My Back-to-School Supplies have arrived!

The following post is part of the DailyBuzz Moms Tastemaker program in partnership with Clorox.

Every year when August rolls around, I feel the excitement that most people feel at the end of December. To me, a new school year means a New Beginning. As I pack the kids’ backpacks with their school supplies, I start making mental lists of all of the things I’m going to do differently this year.

The list always includes the following items:
1. Eat healthier
2. Clean the house
3. Figure out my hair

The list also tends to include things like:
1. Figure out quinoa once and for all!!!
2. Start taking vitamins. (Bottle already in cabinet. Check expiration date.)
3. Calcium supplements?!

This year I’m pleased to report that with the help of DailyBuzz Moms and Clorox®, I was able to hit the ground running with my goals of eating healthy and cleaning the house! A few days back, I received the following items in the mail:

DBM

What you see here probably looks familiar. We have Clorox® Disinfecting Wipes, Glad® To Go Lunch containers, and a Brita® Bottle Water Filtration System.

The Clorox® wipes have become a staple in our house, as well as in the girls’ school. (Every year without fail, Clorox® wipes are included on the classroom supply list.) I use them to wipe off the counter tops, the inside of the sink, and the top of the toilet. (I would wash my face with them if I could. As you know, they smell great.)

We’ve been using (and reusing) Glad® containers forever, but I had no idea that the To Go Lunch containers existed! They’re smart, because they have a 1.5 oz. cup that snaps into the lid.

Cup in the lid

That cup can hold salad dressing, hummus, olive oil, or even chocolate syrup! The possibilities are endless, really. (I like to stuff my cup with mixed nuts, as I tend to crave protein after I eat a big bowl of fruit!)

Glad Closed

The final item in the package is my new favorite thing. If you know me at all, you know that I’m constantly carrying around a container of water. I’m not a big fan of plastic water bottles, but I *am* a big fan of Good Water. Because our tap water is drinkable, I tend to fill one of our many dishwasher-safe reusable cups every time I leave the house, and I’ll spend most of the day drinking from it. Admittedly, the water tends to taste a bit stale by the end of the day, which is a bummer, but worse things could happen, right? Anyway, when I opened up the Brita® Bottle Water Filtration System, I immediately knew I was going to put it to the test to see if it keeps the End of the Day Stale Water Thing (EotDSWT) under control.

Brita filter

This morning I cleaned out the bottle, filled it up with water from our tap, and when I took a drink I noticed that the water was tasting better than our tap water. The Brita® filter? It works. Best of all, a few hours later I took a drink and there was zero hint of Stale. Success. I love this water bottle. (The only thing I don’t love is that it has a spout on the top. I need to learn how to drink from a spout without spilling all over myself. I’ve heard that practice makes perfect.)

I’m beyond thrilled with the items from DailyBuzz Moms and The Clorox Company. (I still need help with the hair/quinoa/vitamin thing, but those things can wait as I pack my healthy snack on my clean counter tops!) By the way, because I know you guys are brilliant, I would love to hear what kind of things you would put in the 1.5 oz. cup that comes with the Glad® To Go Lunch containers! Let’s brainstorm! ‘ ‘ ‘text/javascript’>

18 thoughts on “My Back-to-School Supplies have arrived!”

  2. I think I would put some peanut butter or almond butter in the small cup, with some apple slices in the bigger part. Although, Doritos and sour cream would be a mighty nice combo too….

    (P.S. The mention of quinoa made me laugh. I really, *really* would like to like it, but I struggle. I’ve tried several savory recipes, but none has made me a quinoa convert yet. I’m going to try this recipe for a sweet version, and maybe, it will be The One: http://www.101cookbooks.com/archives/warm-and-nutty-cinnamon-quinoa-recipe.html

  3. After going so long without eating real food and still trying to lose weight, salads are my new best friend. I would use it as the packaging describes: To hold my 2tbsp of fat free dressing!

  4. These are great! Would love them over here in the UK. I’d probably put hummous in for my daughter with pita chips in the main compartment, she is a huge fan. My son prefers tzatziki, as do I. I’d use the pot for salad dressing – one of my favourite salads is a combination of edamame (soya beans), peas, sugar snaps, french beans… with a soy/honey/sesame dressing (yes, it is as good as it sounds). I’d also use the small pot for a seed mix to add to a bacon/avocado salad. MMmmm – you have me drooling now! Or how about a small amount of milk to add to a portion of granola? Or salsa and chips? Or pasta with a small pot of marinara sauce? Man, so many possibilities!

  6. Cook the quinoa in a flavorful liquid. I like College Inn’s Culinary Broth Thai Coconut Curry. It’s with the regular stock at my local Publix. Also just use in place of rice. There’s also a good Falafel recipe floating around that uses quinoa and chick peas.

  7. I’ll have to look into those. I suggest putting yogurt and blueberries in the big cotainer, and then granola in that little cup — to be sprinkled on when you’re about to eat it, thus avoiding the mushy granola issue. Or put greek yogurt in the big part with some almonds, and then put honey in the small top cup (although I really hate cleaning honey out of things…but not as much as I hate throwing something out).

  8. Quinoa: we use it to make things that would normally require wheat, like tabouli or Greek pasta salad (feta, olives, cucumber, etc.). I’ve also eaten it as breakfast with lots of milk and cinnamon and a little brown sugar, and it works as a substitute for rice, too. Also…quinoa pasta = better than wheat pasta, IMHO :)

  9. OMG. I might have just had a life-changing (day-changing) moment here. The little cup snaps into the lid which snaps into the big bowl. Holy hell I had no idea!

    So wishing I was at home right now to rummage through the odds and ends of Gladware to make this happen.

    I’m seeing all kinds of possibilities here. Separating the little paperclips from the big daddy binder clips in our tiny office supply closet. Or perhaps separating the teeny tiny hair clips that my daughter loves to wear 10 at a time, from the larger clips in our tiny bathroom storage closet.

    OMG and what about separating the maple syrup from my to go bowl of oatmeal in the morning! I love to drizzle it on just before diving in while my computer boots up at work. I just feel like exclaiming right now… !!!

  11. Oh, I really like the tzaziki idea, but I’d put Nutella in the little cup with cut up fruit or graham crackers or maybe some pretzels. Yum!

    I’m on my way to Tar-zhay…may have to look for these!

  12. Your bit about vitamins gave me an idea, too. How about putting vitamins in the little cup to have after eating. Taking them w/o food upsets my tummy.

  13. First of all, quinoa is easy. There’s a recipe somewhere on Veg Times for a southwest quinoa. It’s really yummy and sometimes we get crazy and poach some eggs in it like juevos rancheros.

    Secondly, I got a set of those containers from BlogHer this year and I love them!

  16. The outer container would contain multi grain tostitos and the cup would hold salsa or sour cream or both!

  17. I agree w/ the above–cook it a couple minutes in broth (not water), then move it off the heat to soak up the rest of the liquid. I like it w/ roasted root veggies (sweet potatoes, red onions, carrots–toss w/ olive oil & smashed garlic, roast 400 about 30 mins) on top, plus parmesan, toasted pecans. I realize that’s not really a recipe–sorry!–but in the winter we eat some version of this 1x/ week!

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