Back-to-Where? School Lunches and the Importance of Routine
It’s safe to say that the 2020 Back-to-School season is unlike any that came before it. With classes maybe taking place in a classroom or maybe taking place at the kitchen table, now is the time to consider the role a consistent routine will play in your child’s school day. Few things can quell an off-kilter, stressed-out mood like the tried-and-true brown bag lunch. Just like their grown-up counterparts, children take their lunch break to rest, recharge, and get ready for what the rest of the day will bring. That’s why even if math is being held in the den or language arts is devolving into LOUD-language arts, the traditional brown-bag break can be a welcome constant in the topsy-turvy world school.
But what if you’re both parent and teacher—or, if the kiddos do go back to school, what if you’re just a super busy adult who doesn’t necessarily have the bandwidth to put together a healthy, portable lunch every day? Meal-prepping can be a great solve for either issue, and we’re here to help with not only some meal-prep tips, but some tasty additions to those prepped meals as well.
A few tips…
- Keep it flexible. Come up with a primary component for each day, and then make the sides easy (fresh fruit, nuts, baby carrots, etc.)
- Check for dinner leftovers that can do double-duty. Baked chicken the night before? Slap it in a sandwich with baby spinach and you’ve got a healthy, filling school-lunch “main dish.”
- Make it in bulk! Hummus, tuna and chicken salad, and hard-boiled eggs are just a few great prep-in-advance options.
- Get those kids in the kitchen! It’s a well-known fact that kids are more likely to try foods they participated in preparing. And, if you do find the whole family at home, making designs on a plate with berries or grapes can be a fun way for little ones to participate in putting together school lunches.
In addition to the tips above, Allrecipes offers a template for a week’s worth of easy-to-prep school lunches.
And, since any lunch or snack is simply not complete without Well•Pict Berries strawberries, here are a few suggestions for creative make-ahead brown bag (or white plate) additions…
Well•Pict Strawberry Chia Pudding
Well•Pict Raspberry Energy Bars
Well•Pict Baked Strawberry Chips
Image: Well•Pict Berries Raspberry Energy Bars
