OUR CHILDREN
OUR FUTURE
September 2015 13
DIGGING IN FOR THE SEMESTER
back to
SCHOOL BY AMYLEE UDELL or the first time since having my oldest almost 14 years ago, I have a child in school. "Back to School" now has a tangible meaning for me. Our years of home school are over and I'm living a new reality: having to have someone out of the house by a certain (very early) hour each morning. I can’t help but wonder, "How have y'all done it all these years?” I researched, posted, scrolled and polled to find back to school (BTS) organizational ideas to make the entire school year go smoothly for your time, energy and financial budgets.
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Haven’t a Thing to Wear! Do you really need a BTS wardrobe? You can buy clothes frugally throughout the year and/or as needed. But, the truth is, BTS time is often a good time to take stock of what a child has and what is needed. Of course, thrift shopping is a great way to get your kids covered. If you have a child who's tough on clothes or wants to wear the same pants every day, investing in a few newer, good-quality pieces that will last might be a better investment than a cart full of thrift store items. As someone who does not enjoy clothes shopping (but was blessed with three girls), I use an idea of my mother-in-law's as my girls get older: Give each child a budget for the year/season and let them buy as they want. "Here's $XX to spend on your clothes. That's all you get this year/season." If your child spends it on fancy shoes and one shirt that will likely provide some good lessons. This exercise gives kids freedom and teaches them to prioritize comfort vs fashion, classics vs statements, quantity vs quality, all within the given budget. There are probably some adults that might benefit from this, too! Another idea for clothing is to host or participate in a clothing swap. This could even be done in a park with folks getting right down to business to decrease any expenses. Or you could make it a shindig and share food, as well. Planning for Stress-Free Menus Food is a huge part of all our budgets whether or not we have kids in school. We're all busy, and school and its accompanying extracurricular activities keep us that way. Plan your menus to reduce the stress of meal preparation and allow for those family meal times. This keeps you within your budget, gives higher nutritional value and makes take-out runs non existent. Meal planning is invaluable! Save meal prep time by
How can we PREPARE and SUPPORT our kids’ bodies for school? GOOD FOOD IS THE FIRST AND BEST STEP. That’s true at any TIME and any STAGE. making freezer meals regularly so you can grab a meal from your supply, drop it in the slow cooker and return home to a warm meal. Breakfasts: I've always favored the make-ahead breakfast. Crockpot breakfasts or baking the night before allowed me to sleep longer in the morning and reduce morning kitchen mess. They also gave me a more peaceful morning as we eased into the day. How easy it would be to give everyone cereal every morning! But I don't find that the path to balanced nutrition or checkbooks. Also when we eat cereal, everyone is famished an hour later. So we all need some make-ahead and other time efficient strategies to get real, solid food into everyone in the morning. Bonus points if older children can manage these on their own. Here are a Few Ideas • SMOOTHIE PACKS: Into bags or jars, place pre-cut fruit and veggies, yogurt or kefir, nut butters, any protein or green powders and your other smoothie additions. Freeze. The night before, remove one pack and place in fridge. In the morning, toss into blender with ice for quick smoothie. Can be prepared days to weeks ahead of time. • OAT OR CHIA SEED PORRIDGE: Find lots of recipes online, but these make for great warm weather breakfasts. Mix oats (from groats to rolled) with any type of milk, dried fruit, coconut, nuts and flax or other seeds. Top with fresh or frozen fruit. Place in refrigerator to thicken into a pudding-like consistency. In the morning, grab 'n go. • MUFFINS: Traditional sweet or savory egg/omelet type. Make several batches and freeze. Take out as many as you need and reheat in the morning. Prep weeks to months ahead of time. • PANCAKES: Make a large batch and freeze with wax paper in between; in the morning, heat in the toaster. Prep weeks to months ahead of time. • MUFFIN OR PANCAKE BATTER: Make a big batch of batter that stores in the fridge. In the evening or morning, pour and bake as many as needed. Great when you want convenience with fresh-baked comfort.
KEEPING KIDS HEALTHY DURING THE SCHOOL YEAR By Jennifer Quinn, Nob Hill Wellness Department Manager
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T'S BACK TO SCHOOL TIME and as parents look for ways to keep kids happy and healthy, La Montañita's Wellness Department offers a few tips!!
Gaia's Kids Black Elderberry Syrup is an excellent yummy syrup to help boost the immune system and help ward off colds and flu! Co-op herbal extracts for kids such as Kid's Echinacea Plus and Kid's Cough are highly effective in helping to boost immunity and treating a cough and scratchy throat.
Wishgarden's Kick It Immune is a high potency herbal extract with echinacea, elder flower, osha and yerba santa to help kick out a lingering cold with runny nose and sore throat. Boiron's Coldcalm for kids treats all types of colds. Hyland's Kids Cold n' Cough is a terrific homeopathic remedy for all types of colds, tastes great and has no side effects!! Remember to help your children eat well and get lots of rest!!! All of us in all the Wellness Departments throughout the La Montañita Co-op family of locations are here to help you. Please don’t hesitate to ask for help in choosing your wellness products.
• OATMEAL: It's quick. You can soak the oats overnight and they'll cook up in a few minutes. You can also make oatmeal in the crockpot or pressure cooker the night before. A great freezer meal idea is baked oatmeal. Pre-mix everything and defrost overnight. Turn the oven on in the morning to bake. • OTHER FREEZER IDEAS: Pre-make and wrap breakfast burritos, English muffin breakfast sandwiches, hash brown casseroles or quiches.
Lunches and Snacks Make batches and package your items. If you have more time than money, it might be worthwhile to buy raisins, nuts, chips or crackers in bulk and then repackage appropriate portions. You can also do homemade yogurt, fruit rolls or granola bars and either do fewer (in the case of yogurt) or freeze for later. Some of the breakfast ideas also work here. One friend shared what she does with her family: "For lunches I make about 50 sandwiches at a time and freeze them, stock the bottom fridge drawer with fruits, veggies, and cheese sticks, and the snack cabinet with granola bars and chips etc. Then the kids have the job of making their own lunches in the morning, but really all they have to do is grab the stuff I already stocked." Sounds great! Though doing the stocking can be easier said than done if you're not using pre-packaged items. Let's not forget the power of leftovers. It's OK for kids to take dinner food for lunch. Invest in a good thermos or lunch box "system" so that kids can take soup, meatloaf, kale salad or any other type of dinner deliciousness with ease. There are also reusable sandwich wraps, "baggies" and even juice box options. Depending on how your family does lunch, these might be worth considering. Staying Healthy Lastly there is BTS health. How can we prepare and support our kids' bodies for school? Good food is the first and best step. That's true at any time and any stage. With more and more studies showing that children are chronically deprived of sleep, making sure our children are getting plenty is another step. Start adjusting your children to an earlier bedtime as the school year approaches. Next, does your child need any immune boosting help for the school year? Not only is your child surrounded by more children, but for some children school can be stressful. Stress impacts our immune systems. Some suggestions that might help on both of these fronts: an essential oil foot rub before bedtime, a relaxing bath, elderberry syrup, Chamomile tea and more probiotics in the form of a supplement or lacto-fermented pickles. Start offering these bonuses as the school year progresses and as we enter cold and flu season.