Back to School
Our kids go to school about 180 days each year, which means you’re packing 180 lunches, more if you have multiple children. Luckily, there are plenty of healthy and delicious lunch choices for kids. Here you’ll find inspiration and a few helpful tips that will make packing kids’ lunches an easy task instead of a dreaded chore.
Leftovers Make Life Easier
Protein that can be eaten without utensils is perfect for school lunches, so make a double (or triple) batch for dinner and pack leftovers for lunch. Think chicken breasts and drumsticks, meatballs, skewers, meatloaf and sliced steak.
Maintain a Running List
It’s amazing how easy it is to blank out each week when it’s time to write a shopping list for school lunches. Here’s a simple trick: Make a list of lunches that you know your kids will eat and keep the list on your refrigerator at all times. Simply refer to your lunch list each week for lunch planning (instead of getting overwhelmed on Pinterest).
Keep the Sides Simple
If you have time to make homemade snacks, awesome! But there’s no reason to feel guilty if you don’t. Simple, whole foods are the healthiest and easiest option for school lunches. Fresh fruit, raw veggies, nuts, beef jerky, olives, cheese, and unsweetened yogurt are all delicious options you can stock up on each week. For variety, include dip for fruit (like almond butter or coconut butter) and/or dip for veggies (hummus, salsa, guacamole).
7 Lunch Box Menus
- Chicken drumsticks + yogurt w/ strawberries + Green Beans
Variations: Chicken breast instead of drumsticks
- Meatball & Cherry Tomato Skewers + Blueberries + Carrot Sticks
Variations: Add small mozzarella balls to the skewers
- Smoked Salmon + Avocado + rice
- Chicken/Turkey Deli Meat, cheese, & cucumber sandwich + broccoli &hummus + sweet potato fries
- Protein Pancake Sandwiches Filled with Nut Butter + Fresh Fruit + yogurt
- tortilla chips & Guacamole + beef jerkey + sliced bell peppers
- Sliced Steak + Mozzarella Cheese Sticks + Dark Chocolate + Nuts
Variations: Put steak on skewers with roasted vegetables; pack guacamole for dipping; apple slices & peanut butter instead of dark chocolate and nuts
How do these lunches compare with your current routine? Do you have any Ideas to add for kids’ (or adults’!) lunch options? Share your favorite suggestions on the Sycamore CrossFit Facebook page or through the HSN app.
Keep working hard and rocking parenthood!
Coach Chris