Meal prep
Is a hot trend right now, and it applies to school lunches as well! When you’re getting all those clothes together for the week, you and the kids can take some time to get a head start on the week’s lunches.
Have them portion out some snacks like crackers, dried fruit, etc. in snack-sized ziploc bags for each day of the week and keep them in their own basket in the pantry or cabinet. Fruits and veggies that keep well, like grapes, celery, and carrots can also be portioned out ahead of time and placed in a special bin in the refrigerator for the week ahead.
Each night while you’re making dinner (or eating delivery pizza) the kids can pack non-perishable items in their lunchboxes and help make sandwiches or other main dishes for the next day. They can even help by cutting out their sandwiches in fun shapes with cookie cutters or put peanut butter or salad dressing in a small container for dipping veggies.
Any way the kids can safely help is fun for them and makes the process easier for us!
And don’t forget – making and freezing an extra batch of waffles, pancakes, or healthy muffins on a Sunday morning is a great way to solve the problem of making sure they eat something before school.