A couple weeks ago, the kids and I were visiting family in Iowa. At lunch, my nine-year-old ate 2 helpings of leftover mostaccioli, alongside 3 helpings of pasta salad. For lunch today, my 4-year-old downed no less than 9 Dino nuggets and an ENTIRE avocado. Growth spurts galore over here y’all!
These bottomless pits have me thinking about upcoming school lunches. This year I need 2 lunches and 3 classroom snacks. Last year, my boys were perfectly happy with school lunch. And I was perfectly happy adding money to their account and not worrying about it. Over the summer though, I quickly realized there is no way the school lunch, even with the pack of Oreos my oldest purchased EVERY.Single.DAY. last year would keep him full.
With the start of school looming less than 2 weeks away, it’s got me perusing Pinterest for some lunchbox ideas. This morning, I came across a helpful tip on my IG feed from @mamawatters of homesong blog. Keeping it simple, she packs 1 main item (like a sandwich), 1 fruit, 1 veggie, 1 savory snack, and 1 sweet snack. So, with this basic idea in mind, today I sat down with my elementary kids and made a plan for packed lunches. My soon to be 1st grader has become pretty picky the last 6 months or so and I wanted to be sure he was going to eat what I buy. Loosely following her tip, we came up with a basic ‘supply list’:
Apples
Clementines
Juice Boxes
Yogurt
Ham
Peanut Butter
Jelly
Bread (or tortillas)
Strawberries
Oreos (I promised!)
Granola bars
Peppers
Cucumbers
Bananas
Pretzels
Other great ideas: Cheese sticks, Applesauce, Dried fruit
Now, many of these items are staples I have in my house all the time. But it helps to have a plan to be sure I know what I need each week. One of the easiest ways to save money on your grocery bill each week is to plan. Dinner planning, specifically, but that also filters down to planning lunches. It’s important to know what you need and what you have so you never run out of the essentials. You also want to be careful not to over-buy. I know many kids decide when they want to pack a lunch based on the hot lunch menu options. So be sure to go over the menu with your children each week to know just how many days you’ll need to plan to pack! While planning, also keep in mind whether your lunches or classroom snacks need to be nut-free, based on your school/teacher requirements. Your allergy parents will thank you!
Speaking of money-saving, allow me to interject with another money-saving tip: avoid pre-packaged snacks when possible. Although I haven’t really tracked my grocery spending in detail, I believe this is one of the biggest ways I keep my grocery bill down. I know for a fact if I have chips (particularly the individual bags) or fruit snacks on hand, that’s literally ALL my kids will eat. So, I don’t buy them – out of sight, out of mind. I usually just purchase full-size bags of chips to go as a side-dish to my super healthy meal options (sloppy joes, hot dogs, you get the idea), and they snack (i.e. devour) what’s left over. When buying lunchbox items in bulk, you can also purchase reusable zip bags, which will also save you money in the long-run over the plastic baggies. Some are even dishwasher safe! One last tip - save the individual drinks for lunches only. At home, I make pitchers of iced tea (ok, sweet tea) or lemonade but usually my kids prefer water anyway!
Despite being a night-owl, I am usually pretty functional in the morning. But realizing that some mornings are better than others, and for those who have to put kids on the bus before the sun rises, it’s helpful to prep the lunches somewhat ahead of time. After all, usually the minions seem to think they should have breakfast in the morning too! Here’s the lowdown on how I plan to purchase and prep some of our essentials:
Granola bars: I am currently on the hunt for a homemade granola bar recipe because I’ve been wanting to try one! Until then, I plan to buy the store-brand in bulk from Costco (they’re delicious!)
Pretzels: By the bag or tub (@Costco), portioned in baggies.
Yogurt: I used to buy GoGurts and freeze them, which also serves as an additional ice pack until lunchtime. This year my kids want full-sized fruit on the bottom yogurts (and they’ll be more filling), so I’ll buy these from Costco also. *$SavingTip: For yogurt at home (breakfast or snacks), purchase large tubs and use the packaged ones only for lunches. This would also apply to applesauce – those little pouches are pricey!
Oreos: large package, portioned by twos in baggies.
Sandwiches: Although I will probably make/assemble sandwiches the morning of, or night before, it is possible to make-ahead and freeze sandwiches. For a guideline, click HERE. For fresh PBJ sammies, spread the peanut butter on both sides of bread, and layer jelly in-between to avoid soggy bread! $SavingTip: Although super convenient, ditch the pre-packaged PBJ sandwiches (if the convenience is worth the extra, purchase in bulk and freeze to save!)
So there you have it: the plan. I completely realize these lunchbox ideas lack creativity. But the best lunches can be basic – if they’ll eat it and keep their tummies full – I don’t care 😊 I do plan to interject some more fun ideas I’ve come across HERE, once we get back in the swing of school. And I may even try some fun ideas for hot lunch using a thermos- I’m sure you won’t want to miss it!
Stay tuned for my next post where I put a fun idea into play with my complete fridge and pantry reorganization. Until then, I’ll just be over here trying to keep the kids from starving!