So, we are 2 months down in this school year and I don’t know about you, but school lunch prep is taking your girl down! It’s fun to introduce new foods to my kids and make them happy at the same time, but it’s a lot of work, especially if you have multiple kids or lots of stress.
Long story short, my kids’ health is the main reason I even allow my kids to take their own lunch to school some times. I’m trying to manage acid reflux, a picky-eater and a food connoisseur all at the same time. When we pack lunch, I’m able to control everyone’s diet much better which leaves us all happier, even if it makes me more tired.
If you know anything about me, you know I’m busy. So how, do I have time to pack lunches? I plan ahead and on Sundays, I plan out the week and get the right groceries to make it happen. I’ve been trying new things with them, and I’ve collected a few things that work.
I just keep the things that work in rotation and try to mix it up when I see something new. I’m a blogger so I follow other bloggers who talk about the stuff I like. If I see something new in another lunch box, I try it. And that’s how I make it work. Since I have to pack three lunches each time, I try to keep them the same as much as possible. But I told you that I have a picky kid, so I just sub anything I know he’s not going to eat, with something I know he’ll eat. Usually, I’ll pack him at least one thing that he’s refused before or that I’m not sure about, just to see if he’ll try it without the pressure, when it’s his choice.
Having the right lunchbox is half the battle. I absolutely love the bento boxes I found here. Click here to check them out. The tray pops out, so cleaning is very easy and when you close it, there’s a suction, so nothing falls out of place or spills, no matter how many times the kids turn them upside down. The best part for the kids was that they got to personalize the boxes and the bags that we use to carry the bento boxes. Yep, I got them all from the same place. We also got some of the labels for school supplies. My little teacher heart is so happy with my purchases!
I’ve divided what works for us by some of the sections on their bento boxes. It’s not perfect but here we go:
Meat
Deli sliced turkey (by itself or sandwich)
Deli sliced roast beef (by itself or sandwich)
Deli sliced chicken (by itself or sandwich)
Chicken nuggets or chicken tenders
Chicken Salad
Pepperoni
Wraps (anything I’d put in a sandwich but on a tortilla wrap instead)
Veggies
Cucumbers with ranch
Carrots with ranch
Broccoli with ranch
Cauliflower with ranch
Grape tomatoes
Fruit
Mandarin oranges
Apple slices
Bananas
Grapes
Strawberries
Blueberries
Applesauce
Fruit/Veggie Pouch
Dairy
Cheese
Hard boiled eggs
Yogurt
Smoothies
Snacks
Chips
Pretzels
Crackers
Pita chips
Nutri Grain Bar
Graham crackers
Cheerios
Granola bar
Popcorn
Jell-o
Cookies
Marshmallows
Drinks
Water
Raging Waters by Capri Sun
Capri Suns
Flavored Coconut Water
Gatorade
Fruit juices
Milk
I’m sure some of you are wondering how I pack chicken nuggets and chicken tenders. I leave them frozen, and they thaw by lunch. One of the few privileges I use by working at my kid’s school is microwaving my own kid’s chicken nuggets. Schools typically don’t microwave food because of the potential liability but I’m technically his mother bringing my kid lunch at my own discretion and I’m absolutely NOT going to sue the school. So that’s how I do it.
On the days that I know I should have packed lunch and I ran out of time, I make the kids bring their lunch bags to school without the bento boxes. I rarely take a real lunch break, but on the days I run out of time for packing lunch, I take my lunch break to run to Subway or Broad Street Baking Company to get turkey sandwiches, chicken tenders and pizza sticks. Broad Street already packs lunch in paper bags, so it’s perfect. When I go there, I don’t even have to repackage the food. It looks like s regular school lunch bag. When I go to Subway, I have to use their lunchboxes and repackage the food so that they’re not walking around with Subway bags.
Another thing we do to help is taking the time to look at the school’s lunch menu ahead of time. The kids can tell me which days they want to eat at school because they have several meals throughout the week they love and will choose over their packed lunch. On those days, mommy is a happy camper!
I hope this helps! If you have any more great tips, share them below.
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