It’s that time of year again! It’s time to pack away your winter clothes and celebrate the arrival of spring. Out with the old and in with the new. It’s time to say goodbye to those mystery leftovers on the top shelf and give your fridge the TLC it deserves. As the temperature begins to rise, you might find yourself spending more and more time outside of the house and busy as ever! Solution!? Create a snack drawer in your fridge for easy on-the-go options! The idea came from a friend of mine with two busy kids. While there aren’t any kids running around my house, I’m not ashamed to admit this tip works great for any age!

Designate a drawer and stock it with Tilla-Moos, or cheeses that you’ve pre-sliced and cubed in serving size containers or baggies. I’ve also got a variety of Tillamook Yogurt and some veggies that I’ve pre-cut, washed, and bagged in mine.

What’s your favorite grab-and-go snack!?

By Amalya

Let’s face it. Kids can be picky eaters and that makes meal time extra hard. When my kids only want to eat cereal for weeks on end, it’s hard not to just give in at some point. There are loads of tricky ways to sneak in vegetables but I have found myself going crazy trying to figure that all out. I finally stumbled across the theory of options. It turns out, when I give my kids a choice between multiple healthy foods, they are more likely to pick one. Armed with this knowledge, I’ve been able to gain back a whole lot of time I use to spend stressing in front of the fridge.

I now keep little bags of cut up veggies in the fridge. Each bag is a different vegetable and I let my kids pick out which bag they are going to eat. Here are some more tips from Tillamook fans for keeping variety in the kitchen:

1. “Just to mix it up I sometimes create a ‘cheese platter’ for my 8 year old son. He loves the idea of sampling all his favorite Tillamook cheese’s with a variety of crackers. I even put it on a special platter just for him.” – Audrey Arcuri

2. “I always buy red and green grapes at the store. When I put both colors of grapes on my son’s plate, he always seems to eat more, thinking they are different.” – Carol Gragg

3. “I take a few different Tillamook Yogurt flavors and layer them in a little glass jars for my kids. They love to see all the colors and they have fun trying to eat them separately or mixing them all together.” – The Tillamook Team

4. “When I make my kids sandwiches, I cut them in four sections and put a different flavor of Tillamook Cheese in each. My kids always take one bite from each and then spend lunch time talking about what section they like the most.” – Linda Warren

What tips do you use to get your kids eating healthy meals?

By Kelly

With the holiday season over, the kids are heading back to school. College kids are packing up all the clean laundry they did while home and hitting the road back to late night study sessions, cramped dorm rooms, and frozen pizza meals. To make sure your college kid starts their winter term off on the right foot, here are few Tillamook care package ideas:

1. Who doesn’t love getting food in the mail? College kids may appreciate a good gift box most of all. The Tillamook Online Shop has cheese filled Gift Boxes for all the Tillamook fans far from home. If your college kid can’t get Tillamook at school, these boxes can be the perfect reminder of home and you.

2. College students seem to live in comfy t-shirts, grabbing whatever is “almost” clean to toss on before class. Sending a new clean tee is a great way to say, I’m thinking of you.

3. Everyone loves a surprise! A Tillamom recently told me she hid a loaf of her son’s favorite Tillamook Cheese with a note in his car before he left for college. The first thing he did after unpacking his car was to call his mom. “I know it was the cheese but I like to think he called because he already missed me.”

4. Once your college kid moves out of the dorms and into their first place, it can be the first time they are in charge of all the cooking. Sending them the Tillamook Cookbook is a great way to help them get a handle on yummy tasty meals that remind them of home.

5. Tilla-Moos are not just for little kids. Big kids love quick delicious snacks that are easily stuffed in backpacks for hunger stopping moments in class. You can send a big bag of Tilla-Moos to your big kid at the Online Shop.

By Kelly

Does anyone else have a hard time getting healthy school lunches ready for their kids each week? It’s hard to find the time to prepare lunches kids will eat, let alone lunches that are good for them! Tillamoms and Tilladads are here to help! Fans from all over the country have sent in their quick meal tips and, along with a few of our own, we have compiled our favorites here to you and your Tillakids. We are always looking for more ideas, so send any quick & healthy lunch ideas our way!!

“The best way to get my picky kids to eat a healthy lunch is to pack them a container of lunch meat, Tillamook cheese slices, and crackers. Tons healthier than a Lunchable and I don’t have to feel guilty about feeding it to them! ” – Me Too

“I make mozzarella and apple sandwiches the night before. They are perfect for kid’s lunches and making them the night before allows the flavors time to mingle and get extra yummy!” – Kelly Sanders

“My kids love making things. So, I give them jars of Banana Vanilla Yogurt and then little bags of things they can stir into the yogurt. Some of my kids favorites are cereal, oatmeal, chocolate chips, and fresh fruit.” – The Tillamook Team

“I freeze Light Marionberry Yogurt cups to put in my children’s lunch boxes. They help keep everything cold and by their lunch time, they are thawed enough to eat! My children love it!” – Pamela Summers

“I love making homemade trail mix! You can control how nutritious it is and your kids can have fun making it.” – Amalya Haver

“By the middle of the week, I put a note in their school [lunch] letting them know what fun thing we have planned for the weekend. It makes them happy and gives them something to look forward to.” – Mary Kay Janssen

“I make homemade popcorn on Sunday night. I put it in little baggies that can be added to lunches all week long. The best part is, I add Shredded Italian Blend cheese or other tasty toppings to make each bag a little different.” – The Tillamook Team

By Kelly

The beginning of a new school year can be a hectic time for any family. Figuring out what to make for kids to eat, something they will actually eat, can be one of the major stressors. With the Tillamook Cheese Back to School Contest on Facebook, parents from all over the country are sharing their tips and helping Tillamook raise funds for Feeding America. From quick healthy breakfasts, to creatively cute lunches, to fantastic family dinners, we are collecting some of our favorite tips! Check them out, make your favorite, and share your own tips on our Back to School Facebook tab. With each tip submitted, Tillamook will donate $10 to help feed hungry families. You have until September 14 to submit your tip!

By Kelly

YOGURT!!! It's on tour too at select retailers and all larger events!

There’s a lot of talk about back to school right now and while the clothes, backpacks, and new school supplies were always my favorite part, it also means we get to start studying soon! Last weekend at the San Francisco Zoo, Tillamook helped some kids kick start their studying efforts by providing a fun fill-in-the blanks game about their day at the zoo. It is a fun and educational game that families can play with the kids and the prize was pretty awesome as well – a YEAR’S SUPPLY OF TILLAMOOK CHEESE! With such a fun prize, people submitted fantastic entries, but there could only be one winner! Thank you to everyone who entered, we hope you enjoyed your cheese and smiles at the San Francisco Zoo!

Annie Teng was the winner of the year’s supply of cheese with her fantastic story. I mean, who doesn’t love smiling monkeys and bite-sized Tillamook sandwiches?!

Are you ready for a “good” day at the zoo? Make sure you wave to the “polar bears” and they might just “wave”. Ask your “parents” to take your “picture”, then smile and say, “cheese”! If that makes you hungry, nibble on some Tillamook Cheese or a bite-sized “cookies”. Did you know that a “koala” absolutely loves to eat “yogurt”? Have a fun day at the “petting” zoo!

If you want a chance to win a year’s supply of cheese make sure you visit the Loaf Love Tour when we visit the Los Angeles Zoo on 9.15 for your chance to get creative and win some cheese!

By Matt

The final bell on summer is about to ring and with school getting underway, it’s time to think about healthy back to school eating! We want you to share your healthy–eating tips for your Tillakid! For every healthy tip shared, Tillamook will donate $10 to Feeding America.

You can help us make a big difference! Every dollar donated to Feeding America helps provide 8 meals to families struggling with hunger, supplying food to more than 37 million Americans annually.

Share all your on-the-go breakfast pointers, brown-bag breakthroughs, after-school snack inspiration, and speedy school-night dinner tips. For every tip you share from August 27 to September 14, Tillamook will donate $10 to Feeding America and you’ll be entered to win a backpack full of all-natural Tillamook goodies! Have fun & be creative! We cannot wait to see what Tillamook tips you have to share!

How To Enter and Submit Your Healthy Tips

Have a great Back to School healthy-eating tip? Here’s how to enter:

Visit our Back to School Contest page on Facebook to enter! We’ve provided the rules for how to enter below but please remember to enter through our Facebook page!

You can submit a written tip, attach a photo, or share link to a YouTube video. Before you go to our Facebook page to enter, make sure you have the following information ready.

Your name:

Name of your tip OR recipe (this should be short!):

Description of your tip OR recipe:

Ingredients (if recipe):

Preparation (if recipe):

Written:
If you are submitting a written tip or recipe, you’re done!

Photo:
Don’t forget to attach your photo to this email before hitting send! Jpg format works best and photos should be high resolution and 500 pixels wide if possible.

Video:
Don’t forget to include the URL to your YouTube video in the email! Since videos can be very large files, we only accept submissions via YouTube link.

Have questions? Read the official rules here: http://www.tillamook.com/backtoschoolcontest.html or email us fans@Tillamook.com.

Last day to submit tips is Friday, September 14. We’ll announce the winners of our grand prize and the total funds raised to help support Feeding America on September 17.

By Loafy

It’s that time of year already – back to school! What kinds of healthy snacks and other touches of love do you put in your kids’ lunches? What was your favorite food in your lunchbox when you were a kid? Share your lunchbox tips for your chance to win free Tillamook Medium Cheddar Cheese Tilla-Moos!

What’s in Your Lunchbox? Contest
August 29 – September 8

How to enter:

1) Read the official contest rules.

2) Answer the question “What’s in Your Lunchbox?” with your healthy school lunch ideas and other lunchbox tips. Share your answers with our communities on the Tillamook Facebook page, through Twitter (include @TillamookCheese and #lunchbox), or by leaving a comment on this blog post.

Prizes:

Winners will be selected on Friday, September 9.

- 1st place: 3 bags of Tilla-Moos + a Tillamook sweatshirt
- 2nd place: 2 bags of Tilla-Moos
- 3rd place: 1 bag of Tilla-Moos

By Loafy