As kids return to school, moms are looking for ways to make lunches fun! From cool lunchboxes to hot food and cold drinks, there are thousands of new technologies, products and creative suggestions to make food more appetizing for kids. Kelly Lester, the creator of www.EasyLunchboxes.com shares some great tips for making lunches your kids will love.
Recipes for Honey and Lunchboxes
Peanut Butter & Honey Silly Sushi Roll-ups: http://www.honey.com/recipes/detail//peanut-butter-honey-silly-sushi-roll-ups
Honey Sesame Chicken Nuggets: http://www.honey.com/recipes/detail/12/honey-sesame-chicken-nuggets
Honey Turkey Rollers: http://www.honey.com/recipes/detail/12/honey-turkey-rollers
Honey Kiwi Raspberry Fruit Dip: http://www.honey.com/foodservice/detail/44/honey-kiwi-raspberry-fruit-dip
Lunch Prep and Packing Tips
Packing a lunch box for school or work isn’t difficult if you have the right tools and a few tips to make things easier. Creative ideas, suggestions, and resources can make the packing almost as fun as the eating.
- Start with the affordable EasyLunchbox System. Pack lunches fast with our single-lid, 3-compartment plastic food containers.
- Gather the foods your family loves as well as a collection of simple recipes. Start with this free .pdf: 30 Days of Lunchbox Meals, courtesy of FamilyFreshCooking.com, or visit our recipe resources page for even more ideas.
- Instead of an ice block, place a frozen juice box or water bottle in the lunchbag. It’ll keep the food chilled and will be thawed by lunchtime.
- Put the frozen drink or ice block in an old sock to absorb “sweating” if there is too much moisture. (This occurs more often in humid climates.)
- Flatten the cooler bag and put it in the fridge to chill before loading the lunches. They’ll stay cooler even longer!
- Fill a thermos with boiling water to heat the core for a few minutes. Spill out the water just before you fill the thermos with soup or an entree. The thermos is now hot and ready for your hot food, and will stay that way longer.
- You can put yogurt in one of our container compartments and keep it from leaking out if you cut a square of wax paper (must be larger than the compartment) and place it over that section before pushing the lid down securely. We do not recommend this for foods with a lot of watery liquid, however. For runny dips or dressings, consider purchasing our reusable Mini Dipper leak-resistant containers or even disposable sauce or dressing containers to fit into the main compartment.
- Pack antibacterial wet wipes so your kids can clean their hands before and after eating. OR, clip a little container of hand sanitizer in the grommet on the EasyLunchbox cooler bag!
- Remove odors from a lunch box by placing inside a slice of bread that has been soaked in white distilled vinegar. Leave overnight.
- Include a note to say good luck on a test or “I love you.” Or maybe a silly cartoon you found in the newspaper. Your child will know you’re thinking of them, and may even surprise you with a note somewhere unexpected!
Ideas to get started:
- How about a “Comment Card” with lunch? Get feedback from the ones who matter most! FREE downloadable and tutorial HERE.
- Make a vinyl note pocket on your cooler bag to include your notes, comment card, or pretty picture. FREE tutorial HERE.
- Freeze a squeezable yogurt tube and include that with lunch for a sweet and healthy treat.
- Go for variety. Make sandwiches using whole grain tortillas, bagels, hot dog rolls, pitas, or flat bread. You can even cut the crusts off bread and make the sandwich into fun shapes using a cookie cutter.
- Kids love to dip! Pack salsa, hummus, yogurt or salad dressing to dunk their sandwich, veggies or fruit into.
- Bite-sized and mini versions of regular foods like sandwiches work well for small appetites and are more likely to be eaten.
- Click HERE for 52 more lunch packing ideas from some of BABBLE’s top mom food bloggers.
- Be sure to visit all our different LUNCH GALLERIES for 100s of packed meal ideas.
- AND DON’T MISS: Packing with EasyLunchboxes – all your questions answered!
- How to Keep Bento and Cute Lunches Neat until Lunchtime
Bento bloggers share their tips for keeping cute lunches cute even after you close the lid. - What to do with Leftover Bento Scraps
Great ideas for all the leftover food scraps created by cutting shapes from cheese, meats, veggies, bread…
Nutrition and Healthy Living Resources
- Teach Your Child to Love Healthy Food
Practical tips to teach your young child to love vegetables, fruit, whole grains and other healthy food. - 50 Best Child Nutrition Blogs
These blogs will teach you the basics of good nutrition for kids. - 50 Best Snacks for Your Child’s Backpack
Snacks and snack ideas that fit into the lifestyles of all types of active kids - Healthy Eating Games by Nourish Interactive
The fun way to learn about nutrition! Free educational games that empower children to make healthy choices - Lunchtaker Inspiration for fresh, healthy lunches
- Your Ultimate Shelf Life Guide Save Money, Eat Better, Help The Environment
- It’s Not About Nutrition The Art & Science of Teaching Kids to Eat Right
- KewlBites “Bites” of healthy lifestyle information
- All home Cooking. All Year Long Outrageously delicious meals and snacks w/out processed foods, all on a very low budget
- Healthy-Diet-Mom.com Adventures in healthy eating from a mom who can’t cook
- Raise Healthy Eaters Where parents go for credible nutrition advice
- iLunchBox Healthy recipes for the speed of life