Director’s Corner

Dear Redeemer Families,

This is a monthly newsletter just for YOU! Each month we will share important updates, helpful tips, and more! There will also be updates on what the staff are learning during the development days each quarter as well!

We are so excited you’re here and love having you be a part of our Redeemer family!

Blessings,
Kathy Bakken

“Train a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not turn from it.” (Proverbs 22:6)

SUMMER LUNCH IDEAS

It’s no secret that prepping lunches for your kid can get a little monotonous. Between finding foods they’ll actually eat and making sure they have healthy options, figuring out what to pack can be a challenge. Something that’s important to keep in mind when prepping a lunch is to have a good balance!

Consider having these options in every lunch:

protein (helps keep your kid full throughout the day)
a safe food (something you know they’ll eat)
fruits/veggies (provide fiber and vitamins)
grains (give your kid energy!)

Providing those options can be daunting, so we wanted to share some examples to help give your kids variety! 🙂

DIY Lunchable: if you remember these from your childhood, it’s also fun to let your kids made their own for their lunch! Cheese, crackers, salami, and turkey with sides of cucumbers with ranch, berries, and yogurt pretzels
Almond Butter and Banana Sandwich: try something different than pb&j and use banana instead! I’ve also recently learned that my kids prefer almond butter to peanut butter. Side of Annie’s bunnies, cucumbers, raspberries, and orange. Try our favorite sandwich sealer!
DIY Pizza: another fun idea is to let your kids make their own mini pizza with an English muffin, naan round, or mini bagel. Serve the sauce and cheese on the side with fruits and veggies.
Waffle & Eggs: we recently found these fun new thawable waffles that are perfect for lunch boxes or on-the-go. Side of hard boiled eggs, applesauce pouch, orange, and grapes. (halve grapes for kids under 5 or so).

Pesto Pasta Salad: combine cooked pasta with pesto and mozzarella pearls for an easy lunch! Sides of Annie’s bunny grahams, yogurt tube, mandarin orange, and grapes.
Mini Bagel: mini bagels are a great lunch because they are kid-sized! We like cream cheese and jelly or pb&j bagels to put in the lunchboxes. Side of mozzarella pearls, grapes, carrots, and Annie’s bunny grahams.
Protein Bar Snack Box: if you are running out of main course ideas, try serving some wholesome snacks for your kindergartener’s lunch. ZBar Protein bar, string cheese, cucumbers, cherry tomatoes, Annie’s bunnies, and LesserEvil snacks.
Banana Pinwheels: also sometimes called “banana sushi”, lay out a tortilla and spread with peanut butter, lay a banana inside, wrap up tightly, and cut into pinwheels. Side of Kodiak bear grahams, kiwi, cherry tomatoes, and gummies.

Turkey & Hummus Sandwich: turkey and hummus sandwich with sides of pineapple, strawberries, cucumbers, and Kodiak bear grahams.
Tuna Salad & Crackers: tuna salad made with tuna, greek yogurt, dill, and salt and pepper. Side of crackers, cheese, blueberries, raisins, and a Perfect protein bar.
Applesauce + String Cheese snack box: another snack box idea with an applesauce pouch, string cheese, berries, Harvest pea snaps, Kodiak bear grahams, and Amara smoothie melts (use PANDP15 to save 15%).
Pasta Salad: our go-to pasta salad recipe here with sides of raspberries, cucumber, pretzels and apricot.

PB&J: a little kid favorite served with sides of mandarin orange, cucumber, yogurt, and gummies.
Turkey Roll Ups: break a string cheese in half length-wise, then wrap turkey around the pieces to make turkey roll ups! Side of carrots, grapes, cherries, and lemon cookies.
Hard Boiled Eggs: my kids love their hard boiled eggs topped with everything seasoning. Side of cheddar cheese, grapes, carrot sticks, and gummies.
Yogurt Pouch Snack Box: Yogurt pouch with Harvest pea snaps, hard boiled eggs, raspberries, and raisins.

Caprese pasta salad: cooked pasta tossed with olive oil, tomato, basil, mozzarella, and parmesan cheese. Side of berries, cucumber, raisins, and honey graham sticks.
Chia Pouch snack box: chia pouch, cheese stick, grapes, cherry tomatoes, LesserEvil snacks, and Annie’s bunnies.
Egg Salad sandwich: we love this easy egg salad recipe and use it to make sandwiches! Side of cucumber with ranch, strawberries, and Kodiak bear grahams.
Hawaiian roll sandwich: my kids love these little kid size sandwiches made with Hawaiian rolls (pb&j or turkey and cheese work well!), side of blueberries, strawberries, cherry tomatoes, and Kodiak bear grahams.

Lunch ideas By: Pinecones and Pacifiers