Brown Bag It or Lunch Box It
Sometimes, the return to school is so crazy and overwhelming, that the easiest solution for all is to have the kids just buy lunch. However, this isn't the most frugal approach, and sometimes, you just wonder what the contents of those meals really are. The energy it often takes to make lunch in the morning in wearing, even more if the household has several members requiring lunches, or if Mom works outside of the home.
Brown bagging it, or carrying a lunch box, does not need to be all that tiresome. With a little planning, parents can find approaches that will save time and money in the long run. Furthermore, the kids can be involved in the process. Get them on that bandwagon by helping them to understand how taking their lunches saves money, and help them to find lunchbox items that they like, and which will be nutritious.
Brown bagging it, or carrying a lunch box, does not need to be all that tiresome. With a little planning, parents can find approaches that will save time and money in the long run. Furthermore, the kids can be involved in the process. Get them on that bandwagon by helping them to understand how taking their lunches saves money, and help them to find lunchbox items that they like, and which will be nutritious.
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| Hello Kitty School Lunch Bag for Girls |
The basic contents....
The basics of a lunch from home are usually quite simple: a drink, a sandwich, and a snack. Drinks are fairly simple, so lets begin there. Boxed or bagged fruit juice drinks are usually economical. Capri Sun drinks run about $2 in our local WalMart, for a package of 10, working out to 20 cents each. Other juices may be more costly. However, with a thermos, you can send a serving of milk or juice from a jug. Avoid sodas, or overly sugary drinks. Even bottled water is a reasonable choice.
As for a sandwich, there are some basic options in school lunches: peanut butter/jelly, tuna, cheese slices, cold cuts, chicken salad, egg salad...just not all at once, please! Some alternatives? Vegetables...a tomato/lettuce sandwich is delicious...or make it a BLT with some pre-packaged, pre-cooked turkey bacon pieces. Cucumbers make great sandwich fillers, as well. Wrap any of the above fillers in a tortilla, for a switch. Or, send burritos, in place of sandwiches. Pita pockets containing almost any of these would work. Make it a math problem for your child, to figure out how many different combinations of outer and inner sandwich type ingredients there are, you may discover together that there are no excuses for lunch time to be boring!
Do not...I repeat, Do not forget snacks!
For younger children, especially, this is the highlight of the lunch! It needn't be fancy. But, the absence of a snack is certain to disappoint. Fruit...veggie sticks with ranch or peanut butter....chips, cookies, fruit leather, applesauce, muffins or cupcakes...the list is extensive, and the options available, endless. I like to mix it up a bit, making fruit a mainstay of lunch time, but also allowing for the treats that may not have as much nutritional value, but definitely motivate. String cheese is a great idea for a protein type item, and boiled eggs go over well with my family, as well. Make sure you pack an ice pack into the lunch box, so that such foods don't spoil.
Again, challenge your child with some mathematical thought, and have him figure out how many different lunches you can make with the selections at hand. You may have more lunches than school days in the year!
Again, challenge your child with some mathematical thought, and have him figure out how many different lunches you can make with the selections at hand. You may have more lunches than school days in the year!
