Every June, moms everywhere let out a sigh that they do not have to deal with school lunches for a while. You pack what you think they need but the kids don’t eat it. Mine complain about lunches and either bring the uneaten lunch home or throw it out at school depending on the kid.

I have used a system for a couple years now and I find it works really well. It involves some prep work every Sunday and supervision but I do think it saves time and kids eat their lunches. Each Sunday I arrange the fridge and pantry full with choices from each food group. Each kid has to take 1 food from each food group and can take 2 of some such as fruit and veggies or grains. I put each food group in baskets and for the first year, I labelled them all. On a poster in the kitchen, I wrote out each food group and ideas for lunches from each group. It took a couple weeks but the kids caught on quickly.

To start I went to the dollar store and got a bunch of small bins. One for protein, dairy, fruits and veggies in the fridge. Then I got one for treats and a big one for grains in my pantry. Now you just need to load them up with options. Here are some ideas

School Lunches

Dairy                        Protein                          Fruits and veggies                    Grains                   Treats 

cheese                      sausage                        grapes                                       rice cake                rice crispy treat

yogurt                      sandwich meat           cucumbers                                  bread                     granola bar

milk                          hot dog                         carrots                                        hot dog bun            bear paw

pudding                   pepperoni                   apple/orange                              crackers                 cookies

smoothie                 Chicken leg                 sliced peppers                             muffin                    popcorn

Every Sunday I ask, what fruits and veggies do you want this week? What protein? You then have to go shop, go home and package everything in individual portions. You can do this 2 ways. You can cut up or portion your fruits and veggies into ziplock bags and place them in the fruit and veggie bin or you can cut them up in containers and have your child pack them in a reusable tray. I found lunch kits with divisions that work quite well. My older kids can pack their own portions ziplocks  because they are too cool for tupperware. Even with the shopping and portioning, I still feel less stress when making lunches. You just do more work one day then each day.

Now LEFTOVERS! Here is the trick, I keep alternates like left overs and soups for the kids that hate sandwiches. Some of these might count as protein and a grain, for example spaghetti. My daughter points out the tomatoes can be a fruit and veggie but I say that does not count. Your house, your rules!

Tips: You need to supervise them or do a lunch check for the older ones or they start packing whatever they want.

I feel that this helps them learn how to make a balanced meal and it also gives them control over what they were eating. My daughter especially was more likely to eat something that she picked.

I hope this enough to provide you with some ideas and to get you started.

I would love to hear your lunch solutions…please share.