100 Days of Real Food

menu icon
go to homepage
  • About
    • Welcome
    • Original 100 Day Pledge
    • 100 Day Budget Pledge
    • FAQs
  • My Cookbooks
  • Resources
    • Our Shop
    • Meal Ideas & Resources
    • Mini-Pledge Progam
    • School Lunch Packing Chart
    • Favorite Amazon Buys
  • Blog
    • What Is Real Food?
    • How to Start
      • Real Food Tips
      • Eating Out and Travel
      • Food Shopping
      • How to Cook
      • Kitchen and Home
    • School Lunches
    • Snacks
    • Kids
      • Picky Eaters
      • Fun Stuff
  • Meal Plans
    • Real Food Meal Plans
    • School Lunch Plans
    • Free Weekly Dinner Plans
subscribe
search icon
Homepage link
  • About
    • Welcome
    • Original 100 Day Pledge
    • 100 Day Budget Pledge
    • FAQs
  • My Cookbooks
  • Resources
    • Our Shop
    • Meal Ideas & Resources
    • Mini-Pledge Progam
    • School Lunch Packing Chart
    • Favorite Amazon Buys
  • Blog
    • What Is Real Food?
    • How to Start
      • Real Food Tips
      • Eating Out and Travel
      • Food Shopping
      • How to Cook
      • Kitchen and Home
    • School Lunches
    • Snacks
    • Kids
      • Picky Eaters
      • Fun Stuff
  • Meal Plans
    • Real Food Meal Plans
    • School Lunch Plans
    • Free Weekly Dinner Plans
×
Home » How to Start » Food Shopping

The Only Lunch Meat I Give My Kids

It's pretty obvious that lunch meat is not a regular occurrence around here, BUT I do like to pack it for my kids on occasion - just to switch things up! And it seems every time I do, readers ask me what kind of lunchmeat I bought. So today's post has all the details!

School Lunch on 100 Days of #RealFood

Want to Save this Recipe?

Enter your email below & we'll send it straight to your inbox. Plus you'll get great new recipes from us every week!

Save Recipe

As with just about any of the meat we eat, when locally raised is not an option I definitely go for organic. That's why I love that our sponsor, Applegate, offers an organic lunch meat option.

When Applegate approached me about being on their Advisory Board this year, it made complete sense since I was already buying and talking about their products before I even had a relationship with them! And the reason why is because when you purchase Applegate Organic products you can be assured they are...

  • From humanely raised animals on family farms,
  • From animals fed non-GMO feed,
  • Free of artificial ingredients,
  • Free of added nitrites and nitrates,
  • Free of preservatives,
  • Antibiotic-free.

And all of that is so important to us!

Applegate Organic on 100 Days of #RealFood

The great thing is though, even when I can't find organic (if I'm in a real pinch) at least I know their natural product is lightyears above all the conventional options - almost completely up to the standards of their organic options.

Yesterday I shared some school lunch ideas on our local Charlotte Today show, and when my store was out of Applegate organic ham (and I'd already planned one whole lunch around ham) I got the next best thing, their natural version!

So I know many of you will be excited with the newest thing Applegate is up to with their natural lunch meats. We all know how I feel about Lunchables and how much I promote making them yourself!

But in the event your child is just begging you for the "packaged" version (that happens with us sometimes when it comes to mac and cheese - what's so exciting about a box anyway?) you'll want to check out Applegate's new Half Time product, a natural and organic pre-packaged lunch kit.

They sent us some to try and my children acted like it was Christmas LOL. While these products don't fully live up to our real food rules, I would feel much more comfortable offering these on a rare special occasion than the original version!

Again, I'm most definitely an advocate of just making your own "Lunchables" at home, but if your kid suddenly needs to get a packaged lunch out of their system look for these at Target and other national retailers by mid-August!

More Food Shopping

  • Chicken breast recipes.
    Chicken Breast Recipes
  • Lunch and Snack Ideas for Camp on 100 Days of #RealFood
    Healthy Snack Ideas
  • Dijon mustard substitute.
    Dijon Mustard Substitute
  • Green vegetables.
    Green Vegetables
3.0K shares

About Lisa Leake

Lisa is a wife, mother, foodie, blogger, and #1 New York Times Best-selling author who is on a mission to cut out processed food.

Comments

  1. Melissa McClure says

    August 06, 2016 at 1:43 pm

    Hello, where would I get those great containers with the compartments? I am assuming they come with lids....?

    Reply
    • Amy Taylor (comment moderator) says

      August 10, 2016 at 2:25 pm

      Hi there. This will help: https://www.100daysofrealfood.com/2014/09/23/lunch-box-rumors-true/.

      Reply
  2. Jane says

    April 18, 2015 at 11:12 am

    I have been following your blog for sometime, I have high blood pressure and am learning how to turn it around. I have purchased applegate products for my self and family before.

    Today I will not
    their processed food often times give me real headaches raising my blood pressure I loved your blog because it promoted non processed food.

    I am shocked you would now be sponsored by a company that does nothing but sell processed food!
    Jane

    Reply
  3. jane maihan says

    March 03, 2015 at 10:11 pm

    what are your thoughts on Boars Head Deli meat?
    Thank you,
    Jane

    Reply
    • Amy Taylor (comment moderator) says

      March 13, 2015 at 9:41 am

      Hi Jane. That is not a brand that Lisa buys. She rarely uses deli meats and when she does it is Applegate. I do not think Boar's Head is preservative or added nitrate free and I do not think there are organic options.

      Reply
  4. MJQ says

    December 23, 2014 at 2:57 pm

    I was looking for an article on appropriate deli meats for children. This thinly veiled advertisement with its complete dearth of facts was not at all helpful.

    Reply
    • Lisa says

      March 20, 2015 at 4:04 pm

      I clearly stated they were a sponsor at the top of the post AND sponsor or not - this is truly what I buy. We purposely seek out products I already use and love to see if they want to become sponsors. I used them for years before I ever worked with them.

      Reply
      • terisa says

        March 26, 2017 at 2:20 am

        I had spoke to Applegate about their meats and not all of it is organic and fed on a non-gmo diet. Unless it states that it is 100% organic and grass fed then it isn't totally organic. A natural listing means nothing.

  5. Mrs T says

    November 11, 2014 at 10:04 pm

    We buy Boars Head turkey. Just wondering what your thoughts were on their lunch meats.
    Ty

    Reply
  6. Lorrona says

    November 08, 2014 at 9:19 pm

    I have a question I can not buy from local farms or things like that I have to purchase from grocery stores and I am having a hard time locating chicken, turkey and beef I have Open Nature and Natures Own product but when I try and research online I get know were? Any products you deam ok?

    Reply
    • Amy Taylor (comment moderator) says

      November 24, 2014 at 8:25 am

      Hi there. Most grocery stores are willing to bring in products their customers want. You could request Applegate products and beyond that can certainly find them and others online. :)

      Reply
  7. Melissa says

    October 30, 2014 at 1:26 pm

    Not sure how you meant to say that Marie as it seems slightly rude. Regardless, I have looked into the ham and some of the ham options don't contain carrageenan (some of them do). This is good. Honestly, we just avoid deli meat for the most part as it isn't really good overall anyway. As the article states as well- she rarely gives this to her kids too b/c of the ingredients in deli meat. Sadly sometimes there isn't something better but that doesn't mean you have to give your family something that isn't good. You can avoid it all together. There are plenty of lunch options besides deli meat, which is also supported on this site :)

    Reply
  8. Melissa says

    October 06, 2014 at 2:16 pm

    I too looked into Applegate products but was disappointed when I saw Carrageenan as an ingredient. This is used as a thickener and is very bad for you:( I am surprised to see this on your site??

    Reply
    • Diana says

      October 21, 2014 at 3:46 am

      I agree with you, Melissa. The organic turkey and chicken deli meets by Applegate have carrageenan. But, the ham doesn't. I reached out to Applegate about this controversial ingredient via Twitter and they said they are researching new ingredients. Hopeful that they will remove carrageenan soon from the poultry deli meets.

      Reply
    • marie says

      October 30, 2014 at 1:15 pm

      can you find something better????

      Reply
  9. Charlotte Matthews says

    August 29, 2014 at 11:07 am

    I love this, I just saw it in my paper this morning. While my kids are grown and gone they do eat much better than most. The younger one has stomach problems and when she comes home I make sure I have food for her. She went vegetarian for 5 years and I did get very good at reading the ingredients. There was not a lot of boxed stuff when the older one was younger, so she got the homemade

    Reply
« Older Comments

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




Welcome!


Meet Lisa! Lisa is a best-selling cookbook author, wife, mother, and passionate home cook. Lisa began blogging in 2010 and has created a community of millions of people who share her love of healthy living, real food ingredients, and family recipes.

Learn More

Popular

  • Air fryer fingerling potatoes.
    Air Fryer Fingerling Potatoes
  • Fried potatoes and onions.
    Fried Potatoes and Onions
  • Mashed sweet potatoes.
    Mashed Sweet Potatoes Recipe
  • Air fryer whole chicken.
    Air Fryer Whole Chicken

Seasonal

  • Air fryer filet mignon.
    Air Fryer Filet Mignon
  • Air fryer zucchini.
    Air Fryer Zucchini
  • Garlic butter steak bites.
    Garlic Butter Steak Bites
  • Chicken sausage sheet pan.
    Chicken Sausage Sheet Pan

Footer

↑ back to top

Browse

  • Cookbooks
  • Meal Plans
  • Recipes
  • Favorite Products
  • Free Downloads

Newsletter

  • Sign Up! for emails and updates

Blog

  • About
  • Comment Policy
  • Terms of Use
  • Privacy Policy
  • Partner With Us
  • Contact

As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

Copyright © 2025 100 Days of Real Food