Kids are back to school, which means parents are back to packing lunches. Whether you go all out with your kiddo’s lunches or are lucky to have a sandwich made and out the door in time, you’re doing a great job MOM!
Here are some simple things that can help making lunch a bit easier in your already busy schedule.
Pack the night before. To make the morning rush less hectic, have lunch ready to go in the refrigerator. Bonus: While cleaning the kitchen, have your child or high schooler pack up their lunch (4 year olds and up are great dishwashers).
Use leftovers. Make a sandwich out of that chicken you just made for dinner so cleaning up is a breeze and you don’t have to worry about the tupperware taking up space in the refrigerator.
Cookie Cutters. Surprise your kid with a new shape each day. You can have fun with cutting out those PB&J sandwiches into a cute puppy dog or butterfly. You can even write a note to go with the theme like “Be a Star” with a star-shaped piece of watermelon.
Bento Boxes! This is a must have for school lunches. Bento boxes have small compartments that help keep the food separated and also an easy-to-see layout on what you are sending to school for your kid’s meal. Some bento boxes even have the labels that tell you what to place in each box so you don’t miss an important food group. Helpful Hint: Invest in 2 of them so you can have a clean one ready to go when you make lunch and get ahead for the next day.
All in all, do not stress about your kid’s lunches. Pre-plan your week and involve your child in the packing process. However, when in doubt, you can always bring your kiddo lunch and sit with them in the cafeteria (it will make your kid feel like a rockstar to show you off to their friends). Save time and energy, and invest in a couple of lunch boxes or bento boxes, so you can have a clean one ready to go when you make lunch and you don’t have to wait to clean it to get ahead for the next day.