Healthy School Supply Swaps

“Not only are bloggers suckers for the remarkable, so are the When When it comes to going to school there is only so much you can control in what your kid is exposed to. 

You can’t control all the supplies that are at school and be flexible with this!

It is okay!

But do your best in what you can control and what you send your kid off to school with. 

There are so many wonderful and great ways to swap out traditional school products with healthier options that are also eco-friendly as well. 

One of the easiest ways to switch to eco-friendly school supplies is to reuse items you already have. 

I know this might now always be the easiest option as I always got excited to go to the store for new school stuff! 

But once you’re in school all that stuff quickly wore off anyway! 

Find ways to make it fun even though you may reuse items!

Some ways to reuse products are simply grabbing the unused pens or pencils from last years box. 

Maybe even put it in a pretty container (that they can make with you). 

Tear out the few pages from a notebook that were written on and use the rest of the notebook. 

I actually do this all the time for myself! 

No use wasting paper!

Okay so what are some other school supplies that you can swap for healthier options or that are more eco-friendly? 

You can find most of these things right from Amazon! 

Check out the list below:

100% Recycled Paper

Recycled Index Cards

Non-Toxic White Glue Stick

Tin Pencil Box

Eco-Friendly #2 Pencils

Wide Ruled Recycled Filler Paper

College Ruled Recycle Filler Paper

Recycled Colored Pencils

Large Recycled Rubber Eraser

Recycled Paper Spiral Notebooks

Eco-friendly Scissors

Stainless Steel Ruler

Recycled Paper Dividers

Recycled Paper Sticky Notes

Recycled Paper Pocket Folders

Eco-Friendly Binder

Recycled Plastic Pens

Stainless Steel Compass

Stainless Steel Protractor

CLASS ROOM CLEANERS

Most school cleaners are filled with toxins. 

One of those cleaners (which does disinfect very well) is Clorox Bleach. 

This is so toxic for you. 

Bleach is very irritating and corrosive to the skin, lungs, and eyes. 

As well, it has been known to burn human tissue internally or externally. On top of this- it may cause skin rash, extreme headaches, migraines, muscle weakness, abdominal discomfort, esophageal perforation, nausea and vomiting. 

So you want to limit the exposure to Clorox bleach as much as possible. 

Have your kid/s bring in their own cleaners and hand sanitizers. 

Hands down, (pun intended!) the On Guard Hand Sanitizing Mist as well as the On Guard Hand Sanitizing Wipes are probably two of my most favorite and most used dōTERRA products of all time!

👉 They are both ideal for on the go situations, so throw one of each in your child’s backpack and they are all set! 

The sanitizing mist can be spritzed on hands to keep them clean and the wipes can be used when soap and water are not available and (BONUS!) are biodegradable.

Did you know these 2 products will kill 99% of germs? 

With everything kids seem to bring home with them, that is a statistic I can get behind.

🧐 What would you put in your kids backpack, the mist or wipes? 

Or you can DIY your own wipes. 

Check out the recipe below:

Ingredients:

• 1 roll premium paper towels

• 2 cups warm water

• 2 tablespoons Fractionated Coconut Oil

• 3 drops dōTERRA On Guard® Protective Blend

• 1–2 tablespoons dōTERRA On Guard® Foaming Hand Wash

Instructions:

1. Cut paper towel in half widthwise with serrated or electric knife. Use half the roll now and half later.

2. Combine water, Fractionated Coconut Oil, essential oils, and On Guard Foaming Hand Wash in a small bowl.

3. Pour mixture over paper towels and cover with airtight lid. Let mixture absorb for 10 minutes.

4. Turn container over and let sit for another 10 minutes.

5. Remove and discard cardboard tube. Pull wipes from center of the roll when ready to use.

Some additional eco-friendly options for cleaning are Recycled Paper Tissue Box and Recycled Paper Towels. 

LUNCH SUPPLIES

In addition to all those classroom supplies, you are going to need supplies for all of the many, many lunches you are going to be packing!  

Lunch supplies are a GREAT place to switch to more eco-friendly school supplies.  

Once you stock up at the start of the year, you’re set! The items here make the list because they are reusable and/or easily recyclable.

Did you know that a lot of lunchboxes are made of plastic and that plastic has a known toxic ingredients called BPA?

Ingesting BPA can cause some serious health issues, like cancer, increased blood pressure, and bad effects on your prostate gland and fetal development. 

You’re going to get some amount of BPA in your system no matter what you do in today’s world. 

Plastic is just so prevalent. 

But there’s no need to introduce more to your system by using plastic lunchboxes, storage jars and even cutlery when there are ways we can prevent it. 

As we send our kids to daycare or school, choosing options that reduce the toxic load in our body is key!

The best way to get rid of plastics from your lives is choosing better alternatives like stainless-steel or glass lunchboxes or even wood. 

Glass lunchboxes could be fragile and need exceptional care while you are using or cleaning them. 

And let's be honest... I'm not sending my 4 year old to school with a Glass lunchbox lol.

So Stainless steel lunchboxes are the best bet for they come with insulation, are convenient to use and durable through a kids wear and tear! 

Lunchskins Recyclable/Sealable bags

Lunchskins Reusable Snack/Sandwich bags

Lunchskins Reusable Lunch Tote

Reusable Utensils

Cloth Napkins

Reusable Container

Reusable Drink Bottle

What you send your kids lunch in from the containers to the lunchboxes, etc. is great, however, you also need to make sure you are packing a healthy toxic free lunch as well!

What’s in their lunchbox?

PROBIOTICS

🚀 Well if you are like me, then there is probably a PB Assist Jr. sachet in your child’s lunchbox.

 If not, then there should be! 

Your kids will love to take this Probiotic powder that tastes like a pixie stick without the junky ingredients, plus the healthy benefits of a probiotic!

PB Assist Jr. includes 5 billion live cells of a blend of 6 different probiotic strains that were specifically chosen for their benefits among children. 

With a natural Strawberry Melon flavor, you can bet your child will love to take it and you can feel good about all of the numerous benefits of maintaining a healthy GI tract in your little one. 

STRAWBERRY ENERGY BITES

You can make over flavors (using different fruits), but help boost your kids energy and brains to finish out the long school day. Plus they will think it is a snack and will love it! 

Having some healthy snack items is important. I’ll share my snack recipes below. 

PROTEIN

Vital for proper growth and development in kids! 

It also helps fill them up and have sustained energy longer. 

First let’s talk about Sandwiches.

Most deli meat is filled with junk preservatives and are very low quality meat otherwise known as "Mystery Meat". 

Ingredients are unsavory, filler ingredients (like all the preservatives), Sugar and Carrageenan. 

Watch out for false advertisement as they are very misleading!

❌ARTIFICIAL COLORS, ARTIFICIAL FLAVORS, SODIUM NITRATE, SODIUM BENZOATE, SODIUM ERYTHORBATE, MODIFIED CORNSTARCH, NATURAL FLAVORS, SUGAR to name a few.

Organic Turkey meat is going to be the best. 

Unfortunately Applegate is expensive for not a lot at most grocery stores. 

The best way to buy it is at Costco. 

It is $8 per lb which is the same as your other crap deli. 

REMEMBER: Just because it says NON GMO, doesn't mean it is good for you. 

Make sure it is ORGANIC!

So make sure to pack your kids lunches with healthy real meat options!

If your kid is more of a peanut butter and jelly person, grab some organic peanut butter or even better, skip the peanut butter and grab some organic almond butter! 

Also grab some healthy bread options (my favorite is Ezekiel bread) and some sugar free Jelly! 

This is a favorite meal in my household! But keep them free of toxic ingredients!

VEGGIES

Because we all know this is good for you! 

Make sure you choose organic veggies so there is no GMO in the crop. 

WATER

Make sure your kids have plenty of water!

In BPA free containers!

HEALTHY SNACK RECIPES

I get it. 

You’re busy. 

In today’s world of being superhuman, everything can get pushed.

That’s why I wanted to provide some recipes to make things ahead of time to have to grab quickly and easily on a busy morning before school chaos ensues. 

STRAWBERRY CINNAMON ENERGY BITES 

Energy bites are a perfect “on the go” protein-packed snack!

These sound amazing, don't they?

Ingredients:

• 1 cup raw cashews

• ½ cup strawberries, chopped

• ¼ cup coconut butter

• 2 tablespoons maple syrup

• ½ teaspoon vanilla

• 1–2 drops Cinnamon Bark Oil

• Dash of nutmeg

• Dash of sea salt

• 1 package chia seeds or coconut flakes (optional)

Instructions⁣:

1. Wash and chop strawberries. Set aside.⁣

2. In a food processor or blender, pulse raw cashews until they form a crumbled texture. ⁣

3. Add in chopped strawberries and coconut butter. Pulse mixture. ⁣

4. Add remaining ingredients and blend until they form into a batter. Place batter in fridge for 30 minutes or until firm. ⁣

5. Remove the batter from the fridge and roll batter into medium balls. Roll balls in chia seeds or coconut flakes, coating the outside. ⁣

6. Store energy bites in the fridge to keep fresh. Consume within two weeks. ⁣

DIY GRANOLA TANGERINE BARS

This is such a yummy snack idea that your kids are going to love!

Ingredients

• 2 ½ cups quick oats

• ½ cup Rice Crispies

• ½ cup of mini semisweet chocolate chips

• ¼ cup brown sugar

• ½ teaspoon of salt

• ¼ cup coconut

• ⅛ cup flax seed

• ⅛ cup sesame seed

• ⅛ cup chia seed

• ⅓ cup coconut oil

• ¼ cup honey

• ½ teaspoon vanilla

• 2 drops Tangerine Oil 

 

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 350° F.

2. Mix all dry ingredients together. Set aside.

3. Mix all wet ingredients together. Melt in a sauce pan over medium heat.

4. Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients. Mix uniformly.

5. Allow wet ingredients to absorb into dry ingredients. 

Tip: If mixture is too dry, add more coconut oil or honey; if too wet, add more oatmeal.

1. Line cake pan with parchment paper. Pour in mixture and pat down.

2. Bake for 12–15 minutes or until lightly brown.

CINNAMON ENERGY BALLS

Another favorite to pack in some protein, but lower the sugar in this healthy option! 

Ingredients:

• 1 cup rolled oats

• ½ cup organic peanut butter or any nut butter of your choice (no sugars added though)

• 1/3 cup organic honey

• 1 cup coconut flakes or shredded , unsweetened

• ½ cup ground flaxseed

• 1 tsp vanilla extract

• 2 drops dōTERRA Cinnamon Bark CPTG Essential Oil or you can use 1 teaspoon of cinnamon (won’t get as much of the cinnamon flavor though)

• Optional: Nuts, dark chocolate chips, dried fruit, anything you might like

Instructions

• Mix all ingredients together in a bowl.

• Place in refrigerator for at least 30 minutes.

• Roll into teaspoon sized balls.

• Eat them up! The recipe above makes 34 mini-balls at only 72 calories each!   I double it every time and sometimes make the balls a bit larger  – of course those have more calories!

WILD ORANGE POWER BITES

 This tastes just as amazing as it sounds! Check out the recipe below!

Ingredients

• 1 cup finely shredded coconut, divided

• 1 cup almond butter

• 1 cup dried cranberries

• ½ cup raw honey

• ½ teaspoon salt

• 2 tablespoons chia seeds

• 3 drops Wild Orange

Instructions:

1. Place all ingredients into mixer, reserving just a half cup of the shredded coconut in a bowl to the side.

2. Add essential oil.

3. Mix until well combined.

4. Roll into balls and coat in the other half cup of shredded coconut.

5. Store in the refrigerator.

ONGUARD POPCORN

Looking for a healthy, immune-boosting snack? I’ve got your back! Try this for movie night and let me know what you think! 

👉 Ingredients:

• 1 cup popcorn kernels

• ¼ cup unrefined coconut oil

• ¼ cup pure maple syrup

• 5–6 drops dōTERRA On Guard® Protective Blend

• 2–3 drops Cinnamon Bark oil

• Ground cinnamon to taste

• Salt to taste

👉 Instructions:

Air-pop popcorn and place in a large mixing bowl.

Melt coconut oil. Stir in maple syrup and essential oils.

Pour mixture over popcorn, pausing to toss and mix.

Sprinkle with ground cinnamon and salt. Mix thoroughly and enjoy.

📣 Tip: If melting coconut oil on the stovetop, be sure to remove from heat and let cool slightly before adding essential oils.

BLACKBEAN PEPPERMINT BROWNIES

📣 Craving a sweet treat but looking for something on the healthier side? 

Give these Peppermint Black Bean Brownies a try! Bonus: black beans are packed with protein.

Sounds a little weird right? 

Sounds like there is no way these would even taste good! 

But I am here to tell you, they taste AMAZING! 

And are usually a fan favorite at get togethers (before they even know it is made out of black beans)!

Ingredients:

• 1 (15 ounce) can black beans, drained and rinsed

• 2 large eggs

• ¼ cup cocoa powder

• ⅔ cup honey

• ⅓ cup coconut oil

• ½ teaspoon baking powder

• Pinch of salt

• 2–4 drops Peppermint Oil

• ¾ cup chocolate chips, divided

 

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 350° F.

2. Place all ingredients, except for chocolate chips, in blender or food processor and blend until smooth.

3. Pour batter into large bowl and stir in ½ cup chocolate chips.

4. Pour into greased 8x8-inch pan and top with ¼ cup chocolate chips.

5. Bake 30–35 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean.

Which one of those healthy treats is your favorite? 

I hope you are so excited to start making them!

I hope you enjoyed learning some fun school swaps you can do! 

If you are looking for ways to DIY your own products, cleaning supplies or make some of the fun recipes, grab my favorite Essential Oil Kit plus get an additional oil for FREE.

Click Here For the Healthy Start Kit!