I used to make a tray of baked mac n cheese and then chill, slice into squares, and freeze the squares.

Anonymous wrote:The other night when DH and I sat down to watch Netflix, he peeled a bunch of mandarins to put in the kids lunches throughout the week.

Ugh I hate peeling mandarins- it’s like the one constant in our kids lunches though. Mandarins and berries. They aren’t dried out by the end of the week though?

Anonymous wrote:I devoted one fridge drawer to lunch stuff, and each Sunday prep a week of yougurt, fruit, and water in Tupperware. My kids could then pack their lunch boxes with one of each every day. I added a main element. Worked well and made the mornings easier.

This is so smart!

The other night when DH and I sat down to watch Netflix, he peeled a bunch of mandarins to put in the kids lunches throughout the week.

I devoted one fridge drawer to lunch stuff, and each Sunday prep a week of yougurt, fruit, and water in Tupperware. My kids could then pack their lunch boxes with one of each every day. I added a main element. Worked well and made the mornings easier.

Anonymous wrote:Edamame, chic peas in balsamic and olive oil, cheese cubes, veggie sticks, cheese tortellini without sauce, mini muffins, boiled eggs.

I had a little chart for when my kids were slightly older than yours and packed their own lunches.
It had columns for protein, veggie, starch, fruit and treat. That helped them to pack a balanced lunch.

That's smart- I need to look for something like that for mine.

Anonymous wrote:You can send them in with PBJ? That is a no-no at my children's school.

Thank goodness we can at our school. They have a designated table for kids with food allergies, but otherwise you can have allergens at lunch. Afternoon snacks, which are eaten in classroom, need to be nut free though.

I’ve never frozen sandwiches big I make our lunches the night before at the same time I’m making dinner. Less stress in the morning and only one clean up. DD does get a thermo lunch twice a week and I obviously do that in the morning. The key is to preheat the thermos for about 10 mins before putting the hot food in. DD takes the bare naked chicken bites or beans and rice usually.

You can send them in with PBJ? That is a no-no at my children's school.

Edamame, chic peas in balsamic and olive oil, cheese cubes, veggie sticks, cheese tortellini without sauce, mini muffins, boiled eggs.

I had a little chart for when my kids were slightly older than yours and packed their own lunches.
It had columns for protein, veggie, starch, fruit and treat. That helped them to pack a balanced lunch.

Not sure if I should post here or parenting, but here goes. I pack 4 lunches every morning, for DH, me and 2 kids. DH and I usually just eat leftovers, but the kids need food that doesn’t need to be heated. Also, they’re 4 and 6, so picky.

I just discovered the genius hack of getting a whole loaf of bread, making a ton of pb&js for the kids at once, and freezing them. Does anyone have any other lunch prep hacks, especially for little picky kids?