I have created a list of Back to School Lunch Ideas to Make your Morning Routine a Breeze!
The chef and type A in me knows I need to be prepared to face the mornings in a more organized planned manner.
Where did summer go? I feel like I was just sending my little girl off to kindergarten and now we are getting ready to start a new school year! It is hard to believe the kids will back to school next week!
I must say I am excited for my kids to go back to school. I am looking forward to going back to our normal routine. Although this means having a busier schedule and spending more time driving kids back and forth to extra-curricular activities, I like the structure that comes with the school calendar.
Besides the excitement of meeting the new teachers and the joy of seeing my kids involved with their friends and school, I know the first days of school can be a little stressful.
Getting back to the morning routine is definitely challenging.
Here are a few ways I try to make my life easier by being prepared before school starts:
Prepare some of our favorite breakfast staples.
Opt for items that can be frozen and easily re-heated to save time in the morning.
A few of our favorites are:
- Chocolate chip pancakes
- Zucchini quiche
- 21 whole grain French Toast
Plan lunch box ideas ahead of time.
I find it helpful to add lunch box ideas to my weekly meal plan prep. This alleviates the stress of trying to figure out the menu the morning of, when I am preparing breakfast, making sure kids get dressed, brush their teeth and be out the door by 8:00am.
Post your lunch box ideas in the kitchen:
By having the list of ideas or menu posted in the kitchen, I can just read the list and decide what to add to their lunch boxes. My kids are 6 and 3 so I usually decide what goes in their lunch, but if I had older kids, the list would help them decide what they want for lunch.
The lunch boxes we use have different sections which help me plan the menu by adding:
- Protein
- Veggies
- Fruit
- Starch
- treat
A few items I like to rotate on the menu are:
- Protein: hard boiled eggs, grilled or shredded chicken, cold cuts, beef or turkey sticks, cheese, tofu (my kids don’t eat tuna or peanut butter but those are great options too). My kids don’t mind cold chicken fingers, so when we make them at home, I will send them to school the next day.
- Starch: pasta, couscous, quinoa, chickpeas, popcorn (I like to use mini popcorn kernels), hummus, corn, crackers, french toast, mini pretzels, etc.
- Fruit: In any form. My kids love freeze dried fruit as well as fresh fruit.
- Veggies: fresh, roasted or and freeze dried
- treat: granola bar, mini muffin, crepes, dark chocolate, raisins, gummies, mini marshmallows
Here are a few lunch ideas to inspire you to get back in the kitchen and create a colorful and fun lunch for your kiddos.
Involve your kids
I try to involve my children by asking them for ideas when I am planning the lunch for the week. If they wake up when I am making their lunch and they want to help, they take part in preparing their lunch.
I hope these tips can help you make the first week back to school experience a little less stressful so you enjoy the milestone your children are reaching.
We can do this mama!
