Fast and Fun Lunches with Chobani Champions

If you read Molly's Lunch Box often, you know how much we LOVE our Chobani Champions.  We were lucky enough to do a guest post for them with their "Win The Day" theme.  If you want to try Chobani Champions, keep reading.  There is something special at the bottom of this post!

As a Mother of three young kids, I am beyond grateful for every little win of every day.  Whether it is the successful reading of a book, a play date without drama or even a good potty day while potty training, they are all little smiles on my face that I am thankful for. 

I think that it is important to give those little wins back too.  In my blog, Molly’s Lunch Box, I strive to make a fun healthy lunch for my daughter, and soon her sister too.  Molly had a very difficult time with separation anxiety in Kindergarten and making these little boxes of love from home helped her tremendously.  That sprung into an almost daily routine for us.

*pit cherries for young children.

*my kids love their Chobani Champions frozen in silicon molds for fun shapes.

I am often asked how I have the time to make these cute lunches daily.  Many of my readers think that it is beyond time consuming.  Honestly, making the lunches rarely takes a long time.  If you have a plan and the right tools, it usually doesn’t take more than 10 minutes to put a smile on your child’s face and give them a win for the day.

I divide our lunches into a main entrée (sandwich, salad, wrap, etc.), a vegetable, a fruit and a dairy/dessert (that’s where Chobani Champions fits in perfectly!).  I usually have an idea of what to make, based on what is in the refrigerator.  I get out my cookie cutters and cute little cupcake picks to jazz it up a bit and BOOM, fun healthy lunch and a happy kid.  Plus, my kids will eat more if something is cut into a fun shape.  There is something about finger foods and kids that works together so well.

Here is a great “for instance” back to school lunch.  A classic peanut butter (or sunflower seed butter if there are restrictions at your child’s school) and jelly sandwich.  I used a cookie cutter to make a cute shape.  (10 extra seconds)  I chopped a carrot and used a Japanese vegetable cutter to cut that into a fun shape.  (30 extra seconds)  An apple seemed like a great choice for back to school so I used a small cookie cutter to cute a heart out of the skin. (15 extra seconds)  I then added Chobani Champions Verry Berry, which is a great source of protein and calcium.  (I probably saved a few seconds there.J)  Finally, I added a few back to school themed picks just for fun.  (30 extra seconds)  All told, it took just over a minute more than if I were to make just a pb&j, cut up a carrot, halve and core an apple and add some Chobani Champions.  The smiles that come home after school are COMPLETELY worth it.  My kids may have lots of other little wins for the day but I know that even if their day is bad, their lunch is a win. J

If you want to try this and start out small, try making an after school snack.  That too will put a smile on your child’s face.

*There are some lunches on my blog that did take more than 10 minutes but those are mostly for special occasions. 

*I make most of the lunches after the kids go to bed.

Chobani Champions makes making lunches a lot easier.  If you'd like to try them right away, they have coupons on their website.  Or if you want to try them for free, we are giving away a variety pack (all 4 flavors) of Chobani Champions to 3 of our lucky readers.  To enter...

1. Leave a comment and tell me what your favorite lunch was when you were in school. (Mandatory)

2. Like Molly's Lunch Box on Facebook and tell me that you did.

3. Share this blog post on your Facebook page and tell me that you did.

4. Like Chobani Champions on Facebook.

5. Follow Molly's Lunch Box on Pinterest and tell me that you did.

6. Pin this Giveaway on Pinterest and leave the link to the Pin.

Our winners will be chosen at random on Wednesday, August 15th, 2012 at 9am EST.
US residents only, please. 

Thank You and Good Luck!

THIS CONTEST IS CLOSED.  THANKS TO ALL THAT ENTERED!