Today was the kid’s first day back to school. And as much as I tried to talk the whole thing up, there were still some somber faces this morning. I guess summer went by quicker than they would’ve liked.
I wasn’t even my usual jubilant back to school self. I got quite used to sleeping in and not worrying about homework or packing lunches. Even though I’ll get a lot more work done around the house, just as much work boomerangs back with back to school tasks.
But the bus cometh if you are ready or not. So, yesterday we got busy packing up backpacks and preparing school lunches.
As I’ve shared before, I do a lot of work ahead of time in order to make packing lunches easier. So, when Glad approached me to write about how I’d use their products, I was more than happy to share a glimpse into my kid’s lunch boxes.
In an attempt to steer clear of sandwich fatigue, I’m picking lunch ideas that can be easily whipped up in batches and stored in individual containers that each kid can grab out of the fridge and toss in their lunch box.
The two Glad Food Storage products you see above are the ideal sizes for my family. The Entree and Small Snack sizes are just perfect for so many different lunch items.
A simple thing you can do to make a very nutritious meal is to cook a batch of pasta just til al dente. Put it in your fridge and use it as a pasta salad over the next several days.
The beautiful thing about pasta salad is that you can put just about anything in it. Perfect for picky little eaters. It’s also a great way to utilize leftovers.
The salad I made above was very simple. Some feta, tuna, red pepper, and a splash of olive oil with a sprinkle of kosher salt. I also sliced up some basil from my garden and placed it on top.
Now, not all of my kids love this combination of ingredients, but this recipe makes it easy to leave things out or add things in for the picky eater of the family. There’s always one, isn’t there?
I used the Small Snack containers for a modified Caprese salad. A simple side dish of grape tomatoes, cubes of fresh mozzarella, basil and a little olive oil.
I’m really lucky that my kids are veggie lovers. I know that not all kids are. Another non-sandwich lunch idea is hummus and crackers. Or if your kids are veggie eaters, hummus and veggies. My kids are big dippers, so that will be making an appearance in their lunch boxes later this week.
I really think the key to making lunch packing easier is advanced prep. Washing produce, chopping it all up, making large batch recipes that can be divided up over several days and having a variety of different foods on hand makes things a whole lot easier on school days.
For some more lunchtime inspiration, be sure to visit Glad’s Mom Made Facebook page. There’s a bunch of great recipes and tips on how to make packing lunches easier.
Also, if you share your own back to school recipes, tips and ideas on the Mom Made promotion page, you’ll have the chance to win a lunch kit for your kid’s entire class!
How about you? Are you a do it ahead type or a toss it together in the morning type? Do you have any anti-sandwich kids in your house?
I have partnered with The Glad Products Company through DailyBuzz Moms to help promote their Food Storage products. I have been compensated for my time commitment to review this product. However, my opinions are entirely my own and I have not been paid to publish positive comments. Thank you GLAD!
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I was just asking Katie Workman on Twitter yesterday if her Chickpea Poppers would be good lunch packing food and she confirmed they are. So I’m definitely planning to add them to my list of for-school-foods as I get ready to send my first one off.
He is still in the foods-don’t-touch phase, so having everything in a separate container is a big deal. And heaven no he won’t eat a sandwich. So yup, lots of separately packaged veggies and fruit and nuts.
Those chickpea poppers are just perfect for school lunches. I need to make a few batches myself. Yummy and super nutritious! We used to send nuts to school, but now there are too many allergy issues, so we just eliminated that from our lunch boxes. I can never remember who is in a peanut free classroom. I get confused easily.
Great post Melanie! I use the Glad containers for lunches and lots of storage of canned items once opened and easily stacked and identified in the fridge. I love your pic of your daughter hamming it up in the school bus window. Too funny! LoL!
Thanks, but I’m not entirely sure she was joking around….
I don’t pack lunches (no kids here!) but I have often wanted to pre-cook for the week (or most of it anyway) on Sunday. I was wondering if you have any ideas on what to cook that will last from Sunday to Saturday. I do utilize those Glad containers but always have a feeling by day 4 or so that the freshness has worn off. Am I doing something wrong? I swear I see people chopping up food on Pinterest for the whole week all the time. Thoughts?
Well, I’m a firm believer in the 3 day rule. I keep nothing cut/cooked/processed in the fridge for more than three days. But that’s just me. I do freeze stuff though. You could chop things like onions and peppers and toss them in the freezer. I also make spaghetti sauce ahead of time and freeze that too. There are all kinds of blogs out there that discuss freezer meals. Just do a google search and be prepared to read for hours. There’s lots of good stuff out there on that topic!
annabelle (my 7 yr old) will eat just about anything we give her. she got used to hot lunches in germany though and does prefer them. we kinda plan ahead (write down things for about two weeks but not exactly what days) and she picks the night before.
tomorrow is her first day and in her goodbyn bynto, she will have egg salad, crackers, raisins, applesauce, and a yoohoo!
Ooh, that sounds like a lunch I would even eat. How cool to live in Germany. Are you still there now?
Thanks Melanie! I agree – after three days it just doesn’t work for me anymore! I can do the freezer thing (not sure why it never crosses my mind!) I appreciate it!
What a great idea! I forget that my kids eat caprese salad at DINNER! What a great presentation for lunch too!
Thank you! It’s such a great lunch option. It holds up well and tastes so good.
I miss the old site… seems like the new venture is more product reviews and contests (6 of the last 10 entries)… bring back your awesome recipes and funny stories!
I’m sorry you feel that way Cori.
I’ve been working very hard to bring good content to this site. Giveaways and reviews were a huge part of the old site, and my editorial content is very similar. I hope you stick around to give it a chance. Thanks for your feedback.