Can we discuss snack bags?

DrMom

Sun, Nov 13 2022, 3:23 pm

amother Hydrangea wrote:

In Israel many kids now stay for tzaharon which finishes at 4. My daughter is in school from 8 AM until 4 PM.

My son is in school from 8.30 AM to 5 PM.

Every taharon my kids ever attended served a hearty hot lunch.

WitchKitty

Sun, Nov 13 2022, 3:40 pm

amother Ruby wrote:

Whenever I see these snack threads I'm surprised. My kids take vegetables, fruit or pretzels/crackers. No snack bags. Those are for Shabbos. I have kids in 4 schools all ages and none of them have ever asked for it. Once my mil gave them snack bags and I got a phone call from my son's rebbe that it increases jealousy please not to send.

Most schools I know have rules about what snacks you can bring, for jealousy reasons.
My 2 year old is supposed to bring a sandwich, fruit, and bag of pretzels/rice cakes/crackers. No nosh.
My siblings take pretzels or homemade cupcakes as snack if they end school past 1. (older grades end at 3 sometimes) the boys come home for lunch.

amother Grape wrote:

this is very interesting to me regarding foods in cold climates...

Also it seems that Israel adds on another meal? Kids eat breakfast at home and then at 10 you eat a sandwich, then at 1 a full hot meal, and later another meal for dinner?

What do children eat between 1 and 5 (for those that said their children come home 4-5)

I only have little kids and I'd love to serve more healthy snacks but somehow snack bags are just the easiest.

I've noticed many Israelis don't eat breakfast at home, breakfast will be aruchat eser at 9 or 10 (depending on grade)
Plus, Israelis don't look at sandwiches as a 'meal'. Bread is 'food'.

amother

Leaf

Sun, Nov 13 2022, 4:04 pm

Back to the original al discussion a few people I know recently had problems with corn pops, corn chips and super snacks being stale, myself included. We all though we just had bad luck. Some brought it back to the store, for some it wasn't worth it. Since it was so many of us at different dates, I doubt the stores took it off the shelf .

Some stores have a certain company chocolate bars with nuts inside this week on sale the
nuts are stale

amother

Hydrangea

Sun, Nov 13 2022, 4:37 pm

DrMom wrote:

Every taharon my kids ever attended served a hearty hot lunch.

Of course. For 70 shekel a month we get activities for the afternoon with a hot lunch included Smile

Was just responding to the poster who said that you can't compare because the day is much shorter in Israel. At least half of my daughter's class stays on for the afternoon hours.

amother

Lily

Sun, Nov 13 2022, 4:55 pm

amother Moccasin wrote:

That’s funny so many of you say it’s unhealthy. I much prefer it to cookie and candies. It’s not that unhealthy all things considered. And it’s not realistic to expect our kids to be the only ones with real food and not some sort of snack. At home my kids only eat healthy meals so I’m ok with them having some chips in school.

It's actually very very unhealthy. So so processed you can't even recognize what it comes from. Add some msg and other additives...and you got yourself a super unhealthy snack!

Not saying you shouldn't use it, you do you. But don't fool yourself that it's not unhealthy.

amother

Babyblue

Sun, Nov 13 2022, 5:01 pm

amother Steel wrote:

OOT US
my kids leave at 7:40 am and get home between 4:30-4:45 pm.
Even with eating a big healthy breakfast (no one is allowed to go to school without) and taking a fruit for the drive to school, there is many hours until lunch and then many hours until they get home. I allow each of my kids 5 snacks one being a fruit or vegetable and one being a 'healthier' snack such as veggie straws, pretzels, or popcorn. All other snacks can be junky. I am constantly looking for deals online to buy them affordably but with 5 kids in school it still adds up.
Utz honey bbq chips
Crab chip flavor Utz chips
Rold Gold pretzels
Lays Potato Chips

Fritos corn chips

Thanks! Can you tell me what the crab flavored chips taste like? My daughter likes hot sauce potato chips and ketchup potato chips but not all of the BBQ flavored chips.

amother

Lily

Sun, Nov 13 2022, 5:06 pm

amother Moonstone wrote:

My kids take whatever snack bags are on sale in gourmet glatt that week. The older kids actually started taking microwave popcorn as well which is a little more economical. They eat very healthily at home, and need these snacks to get them through the long day.

Snacks with more nutritional value will help them get through the long day so much better.

You may choose to use snack bags because it's easier or everyone brings that and you don't want your kids to feel left out, but let's be blunt. Real food (fruit, cheese, whole grain crackers) are so much better to help them get through the day.

amother

Grape

Sun, Nov 13 2022, 8:41 pm

WitchKitty wrote:

I've noticed many Israelis don't eat breakfast at home, breakfast will be aruchat eser at 9 or 10 (depending on grade)
Plus, Israelis don't look at sandwiches as a 'meal'. Bread is 'food'.

oh, interesting!
And they might be right regarding bread not being a meal....

amother

Denim

Sun, Nov 13 2022, 8:47 pm

amother Steel wrote:

Great links! Thank you!
FYI the frito chips are triangle k which isn’t an orthodox kosher hechsher

Reality

Mon, Nov 14 2022, 8:10 am

The younger kids in Israel may have a shorter day but the starving teens have a long day just like in the US. My jr. high son is out of the house from 7 until 6 every day. If we lived further from school it would be an even longer day. When he will be in high school his day will be insanely long. I can't even think about it.

I do think the fact that my kids eat a real, full meal for lunch negates the need for so many snacks. Maybe some of the US mom's can bulk up their kids lunches (real food) so they aren't starving and desperate for so many snack bags.

amother

Impatiens

Mon, Nov 14 2022, 9:18 am

My son has school from 8:30 to 6:10. No hot lunches or other meals offered.

Today he took
a tuna sandwich
a mini cucumber
a tangerine
corn wafers
chocolate covered rice cakes
pretzels
sandwich cookies

I usually try to avoid bought cookies because they're so junky and make my own but we ran out. Also, I wouldn't usually send corn wafers and rice cakes together because they're almost the same thing. But I would send potato chips instead so he was probably better off this way. My kids must take at least one fruit every day. I would like them to take two but they don't usually want to. The cucumber (sometimes it's pepper) is a new thing since last week, I hope it continues. Wink

Bnei Berak 10

Mon, Nov 14 2022, 9:43 am

amother Impatiens wrote:

No hot meal for such a long day? Surprised

That's insane and not mentshlich!

amother

Butterscotch

Mon, Nov 14 2022, 10:04 am

For those saying that they can’t send some foods that need to be refrigerated, here’s a great insulated lunch bag that I use for my kids. It’s slim and not bulky, and holds a nice amount. (I can fit in a half lb container of pasta, a cheese stick, some cucumber sticks, and the ice pack.)

Fit + Fresh Cool Coolers Slim Ice... https://www.amazon.com/dp/B06X.....share

I add a thin ice pack like this one.

Yumbox Sandwich Bag / Snack Bag,... https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09S.....share

4g01o

Mon, Nov 14 2022, 10:07 am

Bnei Berak 10 wrote:

No hot meal for such a long day? Surprised

That's insane and not mentshlich!

We have main meal in the evening Smile

My son has a similar day to the person that you quoted, no hot meal until he gets home.

In my younger kids school they get free school meals until year 3.
The rest get sandwiches from home, and we pay for Fridays hot lunch for them.

They're very expensive to have hot lunch every day if paying for them.
And a lot goes to waste.

One of my kids prefers sandwiches from home!

amother

Cobalt

Mon, Nov 14 2022, 1:39 pm

My kids have snack boxes from sistema, see them below for example (I'm not in the us, don't know if you have them) But they are great. They're easy for the kids to open, they go in my dishwasher and it means the food doesn't get squashed in their bag. They also make great lunchboxes with different compartments so I can send a sandwich, veg etc and it doesn't get mixed up. So I buy the large packets and separate them out. My kids school is also quite strict about what can be sent which I think is sensible.

amother

Impatiens

Mon, Nov 14 2022, 2:21 pm

Bnei Berak 10 wrote:

No hot meal for such a long day? Surprised

That's insane and not mentshlich!

He has a hot supper and if he's ready early enough he has a hot breakfast too (today he had a fried egg - actually, 2 - with bread.) He comes home hungry but not starving.