We’re halfway through the school year. Are your children starting to drown in peanut butter sandwiches and pretzels in their school lunch? A few years ago, our former Editor-in-Chief shared her tips, tricks, and recipes for beating those mid-year lunch packing blues.
I once did the math on how many school lunches I was going to have to pack for my two daughters before they’re both old enough to make their own lunches. The total number wasn’t pretty and I’ve never been more thankful for the Mom Brain that allowed me to promptly forget that figure. Usually, I’m full of easy, quick ideas that my kids love, but this time of year, I start to lose my mojo completely and resort to carrots, pretzels (which, in our house, constitutes as junk food; the horror), and cream cheese and jelly sandwiches. Every. Single. Day. To combat this first world problem, I’ve come up with some varied, healthy tips and tricks that don’t take much time and stay within my standards of healthy.
First, keep it simple. Sure, it may be appealing to go all Super Parent on your kids and make amazing Harry Potter inspired creations out of yogurt covered raisins and banana chips, but let’s get real. I’m a huge fan of Lunchbox Dad (his Harry Potter madness is pictured on the left), and love seeing his works of lunchtime art, but I’m just not that dedicated (seriously, though, check out his creations; the man is genius). When you’re doing your grocery shopping, make sure to pick up a few healthy standards like carrots, cucumbers, string cheese, oranges, trail mix, and any kind of packable fruits or vegetables that your kids love. These are fantastic fillers when you’re struggling to even things out; they should always be on your weekly shopping list.
Special Tip: if your kids are lukewarm on raw vegetables, consider including a healthy “dip” with their carrot sticks. Never forgetting my Midwestern roots, I often make my own version of “ranch dip” (16 oz organic full fat sour cream, 1 tsp dried parsley, 1 tsp dried dill, 1 tsp garlic powder, 1 tsp onion powder, 1 tsp pepper, 1⁄4 tsp salt; mix well) and include it in a small container right in my kids’ lunch boxes. I generally have all these ingredients on hand, so it’s mindlessly easy and the girls love it.
Next, leftovers make great lunches. This may seem really simple, but it was years before the switch flipped in my brain on this one. Now, I live by this rule, and often structure our family dinners around it. When I give the kids leftovers for lunch, we literally pack their lunch boxes as we’re cleaning the kitchen up after dinner. Some of my favorite “lunch box” dinner options are homemade spaghetti and meatballs, veggie stir fry and homemade mac ‘n’ cheese. Worried your kids won’t eat these meals if they’re not piping hot at lunchtime? Don’t sweat it. Pack the leftovers straight out of the fridge and they’ll be room temp by the time they’re sitting down with their classmates to eat. Besides, have you ever known your kiddos to eat any meal while it’s still piping hot on their plate? They’ll be fine.
Straight from the freezer works, too! There are so many awesome lunch-appropriate meals that come right out of my freezer and into their lunch boxes and they’re always a hit. Do you ever have the luxury of making pancakes on the weekends? Make a double batch of your favorite variety and freeze the leftovers. In the morning (or the night before if you’re that organized), just pull those pancakes out of the freezer and pack them for lunch! You can simply throw them into the lunch box or (my personal favorite) make pancake sandwiches with them. My kids love cream cheese and blueberry jelly on theirs and once you get over the weirdness of making a sandwich with pancakes that are still frozen, these are a revelation. This is our go to pancake recipe from 100 Days of Real Food, complete with freezing instructions.
Another great “straight from the freezer” option that carries over from weekend breakfast endeavors is the egg “muffin cup” (pictured), which is mind-numbingly simple. The recipe is easy: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix together 8 eggs, 1/2 c of water, and any meat, chopped vegetable, cheese combination you like. Pour into greased muffin tin and bake for 15 minutes. Our favorite version of these muffins is broccoli, chopped Applegate ham, and feta cheese. These are versatile, healthy, and thaw easily in your child’s lunchbox so they’re practically perfect when it’s time to eat. They’re also a fantastic “anchor” in a school lunch, easily rounded out with string cheese, some carrots and fresh fruit.
Finally, the lunch box you use matters. This may seem a little materialistic, but, for me, half the school lunch battle was having the right lunch boxes to pack. I tried lots of different options over the years before I settled on my favorite. We are died hard devotees of PlanetBox‘s Rover lunch box, but there are also other fabulous, eco-friendly options out there like YumBox, LunchBots, U-Konserve, and more. If you can, get rid of those plastic sandwich bags and nearly-disposable Ziploc brand divided containers, and try one of the more sustainable options. You’ll only make the purchase once per child (my children have been told they will be carrying their PlanetBoxes until high school), and you’ll rest easy knowing your kids are eating out of healthier glass or stainless steel products that won’t end up in a landfill tomorrow.
If you’re looking for additional school lunch packing inspiration, I worship at the alter of Lisa Leake from 100 Days of Real Food and Catherine McCord of Weelicious. These ladies have been guiding my hand every step of the way for years. Bookmark their websites, follow them on social media and thank me later.
Happy Lunching, Mamas & Papas!
Mollie Michel is a South Philly resident and a Philadelphia public school parent. A recovering non-profit professional, Mollie is also an experienced birth doula, Certified Lactation Counselor, and the mom of two awesome girls and a sweet pit bull named Princess Cleopatra. In her spare time, she is usually trying to figure out how Pinterest works, training for a(nother) half-marathon with her dog at her side, or simply trying to keep up with her increasingly wily daughters.