Back to School - Lunch Box Ideas

It is that time of year again.....back to school!  This means it is time to start thinking about school lunches.  I hear the groans, but packing lunches does not have to be a huge pain in the hiney if you plan ahead. 

My 10 year old son does not like the hot lunches at school at all so I get the honor of packing him one every day.  I don't mind though because this way I know what he is eating and if he is getting enough good foods to keep him satisfied and energized throughout the day.  For this reason, I like to try and keep his lunches interesting as well as healthy and nutritious.   I find that I do better when I have a list of ideas on hand to refer to, so I thought I would share these with you as well.  

Here's my list:

Entrees

- sandwiches (PBJ, meat/cheese, tuna, etc) made on bread, tortilla wrap, pita  bread, bagel, mini sub bun
- bagel w. cream cheese
- cheese/crackers/turkey pepperoni
- rolled meat/cheese/large flatbread crackers
- cheese/chicken quesadilla
- pita pizzas (made night before)
- hummus and pita bread
- meat and cheese skewers w. crackers or pita bread
- yogurt parfaits
- pasta salad
- hard boiled eggs
- pizza breadstick w. ranch (Bosco sticks)
- salad - tossed or taco
- muffins - ham/cheese muffin, corn dog muffin
- chicken wings w. ranch
Thermos Entrees
- soup
- chili
- leftover pasta
- chicken nuggets
- baked potato

Sides

- veggies and dip
- fruit - whole, cut up, add dip
- string cheese
- yogurt
- cottage cheese
- apple sauce
- banana bread
- muffin

Snacks

- pudding
- crackers
- granola bar
- protein bar
- trail mix
- animal crackers
- combos
- chex mix
- cereal bar
- raisins
- fruit snacks
- mini rice cakes
- Quaker multi-grain fiber crisps


To make your life even easier, invest in some divided plastic containers to pack the lunch in.  I use the divided Ziploc containers here and they work great.  Save on waste too!  

For more great ideas and divided containers, check out EasyLunchBoxes.com. 

Cold Veggie Pizza

We recently had a party at work for signing a new client.  Since I am one of the people who gets to plan and prepare our party menus, I thought that with the weather getting nicer and summer BBQ's firing up , a dish that is easy to prepare and doesn't require a lot of oven time would be a good one to start with.  I found this recipe a few years back in a Taste of Home cookbook.  It is a great appetizer to serve at a BBQ or to take along to a potluck.

Cold Veggie Pizza

2 tubes (8 oz each) refrigerated crescent rolls
1 cup mayonnaise
1 (8oz) pkg cream cheese, softened
1 tbsp dill weed
2 1/2 cups assorted chopped vegetables (broccoli, bell peppers, carrots, onion, mushrooms, cucumber, radishes, etc)
1/2 cup sliced ripe olives
1 1/2 cups finely shredded cheddar cheese

Unroll the crescent rolls and place on an ungreased 15" x 10" x 1" baking sheet.  Flatten dough to fill the pan, sealing seams and perforations.  Slightly roll up ends and sides to make a small crust.  Bake at 375 degrees for 10 minutes or until golden brown.  Cool.

In a small bowl, beat the mayonnaise, cream cheese and dill until smooth; spread over crust.  Top with the vegetables of your choice.  Sprinkle with olives and cheeses; press lightly.  Cover and chill at least 1 hour.  Cut into squares. 

Yield: 12-15 servings

Note:  I like to chop my veggies pretty small.  I think this allows you to enjoy more flavors and veggies in every bite.  I also think it helps to keep the veggies on the crust after cutting/serving it. 

About Me

I am a happily married mother of 3, including one sweet little angel.  I spend my days balancing a full-time job, home management, management of a hockey team, and trying to better myself in many ways.  I enjoy my crazy, busy life and my quest to become the best woman I can be.  I created this blog to share bits about my life, my love of cooking and life lessons learned with other hard working moms (and dads!).

When life isn’t too crazy, I enjoy camping, reading, trying out new recipes, being creative, planning/hosting parties, photography and spending down time with my husband and kids.

Thanks for stopping by – take a look around….and don’t be a stranger!

My Crazy Wonderful Life

Welcome to my world - things can get pretty crazy here!  Between the kids activities (hockey, gymnastics, swimming, baseball), working a full-time job and coaching and managing a travel hockey team we stay pretty busy....but love every minute of it!  My hope for this blog is to share all of our craziness with you and make some new friends along the way.  C'mon on in and join our party!