‘Cooler’ Cold Lunches Mini-Tip 1
Posted by MeckMom on Sep 14, 2010 in Popular Posts: Parenting Hacks | 10 commentsI hate to even imagine the amount of money I’ve spent on hot school lunches. Actually, that’s not quite right. What I really hate to imagine is the amount of money that was wasted knowing that my kids probably dined on the dessert and milk and pitched the rest of the meal…not to mention the overall quality of the food they were consuming.
This year I decided to save myself some cash and keep my kids a little healthier by becoming a cold lunch Mom – not your average pb&j in a sack Mom mind you, but a fun cold lunch Mom. My kids are new in this school and I’ve found that doing little things – like jazzing up their lunches a little – really help them stand out in a crowd (plus, they’re far more likely to eat what’s in there if it looks good to their peers).
So, over the last few weeks I’ve tried out some simple strategies for making my kids lunches easier and a little ‘cooler’. I’ve got several to share so I thought I’d post them in a mini-tip series over the next few days. Feel free to chime in the comments area if you’ve to some cool tricks up your cold lunch Mom sleeve.
‘Cooler’ Cold Lunches Mini-Tip 1: Bite-size Baggies
My kids hate soggy food but love condiments. To give them the best of both worlds I use these tiny zip-top craft baggies to hold everything from ketchup to mayo to salad dressing. I fill up several bags at the beginning of the week and store them in a container in the fridge. That way they’re always available to toss into lunch box.
They’re also the perfect size to hold a small treat (like a handful of m&m’s or a few starbursts). I also stock up on the mid-size craft bags – they’re great for divvying up bigger snacks like pretzels and trail mix.
I buy mine in the beading/craft area of WalMart. I can buy a pack of 100 for about $1.50. Don’t you just love it when you find something so useful that’s also incredibly cheap? Me too. More mini-tips to come tomorrow…just thought I’d pass it on.
Want to see the rest of the posts in this series? Click the links below.
Mini-Tip 4: Bring On the Breakfast
Oh. My. Golly! What a great idea! I just put these on my next Walmart shopping list! Thank you sooo much for passing this along!
This is such a great idea! I have always been frustrated by my inability to send dips and things!
Do your kids eat the chicken nuggets cold? I wish there was a microwave available at school. I understand why there isn’t but it waould make packing lunches so much easier!
My kids love nuggets so they’ll eat them at almost any temperature, Mombrud. Lunchables sells a chicken nugget pack that my kids always beg me to buy. Theirs look a little too processed for me and cost a lot more so I figured I would make my own home version. *That being said, I wish there was a microwave at school too…then I could just pack them leftovers from the night before.
I too have come to this decision…and will totally be checking back for more great ideas like this one. Thanks!
I am so glad you posted this! I was just trying to figure out what to put condiments in…… and you have solved my problem. Thank you for this post!
I was just wondering how your kids use the dip? Do they open it form you the top or do they bite a hole it the corner and squeeze it out like a little pack of ketchup? I’m not sure my how my kindergartener would do.
Hey Laura, thanks for the question. I should have mentioned that in the post. I pack all my kid’s lunches in ziplock plastic containers. When they have a little baggie in their container they just open the zip-top and squeeze the contents onto the lid. It’s their job to dump all containers in the sink when they get home from school. I would have your daughter practice at home a few times first but I’m sure she won’t have any trouble. They’re pretty easy to work with…even for little fingers.
Just last week both of my kids reported that they didn’t even eat one carrot in their lunch because I put the ranch in a regular sandwich sized baggie. (I couldn’t find any little bitty tupperware containers.) So I’ll have to try ths smaller size, thanks!
When I send yogurt with my guy I send a tiny tupperware with a smidge of “sprinkles” in it. Seems to make things so much better somehow. He reports throwing them into his sandwich, too. Not for me, but whatever works.
Great idea on the baggies! We also are a cold lunch family & I came upon those disposable ziploc containers a few years ago. That way if they forget to wash it out & it smells awful over the weekend, I have the option to throw it away or put some elbow grease & bleach to work. I’m always looking for new menu items for lunch as well. We just did the cereal last week (I filled her thermos with milk though) and she was the hit of the school. Good idea about not having cereal twice though. Never thought of that one!