Disclosure:  The Del Monte products, information, gift pack, and gift card have been provided by Del Monte. The opinions shared here are 100% mine.

Now that my daughter is getting older, she’s taking over some of the responsibility of the house.  It’s truly important for her to realize how to run a household, even if she has an inefficient model like me to follow.  She loves to cook and has taken over one weeknight meal from start-to-finish.  She pretty much takes care of the dog’s food and water, too.  The most recent change is that she packs her own lunch.  Many of my sixth graders still expect their parents to pack their lunch for them, so I feel like we’ve reached a milestone.  It’s also very liberating for me in the morning, since I don’t have to worry about what to pack in her lunchbox that she might actually eat.  It’s difficult to find healthy protein options that she’ll consider eating at lunchtime.  She also turns her nose up at many side items, unless they’re chips or cookies.  What to pack for lunch each day?  That’s the day-in, day-out question at our house. 

Recently I’ve put her in charge of getting her lunch items while we’re at the grocery store.  It helps to pass the time for her, but also gives her something to focus on.   Sometimes she wants to pack something that needs to be kept cool.  When those days coincide with a field trip and she can’t worry with bringing home an icepack, we try to pack something that can be either cold or room temperature.  One perfect solution to our dilemma is the new Del Monte Fruit Burst Squeezer treat.  We tried a few of these and really liked the versatility of the pouches.  They’re delicious at room temperature, but we preferred them chilled.  They’re great to take poolside in the summer when the temperatures rise.

They’re also a sweet treat when frozen or chilled. They can be popped into a lunchbox and double as an icepack for the few hours that my daughter’s lunch needs to stay cold.

Goodies like these seem like a splurge but they are a very affordable way to get 1 1/2 servings of fruits and veggies!   They also provide vitamins A and C. In addition, Del Monte Fruit Burst™ Squeezers contain no artificial flavors or high fructose corn syrup, plus they’re Made in the USA.  The squeezers are available in five tasty flavors: Peach-Mango, Blueberry, Apple Cinnamon, Mixed Berry, and Strawberry. Our favorite flavor was the blueberry.  I wondered if these would be good to use in cooking and baking; we might try them sometime this winter for that purpose.   If you’re ready to try them, you can find these treats at Wal-mart.