SCHOOL LUNCH IDEAS
Now that the school YEAR is back in FULL FORCE and we as parents are finally getting in the swing of things a little better. I wanted so share some of my tips about packing lunches and what works for me….since many parents have asked me for some advice and ideas of what to pack and HOW to pack school lunches for the kids. Well, today I will share with you some of my favorite items to used to pack my kids lunches and what items I buy for them to pack. I will also show you what I make my kids do and how our routines are in packing our lunches.
Every night before we go to bed…they fill their thermos with their drinks of their choice….then we put it in the refrigerator…so that is it all ready for me to just grab and stick it in their lunch bag in the am. They also go into the pantry and GRAB the prepackage snacks…if their is a particular snacks that they LOVE and they don’t come prepackage…then I usually put it in a little ziploc container that I get. You can find the different sizes that I buy….click HERE. I pack different items in different containers …because I don’t want to pack a few chips in a HUGE container…since the lunch kits aren’t so BIG. I pack cupcakes in these SIZES HERE. I pack chips and cut up veggies and fruits in this size HERE. I love these because you can put the cut up sandwiches in them also.
Whenever I am at the grocery store…I always try to make it an effort to pick up 1 or 2 boxes of a different PREPACKAGE snack. This way the kids doesn’t get tired of the same snack and they have many variety to choose from. The kids usually get to pick 2 snacks…unless its a day that they have mini recess or an afternoon school activities then they get to pick out an extra snack for that day.
Pocky stick (chocolate), sugar cookies (Shopkins), Milano, Chessmen
Goldfish, Mini Vanilla Wafers, RITZ bits cheese
Cheez IT, cheese and cracker sandwiches
These HUMMUS and crackers are so easy and yummy…my kids LOVE THEM!!
Pringles, FIBER one chocolate chip cookies, Goldfish
After the kids pack their snacks of choice into their lunch kit…I would then pack their utensils and napkins. I ALWAYS write my kids a little note on sticky pad…so I would do it the night before also. SIDE NOTE: Last year…my 2nd daughter and son…actually KEPT every single note that I wrote!! I couldn’t believe it…at the end of the school year…they took it out and showed me…my son kept it in one of the pockets of his lunch bag and my daughter put it in her cubby at home..every week she would take the notes out and stick it in this little box in her cubby. I could NOT BELIEVE they kept it…so this year I really made it an effort to write more on each sticky note and to actually do it EVERYDAY!!! After I write the notes and put in their spoons/forks and napkins…I would prep the lunch for them..for example..if I was making Alfredo pasta…I would put the dry pasta in the pot with the salt and put it on the stove…so the next morning all I had to do is fill the pot with water and turn on the stove. And for the sauce …I would pour out my half n half or heavy cream..next season it and put it in a container…all ready for me. I would lay out the thermos on the countertop. In the morning…when my alarm clock rings…I go straight down stairs…put the water into the pot..turn on the stove…and then turn on my coffee maker and ice maker (I have a little counter top ice machine) …stir my pasta pot then head back upstairs to brush my teeth…get dress…put on makeup. Takes me about 15-20 minutes to get dress…then I head back downstairs…by that time….my pasta is done!!! I would drain the pasta….then add my sauce (heavy cream or half n half) into the pot and start cooking that up…while I make my coffee. Once my sauce is cooked (around 6-8 minutes) I add in my pasta and mix and taste. Then I would fill the thermos (that I already have laid out) with the pasta. These thermos are awesome because you DO NOT have to fill them with warm water first…like most of your other thermos. Then, I would put the thermos into their lunch kit and grab the SWELL water bottle that they filled last night from the refrigerator and stick it all into their lunch kit. DONE!! EASY PEASY!!
When they get home from school…the kids unpack their lunch kits and throws everything into the sink and I just load it in the DISHWASHER that evening!!! Then the cycle repeats over AGAIN!!
I have to share with you my absolute FAVORITE THERMOS!! Click HERE
Ham and cheese sandwich that is cute into 4s
Sweet Hawaiian Bread with turkey and cheese…side of strawberry in little containers.
Cuties that I peeled and put into little containers.
Lemon Chicken Pasta in an insulated thermos
Shrimp Fried Rice in an insulated themos
Spaghetti and Meatball
Pesto Tortellini
Meatball in a tomato and basil marinara sauce with strawberry jam
Alfredo pasta
Fresh roasted basil, garlic and tomato pasta
Jambalaya
I hope this gives you some ideas of what to pack and how to pack some of the kids school lunches…I will continue to post on my kids school lunches to give you more ideas as the SCHOOL YEAR go by….I will also do a post in the near future on some easy breakfast ideas. SO STAY TUNE!!!
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