My older 3 children (my youngest is on a staggered start) are off to school this week! I don’t know where the summer went, but I guess it’s time to get back into a nice Fall routine. The truth is, I love a routine and our mornings need one! Getting everyone up, fed, packed and out the door sometimes seems to take forever. I’ve found that if I prepare things ahead of time, the smoother our mornings go. I like to have a bunch of creative lunch ideas on hand too. Nothing is more special than opening up a fun lunch halfway through the school day. It’s my way of letting my kiddos know I am thinking about them throughout the day!
Creative lunches don’t have to take a long time to prepare either. It just takes a little “outside the box” thinking to get started. Last year I noticed that I started packing my children the same lunch over, and over and over again. While there isn’t really anything wrong with that, it can become quite boring!
I started packing things other than your basic sandwich and started using plastic containers (less waste too!) for their lunches. I packed dinner leftovers, cut fruits and vegetables into fun shapes and let my children get involved in the packing too. They had some great ideas!
For Creative Entrees we like:
Pizza Sandwiches
Veggie Pitas
Spaghetti
Pasta Salad
Pinwheels
For Creative Sides we like:
fun shaped fruits & veggies
nuts
raisins
yogurt topped with oats
cottage cheese topped with fruit
small crackers
For Creative Treats we like:
homemade mini muffins
homemade brownie bites
chocolate chips
frozen grapes (halved for smaller children)
After picking one item from each category, I always pack a drink, a little note and of course a Wet Ones Single! With all of these yummy & creative lunch ideas, those little hands are sure to get sticky and messy. Make clean up easy for your little one! Wet Ones singles kills 99.9% of bacteria and leaves your child’s hand feeling soft and not dry thanks to it’s hypoallergenic formula that includes aloe. It’s never too early to teach your child the importance of cleaning up and being ready for the day… or the next class!
You and your family can brainstorm & come up with some of your own yummy ideas for lunch. Keeping a list on the refrigerator to help out on those rushed mornings! Just don’t forget to pack a Wet Ones to help with the mess!
This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Wet Ones®. The opinions and text are all mine.
