School Lunch Ideas + Yumbox Love

Hey, Friends!  Everyone is home today because all of the schools and colleges are closed!!  It's SO COLD - I'm talking a high of 4 today.  Yikes!!  Stay warm.

My five year old has been using a Yumbox lunchbox for 1.5 years.  She loves it.  I love it.  We're all big fans.  She uses a thermos for ice water every day and I pack her lunch every single day.  She made me promise to never, ever make her eat school lunch - ha!  I love that they are almost zero waste, that I don't have to use any ziploc bags or Saran wrap to keep her food items separate.

I've mentioned this before, but I have a very specific mission for packing lunches.  I want to send a healthy meal with her to school and I want to fill her lunch box with favorites so that it feels like a

HUG FROM HOME

in the middle of her day.  I do the same thing for my husband.

Who wouldn't love a hug from home half way through the day!?!?!

I have a pretty good routine going for packing lunches.  Here are a few tips:
1. Always pack lunches the night before.  Some times I pack lunches right after dinner as I'm cleaning up the kitchen or sometimes I do it after everyone goes to bed.  Either way, lunches ALWAYS get packed the night before so that I do not have to think about it in the morning.  I have three Yumboxes that we rotate all week long.  I hand wash them (even though they are dishwasher safe for the top rack) and always have at least one clean and ready to go.

2. Meal plan & Grocery shop regularly.
I make an effort every week to have lots of healthy options on hand for lunches and meals.  I do all the grocery shopping at our house.  If I don't shop/plan, then none of us eat great.  I happily take on this responsibility for my family because A. I love to cook and B. I love taking care of my family.  It isn't always a ton of fun to do all the shopping, but I enjoy it more when I have a happy heart about taking good care of my family.

3. Get feedback.
What did they love or hate in their lunches?  Make changes accordingly.

4. Avoid grumbling about this task.
The other day Olive told me that her lunch was the highlight of her day and it made my day.  It makes me so happy to hear that she feels loved, cared for and special when I do this for her.  Which brings me to the point of not complaining about the dishes or the task of packing lunches.

5. Prep food
I chop carrots in bulk, keep apples washed and ready to chop in the fridge, have a drawer with all my lunch making supplies in it and  set up a routine.

Hope those are helpful as you're packing lunches for your family!

Here are some inspiration pictures of lunches from January:
I try to post them on my IG stories during the week.  Follow along @polkadottyplace if you're interested in seeing more lunch ideas.

Snap peas & crunchy veggies.
Oreos are always a welcomed treat.
I found these cute heart food picks at Dollar Tree.

Hummus & Carrots
White cheddar and sharp cheddar cheese cubes

Cucumber spears
Wheat Thins

Taco Lunch - tortilla chips, taco meat balls & cheese cubes
Fresh cute pinapple
Mini shell plain cooked pasta

Skinny Pop Popcorn
Cucumber slices, strawberries and turkey sausage links

I rarely make baked goods for lunch boxes, but this week I had some extra pumpkin chocolate chip cookies to add into the lunch box.
Blackberries

We tried and loved Aldi pretzel sticks
Fun size Hershey bar

Cheese cubes, crackers and turkey pepperoni
cooked noodles
Honey Crisp apple slices

Almonds
Mini forks are a fun way to keep germy hands off of food.  I found these by the toothpicks at Meijer.

Chex mix is always a hit

Sandwich bites - half a sandwich cut into thirds or fourths.
Fritos and cheese cubes

 
We love these lunch boxes!!  Hope you got some new ideas for packing school lunches.

What are your kid's favorite lunch box items??  I'm always up for new ideas.

Our favorite lunch packing supplies on Amazon:



These are THE BEST thermoses for kids.  They are insulated and easy for both my 2 and 5 year old to use.  They hold up really well for school, home and sports.

I also keep one of these hand sanitizer jelly wraps on her backpack and her lunchbox.