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Sack Lunch Ideas
In the Kitchen Links
Back to School Lunch Ideas
By: Brandie
Valenzuela
 It
is that time of the year again - back to school! While some are returning this next week, others have been back for quite a while...my own children returned to school over a month ago. However, it go without saying, that no matter if your children have been back for a while or if they are just now starting to get ready for the big day, you can never have too many lunch ideas!
1) Save your
yogurt containers! After eating the yogurt, wash them thoroughly and fill with
liquid Jell-O or pudding mixture (before it
sets), cap, and refrigerate. This gives you
individual snack-sized Jell-O or pudding at a fraction of the cost.
2) Take
leftover cooked chicken and make chicken strips. Pack dippers such as salsa,
ranch dressing, barbecue sauce, ketchup, honey
mustard, or pizza sauce.
3) Use a
variety of breads. Try Italian varieties, sourdough, different grains,
Hawaiian bread, and different rolls.
4) Pack
string cheese or cheese cubes. Send along breadsticks or crackers to eat with
them. Or pack a prepared cheese spread with
breadsticks for dipping.
5) Cut fresh
fruit into bite-sized pieces and use fruit-flavored yogurt or pudding as a dip. Or mix the fruit with your prepared Jell-O (see Jell-O tip).
6) Each day
include a short note to your child. Anything that
shows them you love them and you are thinking of them will show your child you care.
7) Layer
creamy peanut butter on a flour tortilla with jelly or fruit spread and roll up "wrap" or "jellyroll" style. Slice crosswise into pieces. Select the size tortilla depending on your child's appetite.
8) Heat
frozen waffles and make a sandwich with them, using peanut butter and jelly.
Or cut them into bite-sized pieces or sticks and
send syrup for dipping.
9) Add fun to
your child's lunch by using colored plastic wraps. Or during the holiday's,
use special prints that are usually for plastic wrap, zipper-type bags, and
napkins.
10) Cut open
a bagel and spread each side with cream cheese. Lay several slices of luncheon
meat on top of cream cheese and make into a sandwich.
11) Kids love
to dip! Send baby carrots, celery sticks, or broccoli trees with their
favorite dip or dressing. Or send peanut butter as a dip, and include some
sliced apples.
12) Create
your own "Lunchables"...cut meat slices and cheese into pieces that will fit
on crackers. Pack the meat, cheese, and crackers together. Have extra mustard
or mayo packets from your take-out? Pack those along for condiments.
13) If your
child loves sandwiches and won't let you try anything new, have fun with the
sandwiches - cut the sandwich into interesting shapes or cut with cookie
cutters.
14) It
doesn't have to be jelly everyday! Some other ideas for sandwiches using with
traditional peanut butter are: sliced bananas, honey, butter/margarine,
raisins, and thinly sliced apples.
15) Did you
know you can create "wraps" with bread? Simply
take a slice of your favorite bread (softer breads work better), and lay a
slice or two of your favorite lunch meat and cheese on it. Roll up the bread
tightly, making sure to press the edges of the bread together to seal.
©2001 Brandie
Valenzuela
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