School lunchbox ideas? Budget friendly?

[sherry7]

I add mayo to the edge of the wrap to act as a glue.

Good idea! My DD isn't a fan of mayo, but I'll try this with cream cheese instead.

 

[set1208]

I have three kids that I pack lunches for every day. It can get monotonous. All of you ideas are so great. I especially love the idea of using cupcake liners to divide the bento boxes. I'm headed out now to get some of the reusable rubber ones.

For money savers, I buy bulk or regular packages of cookies, crackers or chips and separate them into snack size ziplock bags. It's much cheaper than buying individually packed snacks. I keep them all togetherness a box in the pantry along with granola bars and nutrigrain bars. W

The Dollar Store sells 8 oz cups with lids in the baby section that I use all the time to make jello or pudding or to deprecate portions of fruit or veggies or to hold dip. I make a bunch on the weekend so I can grab and pack.

We use one of our bins in the fridge as a snack drawer. It's always loaded with cheese, yogurt, fruit cups so most days I'll let them pack their own bags.

The round sandwich thins are great for pbj sandwiches. I make a few packages worth and freeze them in individual baggies and toss it in the lunch box frozen. They are perfectly defrosted by lunch. FYI...fluff does not freeze/thaw well at all.

I've been big on juice boxes in the past but we are switching to a healthier diet and I am hoping that my kids will drink water. We've starts the transition over the past two weeks and it's going fairly well A lot of times they rather die of dehydration than drink water but hopefully they'll be more used to it by the time school starts.

With four kids at home with me all summer, I am really looking forward to September!

 

[Eureka]

I have three kids that I pack lunches for every day. It can get monotonous. All of you ideas are so great. I especially love the idea of using cupcake liners to divide the bento boxes. I'm headed out now to get some of the reusable rubber ones. For money savers, I buy bulk or regular packages of cookies, crackers or chips and separate them into snack size ziplock bags. It's much cheaper than buying individually packed snacks. I keep them all togetherness a box in the pantry along with granola bars and nutrigrain bars. W The Dollar Store sells 8 oz cups with lids in the baby section that I use all the time to make jello or pudding or to deprecate portions of fruit or veggies or to hold dip. I make a bunch on the weekend so I can grab and pack. We use one of our bins in the fridge as a snack drawer. It's always loaded with cheese, yogurt, fruit cups so most days I'll let them pack their own bags. The round sandwich thins are great for pbj sandwiches. I make a few packages worth and freeze them in individual baggies and toss it in the lunch box frozen. They are perfectly defrosted by lunch. FYI...fluff does not freeze/thaw well at all. I've been big on juice boxes in the past but we are switching to a healthier diet and I am hoping that my kids will drink water. We've starts the transition over the past two weeks and it's going fairly well A lot of times they rather die of dehydration than drink water but hopefully they'll be more used to it by the time school starts. With four kids at home with me all summer, I am really looking forward to September!

I do the same thing with the larger packs of cookies and crackers and snack bags. I pre-make them and fill a shoebox that I keep in the cupboard. Problem is, everyone (DH included!) kept raiding the box so now I hide the stash and fill the box Sunday nights and as needed, lol.

 

[poohfriend77]

Thanks to all for the apple suggestions, I'll give them a try and see if we can figure out a way to keep ds's apples from turning brown without him being able to tell I've done something to them.

I soak the apples in Sprite for my DD. I really can't taste a difference, but she says they taste better. I think it's because soda is a rare treat, so she thinks she's getting away with something. I've done a larger batch, and the apples keep in the fridge for a couple days without turning brown.

 

[KristiA]

This site is great for inspiration...

http://www.100daysofrealfood.com/2012/04/19/school-lunch-roundup/

 

[aprilgail2]

I am SO glad my daughter opted out of lunch this year and is taking an extra elective instead. She was always so hard to send lunch for, when she was younger it was peanut butter and crackers, peanut butter and apples, peanut butter and a spoon....then she went to just taking a juice box, piece of Italian bread or a granola bar and a couple cookies- I wouldn't waste the time/money packing her anything else because she would not eat it- she would NEVER eat hot lunch at school, always hated school food. she would get home from school at 2 so typically she would just eat lunch then when she got home and could make herself normal food. It won't kill her going 7 hours without eating this year, she will just have to eat a decent breakfast and pack a quick snack she can eat in between classes this year.