How To Get Your Kids To Eat Packed Lunches

Happy first week of school! This is a great time to change the lunches. I went to my son’s school last year and was stunned by all the food kids throw away. Not only are they throwing away perfectly good food, but they are throwing away your time, too! I like to know what my boys eat

so I’ve always told them to bring home the food they don’t eat, but then I get frustrated if my efforts of making them a nice lunch are wasted when I see they did not touch it. Luckily, as my kids have gotten older, they make their own lunches and it seems like that helps them to eat more of it, since they are the ones who put the time and effort in!

How To Get Your Kids To Eat Packed Lunches

Whenever I see food wasted, whether at home or in their school lunches, I tried to think of ways to change this. I found it helpful to mix it up a bit, which was good for me and for them! I got so tired of making the same two sandwiches they liked day in and day out, so I made small samples of new fillings for the sandwiches.

Tips For Getting Your Kids to Try New Foods

Getting kids to try new food can sometimes be tricky, so I decided to try something new by making a pretend restaurant at our house. I set a nice table for them and dressed up as a chef. I made 10 different bite sized sandwiches, and then I gave them a menu with a section for them to rate the different courses. This allowed me to remember the sandwiches they liked, and it gave me options for different varieties for future lunches.

Tips For Cooking and Preserving Leftovers

Another thing I learned through this process is to always make BIG portions when cooking. This allows me to freeze the leftovers and save them for a busy day or when the kids need a little change from the usual menu. Not only is this handy when I don’t have time to cook during the week, but twice a week they get a hot meal at school for lunch. How does the meal stay hot,  you ask? I bought insulated 12 oz. containers online for $25.95 at mightynest.com. It seems a little pricey, but they last a long time and are easy for their little hands to open. If you decide to buy them, be sure you do not get the wide lid 16 oz. ones as those are more difficult to open. It’s super easy to heat up the food in the morning and put it in a the container. My kids have always ‘licked their plates’ when hot lunch is on the menu, and this makes all of us happy! You can put anything in the containers, but my go-to options are soup, spaghetti, lasagna and rice dishes with meat/veggie sauce on top.

Happy lunch-making!

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