It seems like it comes earlier every year - the first day of school, that is.
There was a time when Labor Day marked the end of summer and the start of the school year. All-day celebrations at various city parks would climax with spectacular fireworks displays in the evening. And when the last sparkle faded, all good school children knew they had to hurry to bed: school would start in the morning. The same pattern prevails today. The first day of school is marked by the same rituals and rhythms of life as in the past, though the celebration takes place indoors and the school year is longer. Back-to-school was buying new clothes, new "school shoes," and a new lunchbox. It was catching up with your old friends and making new ones. It was mothers packing nutritious meals for their children to eat at school. It was hungry youngsters eagerly opening new lunchboxes to find... ... that the apple had squashed the sandwich; the pear had pulverized the potato chips; the peach had turned into puree. Sound familiar? You've packed a good lunch: a healthy sandwich made with whole grain bread; carrot sticks; fruit; a couple of cookies; a package of chips. Add a carton of milk from the cafeteria and your child has a fairly balanced meal. When your child eats on the run, he probably doesn’t even remember what he ate, let alone whether it was good for him. On the other hand, when you pack his lunch, he has time to think about how full it is. But then there's the problem of keeping everything intact. There's not really enough room for the whole fruit, but it'll turn brown if you cut it. And you're not sure that cookies and potato chips qualify as "nutritious" foods. Short of leaving out half of the lunch, what do you do? Say it with me, class: "Dehydrate!" Dehydration is a great way to reduce the size of fruit and prevent damage to it. Dehydrated foods are easy to pack, light-weight, and not at all messy to eat. A little bit goes a long way, too: each bite is so packed with concentrated flavor and nutrients, that one large fruit is enough for two or three days. It's simple to make: just slice the fruit, pretreat as needed, load the trays, and start the dehydrator. In a few hours, you'll have tasty, convenient snacks for your young folks to enjoy! Instead of the regular sweets you'd put in the lunchbox:
Lunchboxes, pails, bags, or buckets don't have to be disaster areas. You can keep them nutritious and neat with dehydrated treats.
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