lunch ideas

Easy Granola Bars for Back to School and Savings from Kraft Canada

August 21, 2014 by Kathryn 62 Comments

It’s almost time for a new school year and that means I once again have to start thinking about packing school lunches for my boys! They tend to both favour simple meat sandwiches in their lunch, which makes my life a little easier, but they also need a daily healthy snack and personally, I like to make that snack myself to ensure I know exactly what my boys are eating.

Of course, I also don’t want to spend all day in the kitchen baking, and that’s why these easy granola bars have been a hit in our household for years now. With just one bowl, a little mixing and 25 minutes in the oven, I get about two weeks’ worth of tasty granola bars perfect for snacking at school!

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Tim Hortons Extreme Italian Sandwich is a Little Taste of Italy at Lunch-Giveaway

January 2, 2014 by Kathryn 235 Comments

If there’s one thing I love about Tim Hortons, it’s the way that the company is always switching up its menu to provide new taste sensations for Canadians. In August, Tim Hortons introduced the Extreme Italian Sandwich for a limited time. Canadians loved it and so now the sandwich is back for good as a permanent lunch menu item! This sandwich combined robust Italian flavours including ham capicollo, genoa salami, pepperoni, mozzarella and sundried tomato sauce, served on a Parmesan and herb bun. I recently received a Tim Hortons gift card and some fun Italian goodies so that I could take my boys to check out the sandwich and see what we all thought.

Now I have to admit that I’m not a big fan of deli meat, but my boys both love it and happily agreed to taste-test the meat-packed sandwiches for me. I wasn’t sure what they’d think of the sundried tomato sauce since they tend to prefer quite simple food and both have a tendency to be picky. But to my delight, they devoured their sandwiches and told me that the meal was delicious. I was excited to see that these sandwiches were a hit with my meat-loving boys! [Read more…]

Ham and Cheese Muffins and Other Lunchbox Alternatives to the Sandwich

September 24, 2012 by Kathryn 7 Comments

When my boys were younger, lunch was as hassle-free as breakfast. I always made sure we had a good supply of kid-friendly favourites like macaroni and cheese, soup, sandwich meat and oriental noodles and when lunch arrived, I just asked my boys what they wanted and they chose from the array of products in the cupboard and fridge.

But now Zackary is in Grade One and that means that I need to find ways to keep his lunches interesting and appealing so that he gets the nourishment he needs for a long day. The snacks are easy; I simply choose from a variety of Zackary’s favourites including pudding, applesauce, fruit slices, granola bars, raw veggies and fruit snacks to make sure that he gets different healthy snacks and treats every day. But keeping the sandwich interesting…now that’s a challenge.

I had been experimenting a bit with different shapes of sandwiches and wraps but I was starting to run out of ideas, so I did what I always do when I need a little inspiration for my meals: I visited the Life Made Delicious website and searched for lunch meals. And that’s when I found a recipe that would be a perfect replacement for Zackary’s sandwich…Ham and Cheese Muffins!

life made delicious ham and cheese muffins [Read more…]