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I don’t know about you but figuring out how to pack and what to include in my kid’s lunch is harder than my toughest meetings and tasks at work. Waking up early or staying up late to prepare the lunch without a plan can really put strain on your daily tasks and busy schedule. If you make a daily lunch or occasional lunch for your kids, I wanted to share some tips to help support you on your lunch preparations.
Lunch Boxes
What lunch box should I buy? A big hit recently has been the bento box style lunch containers. The bento box is typically a rectangular box with various compartments for food. They can range from two to three segments up to six or greater with multiple levels, which allows for different types of food and freshness and preventing waste through storage bags.
At Modern Dad Survival, for our kid’s lunch box we recommend a lunch bag, bento box lunch box and attached thermos or water bottle. This allows you room for both food and drink.
Here is an option at Amazon (there are several others in various sizes and colors) that includes the bento box, water bottle and lunch bag (which can hold additional items outside of the bento box):
Kids Lunch Ideas
If your kids are anything like mine, they like their lunch one day and its all gone when they come home but then the next day the items in the lunch box are half eaten because they are bored of the same thing day to day. My wife and I like to mix up the lunch’s each week, which sounds like a lot of work, but if you plan it makes for an easy prep.
At home we break down our kids’ lunches into three categories: Main Course, Sides and Dessert (try to limit dessert to one or two days a week – sometime easier said than done). On Saturday or Sunday when purchasing our groceries, we plan to select two to three items from each category to then prepare for the lunches for the upcoming week. This keeps lunch more spontaneous and different for the kids each week. Here are a few ideas for the various categories:
Main Course Ideas
- Deli Meat (Turkey, Ham, Roast Beef) w/ Bread (optional)
- Quesadilla (Usually plain cheese (veg option))
- Peanut Butter and Jelly
- Hummus w/side of Pretzel or Carrots (optional veg)
Side Ideas
- Pre-packed Chips/Pretzels (various options for prepackaged)
- Opportunity to save if you buy a larger bag and put into bento box or sandwich bag
- Vegetables (Carrots, Broccoli, Cauliflower)
- Apple Sauce or Fruit Cups (will need a spoon unless a squeeze pouch)
- Fresh Fruit (We do alot of cut strawberries and cantaloupe)
- Mixed Nuts/Almonds
Dessert Ideas
- Granola Bar
- Pre-packed Desserts (Brownies, Cookies, Cakes)
- Fruit Snacks
- Handful of Marshmallows or Chocolate Chips
What is your Kids Lunch Box preparation routine? What type of lunch box do you use? Is buying school lunch a better option? We would love to hear your thoughts, let us know in the comments and follow up on Twitter!
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