RELAX, STOP & SHOP HAS QUICK, EASY AND HEALTHY BACK TO SCHOOL MEAL SOLUTIONS FOR BUSY CUSTOMERS

With the “Back-to-School” rush right around the corner, Stop & Shop is offering fresh, easy and healthy solutions to busy customers and their families. Whether it’s a nutritional breakfast, healthy snack or an energy-packed lunch, Stop & Shop is focused on bringing customers ways to save time, save money and eat well.

 Start the school day off right.

Breakfast provides your body and mind with the nutrients and fuel it needs to concentrate and focus on the day ahead. Even waking up just a few minutes earlier can give you the time to squeeze in a quick morning meal. Aim for as many food groups as possible by incorporating fruits, vegetables, whole grains, protein and dairy into your meal. Read the nutrition labels carefully before you include breakfast bars, cereal and pastries on your breakfast menu. Keep it to no more than eight grams of sugar and look for “whole grains” as the first ingredient.

Think outside the lunchbox.

Before you begin the daily task of packing a lunch that tastes great and provides needed nutrition and energy to last through the school day, check out these ideas from Stop & Shop:

• Get the kids involved in making their own lunches, like washing fruits and vegetables or portioning snacks.
• Swap plain white sandwich bread for something that’s whole grain, like raisin bread, a wrap or a pita.
• Make lunches as bright and colorful as possible, using plenty of fresh fruits and vegetables. Cut up fresh veggies and pair with low-fat ranch dressing, peanut butter or any nut butter, sunflower seed butter, veggie dip, low-fat plain Greek yogurt or hummus.
• Change up the lunchbox routine by rotating the types of protein, fruits and vegetables, low-fat dairy and whole grains you use.
• Snack time? Satisfy salty, crunchy cravings with a baggie of low-fat microwave popcorn or whole grain chips and salsa.

What’s for dinner?

The day doesn’t end once the kids are home from school. There’s homework, sports practice, music lessons and more. To take the stress out of getting dinner on the table, Stop & Shop recommends meal planning. It takes just a small amount of time to plan meals you want to have that week before you go to the grocery store. Stop & Shop’s Savory, Fast, Fresh and Easy magazine is introducing easy meal ideas you can prepare in one day and enjoy the rest of the week. Other tips include:

• On the weekend, prepare a large batch of favorite recipes by doubling or tripling the batch. Refrigerate or freeze in individual containers. Use them throughout the week to avoid take-out when dinner is needed quickly.
• Stock up on frozen vegetables. They are great to have on hand for a healthy and quick side dish.
• Fix it and forget it. Using a slow cooker is a great way to prepare a balanced warm meal that you can prep ahead of time.