Back to School: Packed Lunches They’ll Love

Has the first week back to school taken its toll – on you as much as it has them? We don’t blame you for feeling that way. With shirts to iron, shoes to polish and labels to add to their clothing, there’s certainly lots to do – and that’s before you even start to think about preparing their packed lunches. It all seems one, long conveyor belt of tasks, doesn’t it?

So how can you ensure at least one thing goes smoothly – their packed lunches? With our top tips, you’ll be creating winning school lunches and saving yourself a bit of time, too. Here’s what we recommend.

Get the Kids Involved

If your kids are old enough, there’s absolutely no reason why they can’t help prepare their own packed lunch. Sandwiches are simple to make for even novice mini chefs, so teach them the basics and leave them to it. That way, if they’ve made their lunch themselves, they can hardly complain that they didn’t like it!

Use Your Freezer

Always running out of bread? Whack a few loaves in the freezer at the end of the week, taking one out to defrost, as and when you need it. You can also freeze other packed lunch essentials, with many that don’t need thawing.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Try Soup

There are plenty of other things to pop into a packed lunch than plain, old sandwiches. Why not get your kids involved in cooking up a huge batch of soup with you, then you can simply freeze it and use it when you need it, warming it up and adding it to a flask for them to enjoy later. It’s the perfect treat to warm the cockles when the darker days set in.

Or How About Pasta?

The BBC Good Food site has a great recipe for pasta, which uses up all your store cupboard essentials – take a look at it here. Will you be giving this a try next week?

And If They Won’t Eat Fruit…

…think of creative ways to make it more fun. We love these choco-dipped tangerines, for instance, which will help wean them off the junk they’ve been having over the summer and gradually get them into enjoying their five-a-day again.

You can also mimic their favourite snack – crisps – with this sweet potato variety you can make at home. If you plan to get a few lunch box essentials prepared over the weekend, all you’ll need to think about is packing them up when Monday rolls around.

Looking for some more inspiration? The Kithn site has plenty, with ideas for kids and adults. Head over to the site to see the neatest-looking lunch boxes you’ve probably ever seen – and do let us know if you’ll be trying any of these ideas yourself.

Want to share some of your own packed lunch ideas? If so, why not leave a comment on this blog post? Alternatively, you can join the conversation on Facebook. Plus, make sure you pick up more food-related hints and tips right here on our blog.

Until next time…