Packing Lunches

I'm not going to call this a school lunch post, because it goes well beyond school lunches for us. We pack lunches a lot. For my kids' schools, my husband's work, and for just being out and about. This goes for dinner too but especially during lunchtime, my kids really prefer a lot of different options. So I aim to have 4-5 different items in their lunch boxes. We use bento style containers so they make it easier to pack and keep items separated. And bonus points, less containers to wash!

Today's lunches included:

For the husband: peanut butter and jelly sandwich, a banana, red pepper strips and cucumber slices, and cheese and crackers.

For the oldest daughter: a pita sandwich with hummus, cucumbers, and olives, rainbow carrots, red pepper strips, beet and chocolate chip mini muffin, strawberries, and a piece of cheddar cheese. Popcorn for snack.

For the youngest daughter (who is going on a picnic playdate): cucumber and lebni (kefir cheese spread) in a mini pita, hummus with red pepper strips, rainbow carrots, applesauce pouch (organic Kirkland brand)

As mentioned in a previous post, the biggest predictor in whether or not I stress over lunches is how prepared I am.

Things we keep on hand for lunches:
Mini muffins in the freezer (usually apple/carrot, beet, or zucchini)
Raw veggies, washed and cut up in a container in the fridge (favorites are bell pepper strips and cucumbers)
Hummus (organic options at Whole Foods and Costco are our favorites)
Fresh fruit, washed and/or sliced (oranges, grapefruit, papaya, mango, berries, kiwi are favorites)
(Pre)boiled eggs, kept in a separate bowl in the fridge so there's no confusion!
Energy bites (recipe to come!)
Cheese
Crackers
Large container of plain yogurt
Popcorn

Having these items ready when I'm packing lunches the evening before is so helpful and makes it seem like less of a chore! There are other things that go in the lunches, but these are the frequently packed items. My older daughter goes to a  school with a cafeteria but the lunch options leave a lot to be desired. She does like buying every now and then so we allow her 1-2 times per month. On those days, I make sure her snacks and dinner are vegetable-heavy! Every once in a while, leftovers go in the lunches. Those times are rare, though more often for my husband than the girls. I tend to eat the leftovers for my lunch more often than not. Happy packing!