Team Mom sent us a set of samples from the new Looney Tunes Eating Right Kids created by Safeway and Warner Bros. to try out. Here are our reactions:
- Chewy bar: It tastes a little less sweet than your typical granola bar, and I like that it has no high fructose corn syrup. Still, the first ingredient is corn syrup, which I wouldn’t call healthy even if it doesn’t get quite the rap HFCS is earning lately. Milk chocolate is the second ingredient.
- Juice: My kids gobbled this up; no surprise since they would both live off of juice and nothing else given the opportunity. I like that it is 100% juice.
- Fruit cup: This is your standard fruit cup. Sugar is the fourth ingredient, after water, peaches, and pears. I would prefer for it to be in pear or pineapple juice, but at least this is a light rather than a heavy syrup. The kids liked it, minus the maraschino cherries.
- Pasta: The whole wheat cheese-filled ravioli weren’t a hit at our house. Both the ravioli and the sauce tasted blah to me, but I’ve always found that the case with canned ravioli. It seemed strange that the container held two fairly large servings – if the whole point is for this line to provide ready-packed healthy food for your child’s lunch, it doesn’t seem like you should have two servings in a single container.
Final verdict: These seem like okay pre-packed options for your child’s lunch if you’re okay with corn syrup and fructose (both in the granola bar), and they’re probably better than your average cafeteria options. The full line also includes pre-packed fresh fruits and veggies. I was happy to hear that Warner Bros. Consumer Products is clearing retail shelves of the majority of foods featuring Looney Tunes that don’t meet a “better-for-you” standard – here’s hoping the only foods they aren’t removing are clearly marketed as candy.
A few favorite lunchbox favorites in our home:
- fresh fruit
- veggies with hummus
- cheese sticks
- yogurt
- fruit cups (I try to buy ones packed in juice, but sometimes I buy light syrup ones)
- applesauce – we especially like the ones with other fruit purees mixed in. We buy the “no added sugar” ones. In the summertime my kids like them frozen.
- raisins
- freeze-dried fruit
- freeze-dried potato slices
- leftovers from dinner (you need microwave access for this to work most days)
- wraps
- sandwiches
What are lunchtime favorites at your house?
