My best lunch packing tips to ease your morning routine.
Packing lunch for kids can be a challenge – kids don’t have a lot of time to eat, it will sit for hours before they dig in, and you want something they will actually eat (that isn’t just a bag of chips and candy), and it has to comply with school allergy restrictions.
Favorite lunch box: I love a bento box – it keeps everything separated and is pretty compact (great especially for little kids who struggle to carry heavy backpacks. The one downside I found is that most don’t have a built in freezer pack, so you willl need to pack them in a larger bag with ice packs…which just defeats the purpose. I found this great bento box with an icepack insert.
What to pack?
I like to include a protein, a veggie, a fruit, a carb, and a little treat. I’m sure no one else has this problem, but my kiddo is pretty picky. 
So, here are a few things that I pack based on what he’ll actually eat, what is allowed, and what can stay fresh:
1. Protein: string cheese, salami, hummus, sunflower butter.
2. Carb: sunflower butter and jam sandwich, crackers, cereal, granola bar, mini cinnamon rolls.
3. Veggies: celery, carrots, snap peas, peppers.
4. Fruit: grapes, strawberries, apple slices (to avoid browning, see video at bottom of page), applesauce pouch, mandarin orange (peeled). My kids also love these BEAR Real Fruit Snack Rolls.
What about snacks?
What about snacks? We also send snacks to school each day. I love these snack canisters, which help cut down on packaging waste from single-serve snack packs.
Here’s a great tip on keeping your cut apples from turning brown.
- Place apple slices in some salt water for about 5 minutes
- Rinse them well in some fresh water
- Dry apples on a paper towel before storing
