Easy Tips For Back-To-School Mornings and Lunch

A portion of this post first appeared in conjunction with foodfamilyandchaos.com.  All opinions are my own.

It’s that time of year…Back-To-School ! I can hear all the moms and dads out there secretly cheering inside. Between packing school lunches, after school activities, homework, endless amount of paperwork, there really seems like there is so much for us moms and dads to do. I am going to share with you some products that I love that make packing school lunches easier and some tips to make school mornings a breeze.

My kids take a homemade lunch to school every single day. Yes, every day! As a mom, that can be a daunting task at times. Over the years, I have tried several items that promised to make packing lunches easier. I’ll share what works best for us and what can make packing lunches a little easier.

Bento Style Lunch Boxes

 

We love PlanetBox lunch containers. They are made from stainless steel, dishwasher safe, and clean easily. They have 5 compartments that keep food separate which is great for my kids. PlanetBox is definitely an investment but they will hold up for more than  school year. http://amzn.to/2wr6nWk

 

Silicone Cupcake Liners

These are great for making muffins or keeping foods from mixing together. For example, keeping veggies and chips separate. They also add a cute little pop of color to any lunch and make foods look more appealing.  http://amzn.to/2wpt5hw

 

Disposable Dip Containers

Kids love to dip things! Whether it be veggies in ranch dressing, apples in peanut butter, or pita chips in hummus. If they can dip it, they love it. Disposable dip cups work great to keep messes out of the lunch routine. http://amzn.to/2ff2X1p

With school starting again, the dreaded school mornings start again! The kids don’t want to get out of bed, lunches are not packed, it takes 20 minutes for someone to put their shoes on, you know what I’m talking about. The following are my top 3 tips to make school mornings easier:

1. Pack lunches the night before.

I know you are tired at the end of the day, but believe me, it makes the morning so much easier if you make lunches the night before. Some days I pack cute little lunches in our PlanetBox. Other days I just throw whatever I have in zip top bags and call it a day! I also use edible markers to draw cute little faces on the sandwiches.

2. Meal plan/grocery shop once a week.

Once a week grocery shopping saves me so much time during the week when I don’t need to make 3 trips to the grocery store. It also saves us money because I definitely fall victim to impulse purchases. I always know what we are going to eat so it’s not the dreaded 5 o’clock “what’s for dinner?!” (Check out some back-to-school meal ideas: HERE).

3. Get up before your kids do.

This tip is my favorite. I get up 30-40 minutes before my kids do. I shower (without an audience), eat my breakfast, have a cup of tea and check my email. I can’t tell you how much this reduces my stress in the morning!

These are the things that we love! Hopefully, these easy tips will make packing school lunches easier and your school mornings pain-free. Check out more back-to-school content by clicking: HERE

Happy Back-to-School!