If you weren't already totally freaked out about the food supply given all the recent recalls and studies coming out about bacteria in our meat and veggies, here's a new curve ball moms in particular are going to have to contend with ... The dairy industry, feeling the pressure of the war on obesity and feeling threatened by many schools' ban on high-cal chocolate milk, has decided to begin making more low-calorie, "milk-like" beverages with artificial sweeteners. They think replacing sugar in flavored milk with aspartame (aka Equal) or sucralose (aka Splenda, which was discovered when scientists were working with DDT) will help them compete with diet sodas. Good times!

But wait, it gets freakier ... 

Shoka says, "Where are you all going in such a doggone hurry?" Don't ask because I don't know how we did it, but we did! It was last Friday morning when I awoke, on my own, absent of any alarm bells or sounds, at exactly 6:47 a.m. I know that seems plenty early considering it was still fully dark outside, but if you consider that my normal waking time is somewhere between 5:30 a.m. and, at very latest, 6 a.m. on a school morning, I knew immediately I was in severe trouble!

I recently lined my basement storage area with shelves, to systematically hold my large supply of grocery and toiletry items. Friends call it "Goss-Mart."A common question that I am asked is "how much [fill in the blank with a given food or toiletry item] must YOU go through?" or I get the comment "I can only imagine what your grocery bill is feeding EIGHT kids!"

I guess to a mom of a "normal" sized family (what is considered normal anyway?), our quantities are gargantuan, but to me, those large break-your-arms quantities feel very commonplace after this many years of lugging car load after car load of items in the front door!

Well, this is just ridiculous! A lunch lady at a school in Sweden was actually reprimanded by administrators for serving food that was "too good."

At lunchtime, Annika Eriksson used to serve students freshly baked bread and an assortment of up to 15 vegetables. Sounds delicious, right? Apparently not! Eriksson came under fire by school officials because they said her meals are so yummy that it's "unfair" to other schools with less appetizing cafeteria food.

Huh?!

Wow, people are passionate about peanut butter and jelly. What started as one Arkansas boy's sandwich has now turned into an international debate with people vehemently raging both for and against the right to eat peanut butter in schools.

It started when Jenkins Clifton-Jones took a PB&J to school one day. Apparently his mom didn't know about the six-year ban his school had in place against peanut products to protect students with allergies. According to Area Wide News, when a teacher saw him about to take a bite, she confiscated the sandwich, helped the boy get a new lunch, and sent a note home explaining the school's policy.

Sounds simple enough, right? Not even close.

All they're good forI have to admit something, but promise you won’t tell my daughter. She has subzero interest in anything that I write, so chances are she won’t find out unless one of y’all say something. Last night, I pretended like I was going into the kitchen to get a second helping of the sloppy joe that I put my foot in, if I do say so myself. Actually, I was very quietly, very inconspicuously, but very intentionally sliding the same broccoli I had forced her to pile onto her plate in hearty portion off of mine and back into the serving bowl. If you’re judging now, pace yourself. There’s more. 

I probably shouldn't admit this: but as much as back-to-school time puts a song in my step, I was dreading having to pack my daughter's lunch for school. We're committed to the "lunch from home" thing to make sure she gets something healthy, but sometimes even I'm bored by what I put in her bag.

Oh gee, look what it is! Another apple/box of raisins/string cheese/turkey on wheat? It's no wonder my husband and I tend to "forget" that it's our turn to make lunch so the other ends up on the hook. We need to liven things up -- for her sake and ours!

This post is sponsored by Glad®, bringing you Glad ideas for Moms made by Moms.

If you’re looking to add a nutritious snack to your child’s lunch in lieu of chips, trail mixes can be a fun and healthy snack. An easy formula to remember for making trail mix is 1/2 cup of dried fruit, 1/4 cup of nuts, and 1/8 cup of chocolate for a serving of this fun snack. The possibilities are endless with a variety of dried fruits and nuts on hand for creating your own signature flavor combination.

For more Mom Made recipes and tips, click here.