Are your kids back in school? Are they taking hot or cold lunch? Do you pack a lunch for anyone else in the house, your husband maybe?
It is my husband's first day back today and my little girl starts pre-school in just a couple weeks. I am bit anxious and nervous but super excited for my little girl. As for my husband he is working full time and is working towards his Master's degree. I want to be as supportive as I can and help with some of those long days. I went to a back to school night for the ladies in the neighborhood and one of the classes was on packing lunches. It was super motivating and refreshing to hear some of the presenter's ideas.
The options out there are endless when it comes to packed lunches. You just need to think outside the box and put a little foresight into it and you can make some great lunches. I personally wanted to stay away from sandwich making every morning. I have a busy morning that gets me up at 5 AM and I'm working or running until the minute my husband is out the door. So... making a lunch isn't an option and I know he won't make one either.
Oh how I LOVE the freezer! Here are some fast grab and pack ideas that just take a little planning before hand.
What's in my freezer?
This prep time only took me a few hours Saturday night while my husband was working on a paper.
Sandwiches are great to freeze. You can have 12 sandwiches ready in just 10 or less minutes. You simple lay out all your bread pieces, add cheese and meat. Put them in a freezer zip lock bag and put them in the freezer until the morning you need a sandwich. You can buy these great Mini Multi-Purpose Cups. I bought a pack of 50 for less an four dollars at the local Walmart.
I put the mayo and mustard in one of these small cups so that the bread doesn't get soggy and he can put it on right before he eats his sandwich.
Cookies- I just made a batch of cookies and let them cool down. Again, I grabbed my bags and divided the cookies into two.
Meat Ball Sandwiches- I pre-made my meat balls and put 4 in a baggy. I divided out some marinara sauce and froze a sandwich bun in it's own bag.
Enchiladas- I baked some enchiladas and then divided them out into separate servings in a Tupperware and froze all 8 servings.
Now he can grab one out of the three meals. It didn't take me long, didn't cost much, and he will like having a variety of lunches and it is another way I can show him I care.
I hope these ideas help you come up with something that will work for you. Here are some pointers that I got from the class I went to.
Packing lunches for kids:
- Small foods are not only easier for kids to handle, but they are more fun to eat.
- Cut sandwiches into smaller pieces and use tiny tortillas for wraps.
- Kids love dipping. Pack hummus, bean dips or fruit dip using the mini cups that I had mentioned above.
- Ka-bob it. Put several veggies on a toothpick.
Here are some sites for more freezer lunch ideas.
2 comments:
Firt off, I wish my kids ate real people food. They are annoyingly picky. Second, I also wish the school cafeteria had a microwave. The elementary in Price has one available to the kids, but here they don't. Big bummer. I would pack easy mac every single day. I worry about food getting cold or gross after sitting in a lunch box for a few hours. I hope one of your sites will have some ideas for picky eaters. JR has to eat school hot lunch 4 times a week and can take home lunch once. My reasoning is that he'll either learn to try new foods and gag it down or starve. I really hope he'll go for the first! :) I'd pack Ryan a lunch but it would probably be wasted. He goes out with clients a lot. Home lunch would be a lot healthier.
Thanks for all the great ideas =)...I pack one son's lunch everyday...the other kid likes to eat at school. And my hubby just started a lunch club at work everyone puts in 5 dollars and they buy stuff to keep at the office for lunch. =)
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