Back to School Lunches

Back to School Lunches

Its that time of year again- kids are getting ready to go back to school and us parents are scrambling to buy school supplies, meet the teachers and figure out what to pack our kiddos for lunch. Packing a lunch for our child is like sending them to school with a little piece of home, its a great way to incorporate some thoughtful reminders for our child how loved and cared for they are. Some tips for approaching this task:

• Include your child in the meal planning, Sit down once a week and ask them for their input on what they would like in their lunch box. This will help avoid wasting food.

• Leave an encouraging note in your kids lunch box or write a simple funny joke. It really is the small things that can have a positive impact on your children.

• Let your kids pick out their very own lunch box- this will help them feel confident about carrying it around all day

• Consider purchasing bento style food containers- these containers are reusable and have little compartments you can put different types of food in. Right now Costco has some affordable containers you can purchase.

Here is some inspiration on what you could potentially pack for your kiddo:

Lunch 1:

• Chicken Salad sandwich pack the bread separate to avoid a soggy sandwich

• Sliced apples with homemade caramel or peanut butter or almond butter

• Bag of cookies ( our favorite brand is MadeGood because it is allergy friendly or if you happen to have a homemade treat that’s even better!)

Lunch 2:

• Mini Naan Breads ( Can be purchased at Costco at a very affordable price)

• Hummus, carrots, olives, beef salami, cheese to be eaten with the Naan bread

• Grapes (sliced in half depending on the age of you child)

• Chocolate Hummus and Strawberries for a sweet treat

Lunch 3:

• Mini Naan Breads, marinara, mozzarella, pepperoni

• Fruit salad consisting of strawberries, blueberries, raspberries and frozen cherries with a dollop of coconut whip cream.

Remember to keep it simple and not make packing lunches more complicated than it needs to be. The goal is to make sure our children have a healthy fulfilling lunch while they are away from us. Make sure to pack extra snacks for them to enjoy throughout the day. If you have a kiddo with lots of allergies/food sensitivities like me then make it a point to go to Sprouts or Whole Foods with them to let them pick out some special snacks to help them get excited for the new school year.

-VD