Hello school lunches!

It’s that time of year again, after 6 months of having the kids at home full-time, we are back to making school lunches. 🍎

I thought it would be fun to give you some fresh inspo (trust me I need the refresher too, lol.) My kids don’t love sandwiches, so I only send them once a week, and the other days I try to mix it up. Here’s a few things Capri and I have done so far:

1. Picked out a new lunch bag and box.

So far we love the Yumbox Bento Boxes, which has designated compartments that serve as a great reminder on how to pack a balanced lunch.

2. Get the kids involved in setting a schedule for the week.

Monday- sandwiches. Tuesday- quesadilla/Mexican. Wed is normally “hot foods day” at school but not sure how that will go this term. Thurs- wrap and roll. Friday-Italian/pasta.

3. Try to find the balance in the extra snacks that get sent.

They already understand the importance of the fruit/veg choices and they get to pick one “treat”- and this is normally a Made Good Foods bar. Or something homemade. I try and only send one packaged item per day but I’m flexible and reasonable on this too. Here are a few easy & healthy snacks that are school-friendly:

Homemade Granola Bars

Easy Trail Mix

4. I only send foods that they’ve eaten at home in the past.

Familiarity creates comfort and when they are eating away from home there will be a better chance of them actually eating what’s sent if they know and like it.

5. And whatever they don’t eat at lunch, they eat in the car on the way home.

For some reason, Luca always tells me he didn’t have time – however upon supervising school lunches in the past, his social skills could be the reason there is no time for lunch. In my opinion the sandwich tastes way better at noon than 3 pm. Lol.!

If your kids love to dip, my cookbook This Kitchen is for Dancing has some really delicious options – the creamy butter bean dip in my option is SO good! As well the book has loads of muffins, loaves and energy bite options.

Parents and students – we can do this!

xo,
Karlene