even flaky pastry crust gets the cold shoulder! 4 stars.

Happy Holidays!

Here's my Christmas present to all of you: a complete Christmas Lunch Box Menu with all the recipes: Golden Chestnut Soup, Best Brussels Sprouts, a clementine mandarin, and some Gingerbread Vegans with a tiny piping bag of icing and some sprinkles. Beverage: Silk Nog, of course!
Verdict: I think Little shmoo sucked every last smidgen of icing out of that plastic bag. He ate all the Brussels sprouts, but only half of the soup. My husband really went all-out on this great photograph -- our dining room looks like a photo studio! 5 Ho Ho Hos!
P.S. The kids are on vacation until next year, so see you in January!

Hot Cocoa

I made some soymilk cocoa this morning and packed it in his thermos (I had to trim the straw to fit in the lunch box). Little shmoo drank the cocoa and nibbled on three little powdered sugar- covered cookies made with strawberry jam. The rest is rather ordinary (with cocoa and cookies as the treat, who needs a fancy lunch?): organic applesauce, baby carrots, and a peanut butter and strawberry jam sandwich on oat bread.
Verdict: Just crusts and two carrots left. 4 stars.

Mini-Bagels

Two mini-bagels with vegan cream cheese, an organic apple, and a Spongebobish bag of baby carrots with some mashed pinto beans mixed with Bragg's for dipping. Beverage: a raspberry Silk Alive! soy yogurt drink.
Verdict: I knew he would only finish half the bag of carrots, but I had to leave the carrots in the bag because hey, it's a cartoon character promoting a fresh vegetable! Hooray! I mean, I don't know if Little shmoo has ever actually seen "Spongebob Squarepants" (we don't have TV), but I'm supporting this 100%. Next I'd like to see Batman promoting kale...then maybe shmoo would eat it! 4 stars.

Thanksgiving

Here is a Thanksgiving lunch box inspired by foods we eat today that are native to North America (listed here in bold). A pumpkin Anadama roll filled with tofurkey and vegenaise, cranberry sauce in the tiny container, wild rice pilaf with peas, corn & pecans, popcorn balls (popcorn was served at the first Thanksgiving!) with sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, dried cranberries, and dried blueberries. Beverage: concord grape juice.
Verdict: My husband took this fancy-pants picture for the cookbook. Our adopted turkey, Ingrid, is looking adorable and thankful in the background. Little shmoo loved the wild rice and the tofurkey roll, but doesn't care for cranberry sauce. All three of us can't stop eating these chewy, carmely popcorn balls. 5 stars.

Waffles

Some oatmeal-flax waffles, cut into strips and spread with peanut butter, packed with a little container of maple syrup for dipping; organic blackberry- applesauce (our favorite), and some roasted sweet carrots with cinnamon. Beverage: calcium- fortified orange juice.
Verdict: Sometimes I'm frustrated by how little time they have to eat their lunch -- 20 minutes. He ate all his waffles and juice and was halfway through his carrots when the teacher told everyone time was up. He ate his applesauce after school. That's one reason why I don't send a lot of beverages; I think he plays around with the bottle, and the liquid fills him up quickly but leaves him hungry later. 3 stars.

Tea and Scones

Two blueberry scones, two kiwi fruit, and an assortment of tea sandwiches on storebought English Muffin Bread with the crusts cut off: Tofurkey deli slices with vegan mayo, cucumber with vegan cream cheese, and radish with margarine. Beverage: berry-flavored herbal ice tea with apple juice ice cubes.
Verdict: Little shmoo ate half the radish sandwich and half the cucumber sandwich, and only had room for one scone. Everything else was reduced to post tea-time crumbs. He loved having iced tea for lunch. 3 stars.

Spiders & Goblin Fingers

Lunch box is back just in time for Halloween! Two photos today, one of the outside of the box all done up for the day...






And here's the spooky contents. Spider sandwiches -- made of homemade blackstrap carob graham crackers filled with peanut butter and pumpkin butter -- are creeping around on a bed of "mummy wrap", while "Goblin Fingers" wait to be dipped in some vegan Ranch. A crisp Asian pear from the final farmer's market of the year is on the side. Beverage: Witches' Brew, of course! (chocolate soy milk and cherries).
Verdict: A spooktacular success (bwaahaahaa), and a bit of nutrition on a day otherwise devoted to sugar. He gobbled down everything but two Goblin Fingers, which he ate when he got home. And yes! He brought home the candy he received so I could check it out before he ate it! Luckily, one piece was vegan. 5 blood-curdling screams.

Polenta Fries

Crispy polenta fries with barbecue sauce for dipping, cauliflower trees and baby carrots, hickory- smoked toasted soy nuts, and two Golden "Uh Oh" Oreos (uh oh, there's an open package of Oreos in my house...). In the silverware space I tucked in a rolled-up maze game for a surprise. Beverage: soymilk, oj & apricot smoothie.
Verdict: These polenta fries and bbq were perfect. The maze was a hit, too; he was expressing regret the other day that his food doesn't come with cartoons and puzzles on it like the prepackaged stuff other kids get. He'll be finding more stickers and fun things in his lunch box now. 5 stars.

Chik'n Sandwich

A vegan chik'n patty on a wheat bun, oven roasted sweet potato fries, and some apple crisp for dessert. Beverage: almond amazake.
Verdict: Thank you to Amy and little my for suggesting sweet potato fries. I hadn't made them in quite a while, and they were very tasty. Little shmoo didn't touch them (oh well, more for me!), but he ate everything else. 4 stars.
P.S. Tomorrow is a noon release day -- sorry, no lunch box!

Play Pretzels

We rolled out little snakes of dough this morning and baked them into fun shapes. I packed them with a small container of peanut butter for dipping, kiwi and star fruit, baby carrots, and roasted chickpeas. Beverage: chocolate Silk.
Verdict: This was our first time trying star fruit; we agreed it was fun to look at but not too exciting to eat. Everything else was eaten and enjoyed. "I ate a lot!" he said. 4 stars.

Phyllo Triangles

My Big Fat Greek Lunch Box! Four phyllo triangle stuffed with tofu feta, a fennel cucumber salad with capers and olives, gigantes plakis (Greek "giant beans"), and paximadia (Greek anise-flavored "biscotti"). Beverage: organic concord grape juice.
Verdict: I invited my mom over for lunch to help us eat the rest. Twice she looked at the table and said, "Wait, you mean this is what he had for lunch? Wow." Little shmoo says he especially loved the crunchy triangles and the cookies. 5 Opas!

Bagel Face

"Bagel Face, you've got the cutest little Bagel Face..." (guess what's been running through my head all day?) A bagel with vegan cream cheese, grandma's organic strawberry jam, and cashews. Backing Mr. Bagel Face up are canned pineapple, carrot blossoms, and chocolate rice milk.
Verdict: I'm laughing because the only thing he neglected to eat was the chocolate milk. He says he just didn't see it there! I don't send beverages very often, and he was too excited to make Mr. Bagel Face's acquaintance, I think. 4 stars.

Quinoa Amaranth Timbale

A quinoa and amaranth timbale (a timbale is a savory custard baked in a mold), homemade black beans, a tangerine, and a piece of dried cantaloupe. Beverage: Rice Dream Horchata.
Verdict: In a perfect world this meal would include some steamed spinach, but Little shmoo refuses all leafy greens (every child has their limit!). The dried cantaloupe was an interesting new treat from the health food store, very much like dried papaya. And the answer is YES, the timbale DID hold its shape in a seven-year old's swinging lunch box! Amazing! 2 stars for no veggie today.