Bread pairings, thirst quenchers for back-to-school, RTO baon ideas

5 days ago

MANILA, Philippines — Back-to-school baon ideas can be challenging, especially when moms or guardians try to introduce a variety of flavors so their kids and wards would be enticed to finish their packed lunches or snacks (baon).

Here is a compilation of ready-to-eat ideas, from a favorite Filipino bread chain to healthy choices for the health-conscious moms.

Sulit, satisfying breads

Breads will always be go-to picks for busy moms. Nourishing and delectable, these baked goods often found their way to lunch boxes.

Thankfully for many moms and guardians, Filipino bread chain Julie’s bakeshop has been baking fresh breads daily, offering a variety of flavors, from loaves to Filipino favorites cheesy pandesal, crinkles and Spanish bread.

For the kids who love their cheeses, moms can send them Cheese Bread, Cheese Streusel and the bakeshop’s twist on the pandesal, the Milky Cheese De Sal.

For the sweet tooths, they have chocolate breads, Choco Garman, Choc Crinkles, and the bite-sized Choco Mini Milky Donuts with flavors such as Bavarian, Strawberry and Yema.

Of course, Julie’s also offers the favorite Ensaymada, a soft buttery bread with sugar and a generous amount of grated cheese as toppings.

Versatile jelly treat

If you're looking to keep things interesting — whether for lunchboxes, meriendas, or last-minute desserts — there’s one pantry staple that might surprise you: gulaman.

Most know it from childhood: those bouncy cubes in fruit salad, or sago’t gulaman that cooled helped cool down on a sweltering afternoon. But today’s gulaman? It's stepping up in entirely new ways.

Enter Mr. Hat Gulaman, a nostalgic favorite that is being reimagined as a daily go-to — versatile, everyday indulgence. The powder-based jelly mix made from natural seaweed extract is easy to prepare.

Just mix it with water, boil, and let it set. Adjusting the texture is simple: firmer, softer, or somewhere in between, depending on how much water you use (anywhere from 1 to 1.5 liters). It has 13 variants: seven flavored (Mango, Strawberry, Buko Pandan, Coffee, Pineapple, Melon, Lychee) and six unflavored, labeled by color.

The flavored ones are for instant snacks and desserts, while the unflavored ones serve as a base for both sweet and savory recipes.

The Unflavored White variant is great for champorado jelly pudding, while the Strawberry Jelly can be made into a Jelly and Cream Sandwich.

New healthy signature picks

For the moms and guardians who have money to spare and want to insert more greens into their kids’ lunchboxes, they can order from SaladStop!

The popular sandwich joint recently introduced flavors that might excite the kids and their moms and guardians alike who can likewise bring these sandwich wraps to their own work for lunch or mid-afternoon snack.

The Mediterranean-inspired favorite turned permanent signature, Yasou is a mix of romaine and rocket, tossed with sundried tomatoes, grapes, candied walnuts, shaved parmesan, and feta. Paired with a Dijon Balsamic Vinaigrette, it offers a light yet satisfying blend of sweet, tangy and savory notes.

Named after the Japanese word for “heart,” Kokoro is a nourishing bowl designed for balance and warmth. At its base is protein-rich quinoa topped with pan-seared salmon, soft-boiled egg, baby spinach, red and white cabbage, edamame, corn, radish pickles, alfalfa sprouts, and a sprinkle of furikake — brought together with a zesty Sesame Lime dressing.

Choco Loco is the smoothie you can feel good about. It blends banana, oats, chocolate, peanut butter, and soy milk into a guilt-free drink. Other thirst quenchers are Honey Calamansi and Raspberry Iced Teas.

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