Three Tips for Packing Quick and Healthy School Lunches

Lunch-packing woes are something most mothers experience at some point during the school year. I always find that in September I am full of grand ideas about the tasty and healthy goodies I’ll create for my son each morning, yet by October I’m rushing to pack the same tired sandwich and pudding cup into a lunch bag before we have to run out the door.

Fortunately, I’ve learned a few tricks over the last two years that have made packing healthy lunches a breeze for even the busiest mom. Here are my top three tips for making that morning rush to pack up lunch a thing of the past!

1) Switch Up the Sandwich

A variation on the standard turkey and cheddar on multigrain bread (or whatever your child’s favourite sandwich is) can be the easiest way to add a little variety to the lunch monotony and sometimes it can even save you time in the morning too! To turn ordinary sandwiches into a meal that your child is sure to eat, investing in a set of inexpensive plastic sandwich cutters is an easy way to add more fun to the lunchbox. Or spend the weekend making up a batch of hearty muffins like these Ham and Cheese Muffins. Then keep them in the freezer and just pop a frozen one into the lunchbox instead of a sandwich on busy mornings!

2) Ditch the Juice Box

Sure, packing a juice box into a child’s lunch is one of the easiest parts of school lunch preparation but the plain fact is that children simply don’t need that extra sugar every day. Make your life easier by packing a reusable water bottle filled with cold water instead. If your child doesn’t finish the bottle, just pop it in the fridge when he gets home from school and put it back in the lunchbox the next morning. You can usually do this for at least two days before washing the bottle out, and not only will it minimize lunchbox stress, you’ll be saving money too!

3) Sneak in the Veggies

There’s nothing worse than hurriedly chopping carrots and celery sticks in the morning only to see them come back untouched after school. If your child absolutely will not eat vegetables in their lunch, why waste time every morning packing them? Instead, get creative and sneak that nutrition into their lunch some other way! Whether it’s a piece of kid-approved Chocolate Zucchini Cake or a package of Mott’s Fruitsations + Veggie fruit flavoured snacks, there are all kinds of ways to add vegetables to your child’s lunchbox without a rebellion!

My boys have both been enjoying the new Mott’s Fruitsations + Veggie fruit flavoured snacks and I love that these chewy and delicious treats contain just eighty calories per package, natural flavours and juice from apples, pears and carrots! Right now you can even get a money-saving coupon on the Life Made Delicious Facebook page to save fifty cents on your next purchase of Mott’s Fruitsations + Veggie fruit flavoured snacks! And while you’re there, don’t forget to enter to win one of three $500 gift cards to help make your back-to-school shopping a little easier!

I know that there are still going to be days that I’m rushing to get lunches packed in the morning but with a few simple tricks, packing a healthy lunch with ease isn’t that hard. A little presentation and sometimes a little sneakiness can go a long way to ensuring that kids are fuelled up and ready for the afternoon once they finish their lunch!

Disclosure – I am participating in the Mott’s Fruitsations & Veggie fruit snacks Blogger Campaign by Mom Central Canada. I received compensation as a thank you for participating and for sharing my honest opinion. The opinions on this blog are my own.