5 Simple Lunch Packing Tips

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We definitely are in a routine now that we’re a few months into my son’s first year of kindergarten. It’s a bit more exhausting than I anticipated now that he’s going full day, but it’s also exciting to see him grow and so eager to learn. These tips are mostly geared toward school-age children, but could also benefit adults and help them simplify lunch packing too! So this is for anyone who needs to pack a lunch and help simplify their life!

5 SIMPLE ways to pack lunches

1. Buy pre-packaged foods like these Horizon® Squeeze Pouches and Horizon® Kids Aseptic Milk Boxes. My kids have already requested that we bring them on play dates and eat them for breakfast. And if you can’t tell by the picture below E couldn’t wait to get home to try a squeeze pouch!
   

   E ended up enjoying the pouch, he’s just hesitant taste testing new foods 🙂

2. Organize your refrigerator and a shelf specifically for lunches – it saves time not having to look in several cabinets for lunch items.
3. Keep lunch items simple! Before this school year began, I remember seeing a TON of school lunch ideas on Pinterest, well it was enough to make a mom extremely stressed out! Stick with what your kids like and what you feed them at home. Of course, variety is great but not to the extent that you need to go overboard and spend way too much time making lunch.
   

   Favorites in our house: peanut butter and jelly and turkey and cheese sandwiches, hummus and raw veggies, cheese slices along with squeeze pouches and single-serve milk boxes.

4. Get your kids involved in making their own lunches. Not only do kids feel empowered when they can do something themselves, but they are much more likely to eat the food they pack for themselves. My 5 year old LOVES making his own lunch. So if you have any older kids, get them on board to help with lunch prep!
   
   
5. Use leftovers or combine several snacks to make a lunch. A definition of a “meal” is an act or the time of eating a portion of food to satisfy appetite (according to www.merriam-webster.com). So to keep it simple use leftovers from the night before, grab several snacks that you child loves and you’re done!

Currently at many Walmart stores you can find the Horizon® single-serve milk boxes with the Peanut characters on them (since The Peanuts Movie is coming out November 6th to theaters!). My kids were a little bummed that I couldn’t find the Peanuts packaging since they are just starting to learn the Peanuts characters.

Look for the squeeze pouches in the canned fruit/vegetable aisle and the milk boxes in the water/juice/drink mixes aisle.

If you or your child would like to do some taste testing, Walmart will be having demos of the Horizon® squeeze pouches between 11/5/2015 – 11/8/2015. Check out this link for participating stores.

Dietitian’s Dish

You all know that I love dairy products and feeding my family dietitian-approved foods, well the Horizon® milk boxes have 8 grams of protein per box and of course are an excellent source of calcium. They also come in chocolate and vanilla flavors for variety. The Horizon® squeeze pouches come in three flavors (Mixed Berry, Strawberry, and Orange), contain 5 grams of protein and are also an excellent source of calcium. 

I hope my tips save a little bit of your sanity when making lunches! What are some of your time-saver tips for making lunches?

This 5 Simple Lunch Packing Tips post first appeared on Chocolate Slopes.

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