School lunch day 6 - making leftovers fun!
I am a big, big fan of leftovers. I don't think I have ever cooked a meal where there was just enough for that meal. While it may be something I enjoy, and it is a labor of love for me - let's be honest, cooking can be a lot of work! So I figure if I am going to do all that work, I am going to make the most of my time and effort. So I always cook extra, and I always try to have an idea for another meal out of what I have cooked.
School lunch day 5 - it's breakfast for lunch day!
Pancake sandwiches are so easy and fun to make. Every Sunday I make a big family breakfast, and usually include either pancakes or waffles. I always make extra, because they freeze great and they are great for quick weekday breakfasts or school lunches. I usually make some with blueberries or other fruit, and some plain. For a pancake sandwich, just spread a cold pancake with your favorite filling, and smush it together.
Non Sandwich School Lunch: Tuna and Crackers
My oldest daughter (now 8!!) revealed to me the other day that she LOVED tuna. Well, ok then. I did not know this. So tuna it is. When a child tells me they like a food, I jump at that chance, so tuna has been on my list since school started last week.
My menu plan says that one day a week I do a "lunchable" type thing, on Tuesdays. Which to me means basically crackers, with some protein and stuff. So today the protein is tuna. My kids seem to do best when they have plenty of protein, so I try to make the protein the main part of the meal if I can.
School lunch day 3 - and a birthday!
For Monday lunches I like to keep it quick and easy. Come heck or high water, I am determined to make these lunches the night before. I'm usually pretty tired on Sunday night. After a full weekend, I want to just throw the lunches together and fall into bed. These corndog muffins were just pulled out of the freezer and popped in the box. I made chili and cornbread for dinner the day before, so I just made a double batch of the cornbread batter, and cooked up some super easy corndog muffins at the same time.
Day 2 of school lunch
ay 2 of school is not a time to throw anybody any curve balls. I will stick with favorites and things I know they will eat, so we can make sure we get through the day with full tummies. I try to do sandwiches only one day a week, it forces me to maintain some variety, and Friday is usually the day, but cutting it in a fun shape is a super simple way to make an ordinary sandwich seem a little special. On this second day of school I want to make sure they are feeling the love!
And here we go...The first school lunch of the year!
We had a great summer and I honestly really enjoyed having the time off from packing lunches every single day. But after that refreshing break I am looking forward to getting back to the daily routines and structure that the school year brings. If you have followed me for a while, you'll know that I'm usually pretty good about posting our lunches on my social media accounts (Facebook and Instagram), but I haven't been as good about actually posting them here on the blog. So my blogging goal for this year is to do much better about getting these lunches on the blog every day! I've come up with the format below that I plan to use for sharing all of the lunches - I want to tell you a little bit about my thought process that went into it, what I actually packed, a few extra tips to think about, and what products I used. If there is more you want to know - please let me know!
How I Keep It All From Getting Lost!
I don't really do product reviews, it's not my thing here. In fact, this is the first time I've ever written an entire post just for the purpose of telling you about a product. And don't worry, I'm not going to become one of those blogs that's just trying to sell you stuff. But if I come across a product that I think is really awesome, then I am definitely going to tell you about it.