Hello Friends!
I am excited to share that I have partnered with Produce for Kids again to bring another important message to you. This time we are talking about ways to create healthy lunches for your kiddos.
Yes, I know it’s much easier to purchase pre-made lunches and snacks but unfortunately those are more than likely full of processed ingredients. As we all know, it’s important to teach our youth to eat healthy at a young age so they learn to love foods like fresh fruits and vegetables, whole grains and lean meats.
So! Produce For Kids is encouraging families nationwide to kick off the school year right by pledging to eat a healthier lunch from August 8 through September 23. All you have to do is visit the Power Your Lunchbox page and fill out your first name, email and how many family members you pledge to eat a healthier lunch. That’s it! You then will receive coupons and be entered into a giveaway to receive a new bento box from their Bento-a-Day Giveaway! The bento-box is the perfect way to pack your kiddo’s lunch with compartments for fruits, veggies, snack and the main dish.
What’s even more amazing about all of this is that for every Power Your Lunchbox online pledge, companies that support the Lunchbox pledge, will donate a dollar to Feeding America® Children’s programs like Kids Cafe, Backpack program and Child Hunger Corps. In 2015, 10,979 families and classrooms took the pledge and helped PFK donate nearly 108,000 families in need through Feeding America®.
This costs you absolutely nothing…it’s simply a promise to create healthy lunches for your family members. Produce for Kids has done a wonderful job of getting you started by sharing several delicious lunchbox recipes on their website! Today I am showing you a recipe for their Italian Orzo Salad. This is not only kid-friendly but adults will love it, too!
You can follow Produce for Kids on Twitter and Facebook and through the hashtag #poweryourlunchbox, to stay updated throughout the campaign.
I want to thank you for your consideration – again this is at no cost to you, just a friendly reminder that packing healthy lunches is important, easy and tasty!
- ¾ cup orzo
- ¾ cup Eat Smart® broccoli florets, chopped
- ¾ cup yellow and red cherry tomatoes, halved
- ⅔ cup low sodium garbanzo beans, rinsed
- 2 large sprigs basil, chopped
- ¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese
- 2 Tbsp. olive oil & vinegar dressing
- Cook orzo according to package directions. Drain and do not rinse. Pour into large mixing bowl.
- Prepare ice bath by placing a few cubes of ice with water in medium bowl.
- Place broccoli in covered microwaveable dish with 1 Tbsp. water. Microwave on HIGH 30 seconds. Drain and transfer to ice bath for 30 seconds. Drain and add to orzo.
- Add tomatoes, garbanzo beans, basil, cheese, and dressing to orzo. Toss and season with pepper as desired. Serve at room temperature or slightly chilled.
- Assemble remaining ingredients into bento box.
Disclaimer: Produce for Kids sponsored this post. All opinions are 100% my own. Thank you to the brands and my readers who help make stuckonsweet.com possible! xoxo
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