To celebrate the beginning of a new school year, I’d like to kick off a new YinMom YangMom series I’m calling:

“Lunch Lady Land”

Let’s begin with a musical interlude:

Some pretty background music while you read…

“Lunch Lady Land” will be a recurring theme over the next few months as I share some fun ideas for kid-friendly foods that are perfect for a packed lunch.  My goal is to present foods that are

1) kinda healthy, but not so much as to not also be
2) yummy and appealing to the average kiddo.

It’s a very fine line.

My own two little ones definitely have their favorite munchies, most of them being store-bought and loaded with preservatives, artificial colors and flavorings, high fructose corn syrup, transfat, and God only knows what else.  I’m trying to keep them as “once in a while” treats, and offer more natural, chemical free options, with a few nutritious and healthy additions snuck in, on a more regular basis.

So, without any further ado, here is our first offering from “Lunch Lady Land”:

Did you know you can actually make your own fruit snacks?  Did you know that it’s really not even that hard and it only takes two ingredients?

I found these adorable molds at Walmart, for 99 cents, people!

Give them a little spritz with some non-stick baking spray, (ok, three ingredients), and wipe out the excess with a paper towel or dishrag.

Gather up the healthiest juice you can find, that your kid would still want to drink.  I’m using V8 fusion Strawberry Banana 100% juice, because there are veggies hiding in there, and Welch’s 100% Grape Juice, because grapes are full of polyphenols, and also it was the purplest thing I could find with no artificial anything, and color is really important to kids.  We eat first with our eyes, and this is especially true for the little ones!

Measure out 1/2 cup of juice, and pour it into a little pot.

This is unflavored gelatine.

You can find it on the same grocery store shelf as regular jello.  Be not afraid.

Sprinkle two packets of gelatine over the juice and let it dissolve.  It will get all slushy-looking.

Warm it over a low flame and it will go all liquidy.  When it looks smooth and clear-ish, pour it back into the measuring cup and then dribble it into the molds.

Let it set in the fridge for a half hour and there you have it!

These are perfect for my kindergartner, but, I also have a three-year-old.  His preschool is very strict about the foods they allow, and gummies are considered a choking hazard.

So, here is my way around that, which also allows me to sneak in some anti-oxidant rich fresh berries.

1 cup of white cranberry juice, warmed with
1 packet of plain gelatine

Pour it into a lightly oiled square glass baking dish and chill for about 15 minutes or until set.

Arrange fresh berries on top.

Now, do it again:
1 cup of white cranberry juice, warmed with
1 packet of plain gelatine

Pour it over the berries and chill for a half hour.

Unmold it onto a cutting board and cut it into shapes with a cookie cutter, or just cubes with a knife.

These are the kind of fruit snacks I can feel good about giving to my kids.  They are loaded with fresh fruit and 100% fruit and veggie juice, with no unwanted additives.  They have no added sugar.  They are full of good nutrition.  Even the gelatine is healthy: it’s full of protein and collagen for healthy hair, skin, and nails.

What kinds of foods do your kids like to eat in their lunches?  Would you like to see a homemade and improved version of it?  Leave me your thoughts in the comment section and I’ll see what I can come up with!