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Dreena Burton

Trusted Whole Food Vegan Recipes

Plant-Based Lunches: BIG Back-to-School Giveaway

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update: giveaway closed

Usually this time of year I share healthy plant-based lunches and back-to-school recipes, or tips for getting organized. This year, I’m doing one better with back-to-school recipes and one wicked giveaway. WHY?

BIG #backtoschool giveaway!

First, for fun! I wanted to give you all the opportunity to enjoy some free stuff. This isn’t a sponsored post. I simply wanted to send out some freebie love to you guys. I reached out to brands that I use and love, and so grateful for their generosity of sample products. We all need a little fun in life, and receiving giveaways of quality products and plant-based foods is always fun in my book. See what I did there? Punny, I’m also giving away Plant-Powered Families.

Second, to bring you lunchbox solutions. Every week I hear from parents looking for ideas for healthy lunches. How to pack healthy plant-based lunches… how to work around nut-free restrictions in schools when packing vegan and plant-based lunches… how to simplify our food preparation and keep lunches fun for our kids!

I dedicated a chapter to packing lunches in Plant-Powered Families, and often it’s missed because the recipes stand out being front and centre in the book. But, that chapter is packed (I did it again, so punny) with information from my years of experience as a mom of three weegans. Not only have I packed vegan lunches for my kids for 13+ years (and hubby for longer), these lunches have always been nut-free. Until our kids enter high-school, most schools enforce a nut-free policy. I have solutions in that chapter for you.

Today, I’m going to share an excerpt from that chapter as well as a recipe that you can use in weekly lunches. Then, I’ll hit you up with the giveaway details!

The only hummus recipe you need! HUMMUS 101 Perfect for plant-based lunches, snacks, and to use in recipes - a reader fave!

Plant-Based Lunches Recipe: Hummus 101

BIG BACK-TO-SCHOOL GIVEAWAY! Over $3000 in prizes! Foods and recipes to help pack healthy plant-based lunches. #vegan ww.dreenaburton.com

This seems like such an obvious recipe. Hummus. Traditional hummus. But that’s why I’m sharing this recipe. It is basic and versatile. Plus, many of you tell me this recipe is a favorite for you, because the flavors are subtle enough for kiddos, but interesting enough for adults.

It can be easily modified to include other flavor perks like spices, olives, or herbs. Best of all, it can be used in lunches in many ways (see my excerpt from the lunches section of PPF excerpt below for ideas).

BIG BACK-TO-SCHOOL GIVEAWAY! Over $3000 in prizes! Foods and recipes to help pack healthy plant-based lunches. #vegan ww.dreenaburton.com
4.9 from 119 votes
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HUMMUS 101 from Plant-Powered Families

Those of you who have followed my work know that I love my hummus. Our entire family loves hummus. I make many different versions, taking many liberties with the pure definition of “hummus”! Here is my basic, traditional version of hummus. Freshly cooked chickpeas taste best, but busy parents will often rely on canned beans—that’s perfectly fine!
Servings 4 - 4 1/2 cups

Ingredients

  • 4 cups cooked chickpeas rinsed and drained, if using canned
  • 1/4 cup tahini or more, if you like it even nuttier!
  • 2-3 tbsp nutritional yeast optional; see note
  • 1 medium clove garlic sliced or quartered (see note)
  • 1 teaspoon sea salt
  • Freshly ground black pepper to taste
  • 4-5 tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice to taste
  • 2-4 tbsp water

Instructions

  1. In a food processor, combine the chickpeas, tahini, nutritional yeast, garlic, sea salt, black pepper, lemon juice, and 2 tablespoons of the water, and puree until smooth, adding 1–2 tablespoons water to thin as desired. Stop to scrape down the sides of the bowl a few times, and continue pureeing until very smooth. Season to taste with additional salt, black pepper, and/or lemon juice, and serve.

Recipe Notes

Nutritional Yeast Note: Classic hummus recipes do not include nutritional yeast. However, I have found that kids often like the cheesy flavor that it lends. If you are encouraging kids to eat more hummus, add the nutritional yeast—start with a bit less if you like, and adjust to taste! Garlic Note: Many traditional versions of hummus include a heavy amount of garlic. Children typically do not like the sting of raw garlic, so I have included a modest amount in this recipe. Feel free to adjust to your own tastes. Serving Suggestions: Serve with crudité, pita breads, or tortilla chips, or on Hummus Tortilla Pizzas, page 138.

Hummus in Plant-Based Lunches

I mentioned that PPF has a detailed section for packing healthy vegan lunches. For instance, how to replace standard ‘hot lunch’ foods for your kiddos, and how to switch up sandwich fillings, and use dietary staples in new ways: grains, potatoes, beans… and hummus! Here are some ideas for working hummus into plant-based lunches, excerpted from Plant-Powered Families, page 254:

Hummus Is a Food Group is one of my mantras. Jokingly, yes, but in reality I do use hummus like it’s a food group. I use not just traditional hummus, but all flavor variations that use different beans and seasonings. Some tips for preparing hummus:

  • Make it yourself. Not only is it less expensive, but it also tastes far better. Most store-bought varieties have a noticeable citric acid taste, or are too spicy for kids. Make it fresh, and you will also be able to adjust the seasonings as you like.
  • Make large batches. Refrigerate a portion, then freeze the remaining in portioned containers. Hummus freezes and thaws brilliantly!
  • Make hummus a meal! It’s not just for dipping with pitas and veggies! Try hummus:
    • as a sandwich spread
    •  on toast, topped with avocado
    • in wraps with veggies, and other favorite fillings
    • as a base layer on pizzas
    • mixed with hot grains such as rice or into hot pasta
    • dolloped on potatoes or sweet potatoes
    • spooned in the center of pitted dates for a snack
    • spread on rice or popcorn cakes for a snack
    • thinned with a little water for a salad dressing
    • thinned and mixed through hot pasta or as a sauce
    • as a dip for steamed and roasted vegetables
    • layered in lasagna or other casseroles
    • in “grilled hummus sandwiches,” tucking in a few slices of avocado after heating
    • spread in tortillas with spicy seasoning and cooked fajita-style
    • as a layer in Savory Chickpea “Omelets”

Plant-Based Lunches: Giveaway

There are 10 prize packs, each valued at $350, totalling over $3500! Each pack includes:

Vega Gift Pack

I’ve written about Vega before, and I continue to love and use their products. Vega has a new on-the-go protein shake and it’s included in this gift pack. The full Vega prize includes a 12-pack of the new Vega Protein + Shake, a 12-pack of the Vega Protein+ Snack Bars – Chocolate Peanut Butter (I love these), and 1 Tub Vega One French Vanilla.

You can use those protein shakes to pack in your lunchbox, and the bars (that contain nuts) for after-school snacks running to activities. The vanilla powder is fabulous in green smoothies, and I also love it in this smoothie.

Que Pasa Foods & Nature’s Path Foods

I have a long love affair with Que Pasa and Nature’s Path products as well. For years I’ve bought the nut-free Nature’s Path granola bars for our girls’ plant-based lunches. In fact, the texture of those bars inspired my NO-BAKE GRANOLA BAR recipe from PPF. Then, there’s the Nature’s Path whole-grain cereals and waffles, they’ve been household staples for years. Nature’s Path has many vegan products – as does Que Pasa.

Recently I took a tour of the Que Pasa factory. Fascinating to see the process, and also to learn how deeply committed they are to organic, non-gmo ingredients and operating towards zero waste. I’ve talked about my love for their Twist of Lime Tortilla Chips – they are my absolute fave. Try packing them in lunches with the Hummus 101 recipe. Or just for straight up snacking! They also have vegan Ranch and Nacho chips. #hooahh!

Enjoy Life Foods

Many of you love my Oatmeal Banana Bites, Best Banana Bread, No-Bake Granola Bars, and Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Seed Oat Bars. Yep, I’ve baked a lot of these over the years. My favorite chocolate chips to use in these recipes is Enjoy Life. Not only allergen-free so perfectly suited to plant-based lunches, they also have various sizes. The mini-chips are my fave. Fave!

Enjoy Life has many other foods that are absolutely terrific for lunchboxes, and for this giveaway they are including all flavors of their mini-cookies and their chocolate chip snack packs. I won’t tell if you squirrel those chip packs away for yourself. 😬

LunchBots

Now you need a nifty, durable lunchbox for all your plant-based lunches – enter LunchBots! We have the Bento trio, and I find it super convenient for our 8 year old. It’s stainless steel, durable – but not too heavy, and easy to clean. I think it’s the perfect size. The compartments are a good size for a main and two snack-y bits. This is a lunchbox that will last you for years.

Cookbooks!

How about more recipes and resources for your plant-based lunches?

NEW! Plant-Powered Families cookbook by Dreena Burton Delicious & Easy Oil-Free Plant-Powered Salad Dressings! Ebook NOW Available! #vegan plantpoweredkitchen.com

Again, ten of you will receive a copy of Plant-Powered Families and a copy of my oil-free dressings ebook! PLUS…

a copy of Heather Nichold’s NEW Protein from Plants cookbook and her vegan meal planning ebook. These are recipes and resources that will serve you well for plant-based lunches, and also healthy meals and snacks on a regular basis.

K, what are we waiting for? Go ahead and enter here, I have 5 prize packs up for grabs. Then, visit Heather’s site on Friday for another recipe and more chances to win!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

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Comments

  3. I rely on Dreena’s recipe ideas for how to appeal to a child’s palate. Thank you, Dreena, for sharing your wisdom and expertise.

    Reply

  5. I am intrigued by the LunchBots bento box and Heather’s cookbook (ok, so pretty much any and all the prizes look fantastic!). I’m really needing to get our lunch game on point, so I’m looking forward to learning more about what everyone does!

    Reply

  19. Always use your wonderful PPF cookbook and post recipes on my Instagram! (@wholeplantkitchen) now this?! Brilliant! Hummus is basically my spirit animal.

    Reply

  20. Thank you for everything chance to win all of these great prizes! I have tried many of your recipes and would love to try more from your cookbook.

    Reply

  21. I gifted your Plant Powered Families to my sister, and she uses it all the time. I make the sweet potato cake from that book for birthdays and it’s always a hit!
    This is a great prize pack for back to school!

    Reply

  22. I can really use a bit more inspiration for my child’s school lunches so I am excited to dive into your resources! I have been enjoying your recipes for many years but need to get focused on trying more of them 🙂

    Reply

  23. My husband and I LOVE all of Dreena’s recipes and would love another copy of Plant-Powered Families to give to my daughter and encourage her to fix plant-based recipes for her family and help them all see how yummy plant-based foods are!

    Reply

  24. Plant based lunches ~ encourage the kids to get creative with their food (lettuce face, banana eyes with raspberry lips and a strawberry nose). When food is fun, everyone eats!

    Reply

  26. Newbie here! I would love to mostly get my hands on the cookbooks, but it all looks fantastic! Thanks for a chance at the giveaway!

    Reply

  27. Thank you for this give-away! I would love to win the Bento Box and the Vega pack.
    Many of your recipes are staples in our home, and your recipe books are well worn.
    I’m from the east coast as well, now living in Vancouver, and had the pleasure of
    meeting you and your family at your PPF signing a few years ago.

    Reply

  31. My favorite lunch (or any meal) tip is use my pressure cooker. It makes cooking certain dishes so fast and easy and it also makes great leftovers. I am most excited about the books as part of the prize pack.

    Reply

  34. I’m so excited about the cookbooks!!!!!!!!
    I’ve started adding unflavored, cooked quinoa to smoothies for bulk and to make them thicker if I don’t want to use frozen bananas. I don’t even taste the quinoa.

    Reply

  38. My preschool age weegan is all about pasta in tomato sauce with “noochy sprinkles”. That’s my go to when packing a lunch for her! Other than that, just about any legume will do. She’s especially fond of chickpeas and lentils. She prefers to snack on whole chickpeas though and hasn’t jumped on the hummus train yet. 🙂

    Reply

  43. Oh! I am loving the stainless lunch box! For lunches, my 6 yr old loves tofurkey sandwiches with carrots, applesauce and grapes for sides along with a small refillable water bottle. 5 yr old is pickier at school, and terribly slow eater. So, she gets peanut butter and honey sandwich, dried mango sliced into strips and some sliced cucumbers w/her water bottle. We change it up, but this is popular with them this week!

    Reply

  45. Thanks for being such an inspiration to me as I try to way navigate my family’s way to good eating habits. I have my eye on the lunchbox but I love anything that helps me feed my family in fun and healthy ways.

    Reply

  49. One of my favorite lunch recipes is hummus pinwheels. This giveaway is amazing and I would love all the things especially the bento lunch box!

    Reply

  51. I need to try that hummus recipe!! We eat it like a food group at my house for sure 🙂

    Kids are in the near future for me (adopting) so I’m excited to check out your family cookbook and get some tips for feeding plant powered kiddos!

    Reply

  55. I really like that this recipe has four cups of chickpeas and only 1/4 cup of tahini. It looks very hardy. I have been packing lunches for far too many years myself but, always looking for new things. Thank you for doing this post and offering the prizes.

    Reply

  56. Thank you for sharing this recipe! I’ve been making a dill pickle hummus but wanted to find a recipe without oil that I could adapt to the dill pickle flavor. I can’t wait to try this!!

    Reply

  58. My kids bring hummus in their lunches everyday! Usually as a sandwich spread, and also as a dip for veggies! Your recipes are our favorite!!! Thanks for everything you do!!! ❤️

    Reply

  59. Buckets of hummus and lots of quinoa salads, lentil pasta and veggies, guacamole and chips, granola and coconut milk, muffins and lots of leftovers from dinner the night before – I try to pack lunches while. I’m making and clearing up after.dinner.

    Reply

  61. My husband and I switched to a whole foods, plant based diet about a year ago. You are one of my go-to vegan gurus. Your recipes are always delicious and reliable. I really appreciate all that you do.

    Reply

  62. We need a new lunch box for our 7 y/o weegan and I’ve been meaning to pick up PPF, so I’m most interested in those prize packs! Love your recipes and blog!!

    Reply

  65. All great products! Would love to win any of them but my choice would be the cookbooks so I could share with my family. Watching the grandchildren this week and struggling with what to send with one for school so this was a timely post.

    Reply

  67. I’m so glad your post came through my Insta! I use your books every week and was JUST looking for a new hummus recipe to try (just got my chickpeas soaking.) Thanks!!

    Reply

  68. Hi! I really seem to have a problem to enter the raffle.
    Well: I wish all of the participants good luck! And if I may: I’d go for the lunchbox or cook books …

    Nonetheless tonight I made cannellini bean hummus and it just tastes wonderful. I am going to ‘experiment’ like you, Dreena, and make a sweet one using dates. Will leave pic and comment on FB.

    Ya’all take care as they say down here

    Reply

  70. Awesome giveaway! I am so excited for all of the prizes… not a bad one in the bunch! 🙂 Love the Enjoy Life Brand.. works for all of our allergies! 🙂

    Reply

  71. I love Vega products so am excited about those as part of the prize pack but I am even more excited about the cookbooks being offered as I am a big fan of Heather Nicholds and look forward to experimenting with Dreena Burton’s recipes as well!

    Reply

  73. I’ve only tried plastic Bento boxes and love them but I’d love to try this stainless steel trio compartment box! They are the perfect size too.

    Reply

  74. It may sound stupid or overly simple but I am much more likely to do a good, plant based lunch if I pack it the night before. The morning of, all I do is throw whatever’s around in my lunch box…

    Reply

  80. I find it easier to make plant-based lunches when I use my bento box. Having lots of different little dishes makes it fun and never boring.

    Reply

  85. Having lots of different sized containers is key to my packed lunches–and prepping the night before. It’s much more likely to happen if I can just grab it out of the fridge in the morning, rather than needing to cut/chop/prepare pre-caffeine.

    Reply

  86. Yum! Hummus is the best. I’ll have to try this recipe.

    This is a fabulous giveaway! I would be so excited for all of it. I’d love to get the cookbooks, try vega and the enjoy life cookies! Thanks for the chance!

    Reply

  90. My kiddo is super picky (and Omni because she lives in two houses and only mine is vegan) so I am always looking for ideas that appeal to her for lunch. We did find one good idea sending rice, tofu and peanut sauce. Unfortunately she doesn’t like hummus- but I will try out your recipe for me!

    Reply

  91. I prefer roasting my garlic before putting it into the hummus. I think it takes the tang out and makes it creamier.

    Also, Enjoy Life used to make a Flax Cereal that went great mixed with my Nature Path cereal. I’m sad it’s no longer available!

    Reply

  94. This is such a great giveaway! I have been eyeing the cookbooks for months . My son has to sit at the nut free table because of his tree but allergy so the enjoy life products would be great too.

    Reply

  98. We are 22 days cold turkey plant based eating. The hardest part is making things the kids will enjoy. They are 16,12, and 9. Are 12 year old was born with 2 major congenital heart defects. We tried to eat healthy but the amounts of dairy that flowed into this house were unreal! The movie What The Health changed everything for us. How could we not. We appreciate your recipes. Thanks!!!

    Reply

  102. Love your cookbooks, blog posts, and Facebook posts. Your (green cover–can’t remember which one it is) cookbook was one of my first and I still use it!

    Reply

  104. Love the lunchbox and enjoy life products! Really excited about your oil free dressing book tho. I think I own all your othercookbooks lol but I need that one to complete my collection! 🙂

    Reply

  105. I love savory and sweet hummus! My kids mostly like the sweet versions. I also enjoy packing muffins and homemade granola bars for my kids but having premade ones, too, is very handy. I alrweaxy have and enjoy PPF so i would pass this one on to a friend, and i would love to have your dressing book!

    Reply

  109. I’d love to try the Enjoy Life Crunchy Minis. I agree with you about hummus being a food group. I’m trying to master pizza hummus.

    Reply

  111. I have Plant Powered Families already, but I would love to be able to gift a copy to a good friend of mine!

    What a great selection of companies in the giveaway, too! Definitely wouldn’t turn any of it down.

    Good luck to everyone!

    Reply

  122. I’m excited about all of it! So many pack lunches AND a bento box to put it in, that I wouldn’t have to pay for.. score!!

    Reply

  124. You can freeze hummus!!!! I had no idea, this is gonna be a game changer. I usually only make small batches because I worry about it spoiling but not anymore. Thanks for your recipe

    Reply

  125. Super excited about the oil free hummus recipe!! I know it’s easy to do but I usually just go for store bought and I hate all the oil. Yea for giveaways!!

    Reply

  132. Love your tips! My kid is allergic to sesame seeds, and therefore can’t have tahini. Luckily, he is allowed to have nuts at school, so I sub in almond butter or even peanut butter for the tahini and it works pretty well. I even impressed an unsuspecting Israeli friend with this substitution. If an Israeli, who comes from the land of hummus, liked it, then I think I did ok!

    Reply

  134. Looking forward to making your hummus. Have never thought of including nutritional yeast. Yum!
    Hoping that I am lucky enough to win a cookbook. Never can get enough plant-based recipes to share
    with friends.

    Reply

  140. Amazing giveaway full of so many of my favourite brands! Thanks so much for the chance 🙂 Fingers crossed + good luck to everyone else!

    Reply

  141. As a full time single mama who also works full time your recipes are a lifesaver!!! We use Plant Powered Families daily for the recipes and tips as I am raising my 5y/o vegan. Extremely helpful!

    This is an amazing giveaway & we would be grateful to win any of it <3

    The banana bread and Apple Hemp seed muffins are on regular rotation lol and batch cooking is a must!!

    Thank you for all you do!
    ~ Becca

    Reply

  147. The cookbooks look great, It’s hard trying to find recipes that my kids enjoy especially for lunches. Thanks for the chance to win.

    Reply

  148. meal prep, meal prep, meal prep!!!!I love having premade bars and snacks lying around or in the freezer. Having some sort of a fun treat always makes lunchtime more exciting. Dreena, I love your granola bars and chickpea nibbles for this!

    Reply

  150. I am always struggling with lunches since my kids eat opposite foods! Usually hummus is something they BOTH will eat! I can’t wait to try your recipe! Nutritional yeast~ interesting! Thanks for all you do!!

    Reply

  151. I would love the cookbooks. I love to cook Vegan and my newly Vegan husband is really getting excited about our meals. The lunchbox is very cool also, Heck all the prizes would be great to receive!!

    Reply

  153. Hummus IS a food group! Love love love it! Can’t wait to try your recipe ~ it looks quite yummy with the addition of nutritional yeast! Thank you for this great giveaway! So many favorites to chose from. I haven’t tried Que Pasa products yet. And cookbooks! I already have your PPL (love)!

    Reply

  154. Thanks for the chance to win a great product. My daughter has alpha gal meat allergy and we are always trying to find new vegetarian meals and snacks for her. I make her several layered meals each week that she loves. I usually include roasted bell pepper, whole kernel corn, garbanzo beans, diced tomatoes, olives, or any assortment of her favorite veggies. This is also great as a wrap.

    Reply

  157. As a single 25 year old I love PPF – I’ve made many recipes out of it for my own lunches and dinners – I love how simple everything is to make. Super stoked on this giveaway!

    Reply

  158. I have an obsession with tuna and eat it daily for lunch, sinch switching to plant based I tried to eat cleaner. I now make my tuna with hummus and a bunch of veggies, celery, tomatoes and onions. It’s so good!

    Reply

  161. Omg!! I would love to win this giveaway!! I am 1 year into my vegan lifestyle and I am doing my best to introduce meals and snacks to my kids and husband! I love your recipes Dreena!

    Reply

  166. My kiddo isn’t in school yet, but I love all these tips for packing lunches for playgroup and picnics! She’s a hummus monster and obsessed with nooch, so I’m totally going to try that recipe!

    Reply

  168. I try to sneak fruits & veggies in most of my son’s lunch- veggies on his sandwich, blended fruits to make sauce (pear sauce, applesauce, peach sauce, etc with a little bit of greens blended in) & cherry tomatoes from the garden for a snack! 🙂 Thanks for the great giveaway!

    Reply

  170. My son isn’t a big veggie eater like the rest of the family but he loves edamame. So I make a handful of edamame each morning for his lunch and pack it with raw carrots and cooked baby potatoes. That’s his veggie pack each day. He also gets fruit, a sandwich and pretzels and gets to pick one “treat” which is always a healthy version of a sweet – very often from Plant Powered Families! He’s a junior in high school and hasn’t eaten a school-made lunch even once his whole life. The trick is to work with him instead of choosing for him.

    Reply

  173. So hard to chose! I already have your cookbooks, but I would love the other ones and I could give yours to a friend! Or the Lunch bot would be great, or my kids would love the snacks, oh dear, I cannot pick, lol!

    Reply

  176. We struggle DAILY to try to please our 13-year-old daughter with her school lunches. Any of the snacks above would be delightful to add to her meal and give her something to look forward to. Yay!

    Reply

  178. Dreena I would ABSOLUTELY ADORE to win those cookbooks. I don’t have ANY of them on my bookshelves, but they are all on my list of wish list of Whole Food Plant Based Cookbooks. I can’t imagine there is anyone else who would love them quite as much as I would as I LOVE to cook, and make almost everything we eat from scratch.

    Reply

  180. My son and I made file cards with different lunch choices on them. He gets to pick a sandwich/main, a fruit, a veggie and and “extra”.
    When he chooses his own lunch he’s much more likely to eat it!

    Reply

  183. Rather than focus on “what’s the main part of her lunch?- or sandwich, pasta,…”, I include a variety of things, like fruits and veggies, that my daughter enjoys,and in eating them she has eaten her rainbow:)

    Reply

  186. Lunch is often leftovers from the night before or a wrap with hummus and lots of raw or roasted vegetables. Thanks for the chance to win these fabulous prizes! I’ve never tried any of the products you listed but they sound amazing and, of course, one can never have too many cookbooks. I’m new to plant-based eating and only recently learned about your cookbooks so winning one would be great. And Heather’s book might help me do a better job responding to friends who say I will never get enough protein eating plant-based.

    Reply

  187. I use a LOT of recipes from PPF for school snacks! My kinder loves the banana bread, chickpea nibbles, and energy balls the most. I would be so ridiculously happy to win anything from this giveaway!
    Thanks for the chances!

    Reply

  189. This prize package is awesome! I’m most excited about the cookbooks. Even though I have a few vegan cookbooks I can always use some fresh ideas. And I want to make more dressings and sauces to have on hand for weeknight dinners– yay, oil-free dressings!– and the vegan meal planning book would be very helpful as well.

    Reply

  194. My tip for making my kids’ lunches is to make a whole sandwich even if they aren’t eating the entire thing in one lunch. That way the next lunch is also made at the same time.

    Reply

  196. AAAAAHHH! All of these products sound amazing. I have two kids’ lunches to pack every day and I know they would especially love the enjoy life products.

    Reply

  198. I love all those products especially the Vega chocolate peanut snack bars!!! I keep them stashed in my work bag & purse just in case I get a snack attack!!!

    Reply

  205. What a cool giveaway! I’m working hard to shift my eating habits to a more plant-centered lifestyle. I love new ideas and new vegan recipes to try! It’d be great to be able to use the cookbooks and food to make healthy lunches for my family, especially my son at school! p.s. the Hummus is AMAZING

    Reply

  206. Packing healthy lunches has always been a challenge for me. This hummus recipe looks amazing. I also would love to try any of the prize products!

    Reply

  208. We try to batch cook on the weekends and prep fresh veggies so it’s easy to pack. I pack breakfast and lunch every evening to help make our mornings a little less hectic. I’d LOVE more ideas especially for hummus. This is a GREAT giveaway!

    Reply

  209. Thank you for your mama tips! As another mom of weegans, I agree that having as many pre-prepped ingredients to mix and match (like your delicious hummus) makes for quick and healthful lunches and the ability to make new variations day to day. We love your recipes and would love one of these prizes!!! Thanks so much for sharing your wealth of ideas and inspiration!

    Reply

  211. Three or four of the Enjoy Life chocolate chunks are the perfect size to fit in the tiny little centre of the PlanetBox — a sweet way to end lunch!

    Reply

  215. This may be a common tip but it really is useful. Batch cook everything that freezes well (muffins, soups, casseroles, etc.) it makes for a quick morning of packing. Also make double of dinner and you can give them leftovers for lunch!

    Reply

  217. WOw!!! Amazing giveaway! I’m always trying to find new containers for the kids lunches… and always have to pack AT LEAST one fruit and one veggie and then plant based snacks

    Reply

  219. Such a generous giveaway! This post is so relevant to our family right now as our eldest weegan started kindergarten this year *cue: mom tears*

    I agree, hummus has saved the day more than once already! We bought some reusable squeeze pouches which are great for sending applesauce, dairy free yogurt, nut free smoothies etc mess free and without all the disposable packaging. I’ve taken a page out of your book (ha, see your readers are punny too) and snuck extra calories and nutrition into mini muffins.

    Thanks for being such a great resource for plant based families and plant based curious alike. I’ve followed well before we had kids and have enjoyed your recipes and blog posts. <3

    Reply

  220. Thank you for the giveaway, Dreena! All this stuff sounds amazing. This year BOTH of my kids require packed lunches. It’s only been a month of school and already I’ve run out of ideas. Oh, and of course both classrooms are peanut free. And of course whatever one kid likes, the other hates and vice versa. So excited to see all your ideas.!

    Reply

  225. I have your PPF cookbook and love the recipes – the Thick ‘n Hearty Tomato Sauce and Super Cheesy Sprinkles are favs along with the Sniffle Soup. The PPF layout is great!

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  230. I love incorporating plant based meals into our diet *at least* once a week or more. I would be most excited and thrilled to win the cookbooks. I love reading them and collecting them so I can get inspired for new meals.

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  231. I am excited to try the humuns recipe with nutritional yeast. I am always looking for good vegan ideas for lunchboxes. I also like the stainless steel lunch box. I have loved all the recipes you yours that I have tried!

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  232. Hummus is a food group in our house too. I love it as a sandwich filling, on veggie burgers, and mixed with nooch and a little water to make an easy but tasty and healthy salad dressing. In my kids lunches I put hummus on the bottom of the container ten stand up veggies like carrots and snap peas for easy mess free dipping.

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  234. I love your lunch ideas! My kids are grown now so I’m no longer dealing with school lunches but we travel a lot and have to pack food for the overseas plane rides when we can’t request vegan meals. I get frustrated now because TSA security won’t let me carry on hummus anymore (because it is like a “liquid or a gel”) so I usually bring a couple of roasted sweet potatoes. The funny thing is that when the security scanner sees my potatoes in my carry on, they always search my bags to see what they are. I guess they look like bombs??!!

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  236. The tip I have is to have made enough for leftovers. Then combine some of those “ingredients” to make a “casserole” lunch that can be heated and put in a thermos. Or make into Buddha bowls.

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  237. Generous giveaway. My favorite find recently was the pumpkin snackles They have really helped make the holidays here with new healthy traditions.

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  238. My lunch tip is to pack colorful fruits and veggies that are already cut up in strips, spears, etc. for easy eating. I also do almond butter wraps and “pepperoni pizza” wraps for my kids’ lunches. Lastly, I drop a few food-safe drops of lemon essential oil in their water bottles to entice them to drink their water. Thanks for the awesome giveaway!

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  241. It’s so much easier for me to pack if I use bento-style boxes and dedicate each compartment to a category (fruit, veggie, sandwich, starch, e.g.). Fewer decisions each night make it much simpler! Also helps that my kids pretty much eat the same thing every day.

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  245. I love packing your snackles and the Apple hemp muffins into my children’s lunches. They travel well, are nutritious and are delicious!

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  249. Oh. My. God. This is such an incredible giveaway, Dreena! Thank you so much for the incredible opportunity -keeping my fingers and toes crossed 🙂
    As for tips, I’d say, if you’re more of a spontaneous person, make sure you meal prep/ batch cook; that way you can build your box in the morning, picking from all the options in your fridge/pantry and and mixing and matching whatever you fancy that day. Also, bring spices, dressings, sauces and dips in separate little jars. Plus, bring your own cutlery! The world really doesn’t need more plastic 😉
    Lastly, while I know I technically don’t have to answer both questions, I just want to say that I love absolutely ALL of the goodies one can win. That said, what I’m most excited about are definitely the books (I have heard so much good stuff about your recipes), as well as well as the Nature’s Path and Enjoy Life Foods products.

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  250. This year, I am making Fridays “snacky” lunch day. Crackers, popcorn, cut veggies, dips, fruit, a little treat, just depends on what we have in the house. It’s fun and easy. Thanks for the chance!

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  251. My 5 year old son and I could eat hummus 3 meals a day. He’s even started dipping his apples in hummus!! Sadly, my 8 year old son doesn’t share our enthusiasm. I keep working on him, hopeful that one day he’ll actually eat the hummus I keep putting in his lunch box! Great give away. All fantastic items!!!

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  252. Fantastic! I have the PPF cookbook, as well as PPD,, and it is the one I go to again and again for delicious, plant-based meals and snacks for my family of herbi- and omnivores. I just love you Dreena! Be my sister, please??

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  255. This is awesome! You’re always so generous. My kids love anything we have baked together in their lunches, and having choice about what they pack. Having them be a part of the process is my tip.

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  256. Thanks for the chance to win these amazing products. We love hummus – need to make more soon. I also love recipes and aids to meal planning. Your recipes are great!!!!

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  257. Hummus is my go to snack, dinner and breakfast when we are on the go and don’t have much time. What an awesome list of price pack. I would be happy and honoured with any of them. Especially a cookbook lol.

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  259. Thanks for the opportunity to win a great prize! I appreciate the ideas for hummus too. We are seniors and need to be even more careful of the calories in as we don’t need as many as before. We keep as active as possible but nutritious, healthy ideas are always helpful. Your recipes are our favourites!

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  260. I would love to win your cookbook. I made your Classic Hummus with the sesame oil and loved it. I have a bunch of little containers of it in my freezer to grab and go for lunches.

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  261. I love hummus and always make my own, cause I don’t use oil. In fact, I just whipped up a sweet pumpkin hummus the other day and been having it on toast for my breakfast!

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  262. So many products I have never seen which is exciting. I have the recently gotten the Plant Powered Families and am excited to check out lunch ideas. Love to hear hummus freezes well I’m off to batch some.

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  268. Ohhhh…what a great giveaway. Thanks for your generosity. It’s really appreciated.
    I would be really excited to have the lunch box, bento style. Wow…! Nice ! Actually, I would be really excited with any of your wonderful prizes.

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  269. What an amazing giveaway – thanks for putting it together! I’d be stoked for all those products but the Que Pasa prize pack sounds especially tasty! 😀

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  271. What a great giveaway! I know many of us parents struggle with food allergens and figuring out lunches and I love anytime that you provide tips/tricks. Love your cookbook and would love the plant powered dressings one as well! Thanks for the chance to win!

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  272. Depending on how long it is until lunch time, make sure to include an ice pack or put in food that is normally eaten at a non-refrigerated temp to avoid hearing “EW MOM MY FOOD WAS WARM” later in the day. 😉

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  277. We like to have soup, salad and a sandwich for lunches. Success for the week lies in batch cooking/advanced prep for me. I’m aways looking for new recipes to try as well as travel containers to put lunch in, so the LunchBots caught my eye as did the recipe books, especially: Plant Powered Dressings! Thank you for hosting this giveaway. Happy (almost) autumn!

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  278. to prevent my kid from getting beat up and her lunch money stolen, I try to come up with fun ways to feed her from home. these ideas totally come in handy and keep the hospital trips to a minimum! tell your kids to play nice!!

    hope I win 🙂

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  279. PPF is a staple in our family kitchen! I am hoping to win and give a copy to a friend!! Thank you for continuing to test, perfect and share your kitchen goodness with us, Dreena!

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  280. I love making a big batch of homemade hummus! My son loves to take for school lunch with pretzels for dipping. I am looking forward to trying your chickpea omelette!

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  281. Thank you for offering this awesome giveaway!! I would love any help I can get packing lunches for my 2 kiddos. We do a lot of sandwiches and bean burritos with fruit and veggies.

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  289. Hummus is a good group at our house too!!! One thing I love to do is to make green smoothies and pour them into the small freezable freezer jam jars and freeze them until they are solid. When I pack lunches I stick one in and it acts as an ice pack. By the time lunch time rolls around it has thawed enough to be enjoyed as either a smoothie or as nice cream!

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  290. Indeed hummus is a staple. The LunchBot looks fantastic and simple to use and clean. Thanks for always keeping Plant-Based interesting.

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  291. I am most excited about winning the cookbooks. But if I don’t win that, then I would like to win the Enjoy Life products. Thanks for the hummus recipe! We love hummus. I’m looking forward to trying your recipe.

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  292. I can’t wait to try everything! Especially the Enjoy Life products! I am only two days into packing school lunches, so I don’t have any tips yet 🙂 I love reading them, though!

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  293. We love Enjoy Life chocolate chips, but I never saw them in snack packs. What a great idea! Would love to try these for lunchboxes. (Or my purse.)

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  299. I never thought to include nutritional yeast in hummus, that sounds great! I’m trying that asap. Oh how I love cookbooks. I read them like novels. The meal planning sounds interesting and I’d love your cookbook….We enjoy your recipes!

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  300. I love your awesome ideas about what to pack for lunch. I think vegan sushi is a lunch box staple too that most kids love. I make “sushi burritos” which are just uncut sushi rolls. Fill them with hummus or sweet potato or baked tofu along with the traditional avocado, cucumber, and julienned carrots.

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  302. I’ve been toe dipping in the idea of vegan living, and I think I’m ready to take our family’s health to the next level. However, getting the family on board is a different story. This giveaway would help to show the boys (and husband!!) that a vegan lifestyle would actually be delicious and more convenient than believed to be. Thank you for the opportunity to win such amazing prizes! Good luck, everyone!

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  304. I’m most excited about package no. 2 and 3! My only concern is that I live in Sweden, can I still participate in the giveaway? Also, thank you for your amazing recipes!

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  308. I love this hummus recipe! It has so many uses, but my favorite way to eat it (today at least) is on my red peppers and onion lunch wrap. Thanks for the raffle opportunity. I’m a huge Nature’s Path fan and would love to try the Enjoy Life products. All products look wonderful. Thank you!

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  310. I agree that hummus is a food group! 🙂 I especially love it on toast topped with avocado. For quick and easy lunches, I also like to make a big batch of a grain-based salad at the beginning of the week — like quinoa with black beans or tabbouleh with chickpeas.

    Thank you for all of your great tips — and happy almost fall! 🙂

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  313. I always make a pot of quinoa at the beginning of the week. By dividing it in two I can make two completely different meals (different additions to each) to mix it up for my weekday lunches

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  314. Hummus is one of the few healthy things that always gets eaten in my son’s lunch. Thanks for the additional ideas for adding variety.

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  315. I love your recipes, my hubby just agreed to try plant based and I’m so excited. Made the maple banana muffins and they turned out wonderful!!!

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  316. I like to keep a few starches cooked and ready in containers in the fridge, like rice, quinoa, sweet potatoes or pasta. I keep a container of cooked veggies for our 3yo. Then all I need is a protein to add to a meal and pick a starch, and it makes mealtime quicker and easier.

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  319. my best tip for plant based lunches.. have a bunch of veggies cut up in the fridge in containers. when it comes to lunch packing time, the kids can just grab whichever ones are their favourites for the day. makes packing vegetables so much easier when they don’t have to think about cutting and peeling!

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  321. My biggest tip is to get my kids involved in their lunches. When they help me in the kitchen they are much more likely to eat the food I give them. There is something to do for kids of any age!

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  326. I’m new to packing lunches, I had no idea the lunch box was such a huge deal! So that’s one of the things I’m most excited about.

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  327. I’m excited to try more Vega products. My husband just went vegan and is very active. The way he has transitioned is through making smoothies with Vega added. He loves the results he’s seeing and feeling!

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  328. My tip for lunches is to make a big batch of quinoa to use throughout the week. Then I can add beans, greens, and a sauce for quick to-go bowls. Thanks for the giveaway!

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  331. I think the most interesting for me personally is the cookbook Protein from Plants. I watch my grand kids a lot and usually have them eat veg (they and their parents are omni). The kids eat what I eat. So there should be lots of ideas in this cookbook. But for the newly branded Kindergartner, I think that Bentobot would be high on his list for eating lunch as his K is full day plus 2 hours of latch key fun after.

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  333. what a fun contest! I’m most excited to try out the different products – the LunchBots for my littlest one and all the fun snacks to try out!

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  336. Really looking forward to the twist of like tortilla chips! And I bet my toddler would love the lunchbot since she loves having her food separated. I think she’d use 4 different bowls at dinner if I offered.

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  338. Homemade crackers made with chickpea flour make for a great addition to a lunch box. Those crackers are more than just a yummy crunchy little side or snack: they’re actually loaded with protein, which makes them quite filling.

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  346. My tip would be to change up salads often to make sure you don’t get bored and you’re getting a variety of nutrients. Cold salads, warm salads, different dressings, with or without grains like quinoa, with or without fruit, cold toppings and warmed up toppings, Mediterranean one day and Mexican the next, for example.

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  354. This is such an awesome giveaway! I love Dreena Burton’s recipes and tips and tricks for raising a plant powered family! I’m crossing my finger that I win!!

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  361. I’m excited to try this recipe. I love hummus and my kids don’t like the store bought stuff. Also I love that it has tahini but not added oil 🙂

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  362. Just made the red lentil hummus from Plant Powered Families for my son’s lunch – always a double batch to make it through the week at our house. Love your recipes, Dreena!!!

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  367. Thanks for another awesome giveaway contest! I’d love to win any of these prizes but the chance at the lunchbots or que pasa package is especially exciting!

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  374. I made the hummus 101 recipe for lunch wraps for myself last week for lunch. It’s a mellow and yummy hummus recipe. I’m excited to try the lunchbots container. PPF cookbook and the dressing eBook are staples in my kitchen. ❤️

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  375. Thanks for the contest! We use hummus for a variety of things but to be honest, never thought of tucking it inside a date! You learn something new everyday!

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  377. My daughter absolutely loves Dreena’s red lentil hummus from the Plant-Powered Families cookbook, so we are excited to try this one!

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  379. I always cook some beans such as chickpeas and a grain such as quinoa, to make salads for lunch. I switch up the beans/grains/and different proteins to keep lunches exciting. Then I throw the salads together based on whatever greens and veggies I have in my fridge. Roasted veggies are always an awesome addition, sweet potato is my favorite. Sometimes instead of beans and a dressing, I add hummus and extra vinegar, it also makes a salad so delicious.

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  382. Hummus is so versatile! I use it in place of so many “yucky” ingredients! Thanks for additional ideas of ways to use it! And thank you for the recipe!

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  383. Our favorite lunch to pack for school is black beans and brown rice with chopped spinach seasoned with minced garlic, chili powder and nutritional yeast.

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  389. My 3 year old loves pasta with a little hummus, olives and artichokes for his school lunch. Thanks for the great hummus recipe, def sounds more kid friendly. And thanks for the giveaway!

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