Monday, March 9, 2015

School Lunch Made Easy


Weekday mornings are usually anything but leisurely and every second counts when you are trying to get the kids out the door and off to school.  Here are a few simple ways you can make packing lunches a little easier:

            Prep Work
o   Plan Ahead and Save Yourself Time.  Saving yourself a little time in the mornings is much easier when you plan ahead.  On Sunday evening, fill a shoebox bin or decorative basket with a weeks worth of snacks (applesauce, pretzels, granola bars, etc.) so that you can easily grab the days snacks and toss them into a lunch box.  TIP:  This also makes the perfect snack station for after school.

Reduce, Reuse, Recycle
o   Skip the Packaging.  Reduce the amount of trash lunch generates by choosing self-contained snacks like oranges and apples.  Mandarin oranges are especially perfect for lunch because they are just the right size and very easy to peel.

o   Free Bento Box (kind of).  Packing lunch is much easier when you have the right containers.  Sure, you can go out and spend all sorts of money on lunch containers, but why not just use your leftover takeout boxes?  A divided takeout box is the perfect alternative to a bento box and when washed by hand can easily be reused many times.

Dollar Store Must Have
o   Easy Fridge Organization.  Organizing lunch snacks in the fridge will save you time and is much easier with a small plastic basket or tub from the dollar store.  These small containers are perfect for keeping yogurt, cheese sticks, juice boxes, fruit and veggies organized in the refrigerator. TIP: Pop your squeezable yogurt into the freezer, throw one in the lunch box with your regular ice pack in the morning and by lunch time it will be thawed enough to eat and perfectly cold.


For all of my tips pick up your own copy of my Tips for the Clueless Chick books and follow the Clueless Chick on Facebook and Twitter. 

Until next time,
aka Chick #1