I feel like we didn't even get a proper summer this year. We didn't have much time for sleeping late and no one got bored. What kind of summer is that?
Marcia and Bobby are already in "back to school" mode with summer sports. They have to pack a lunch every day (the cafeteria isn't open even if they wanted to eat there) and it's too expensive to let them do what some of the kids do and drive to the nearby fast food joint for lunch.
They pack their own and I try to have things that are fairly healthy and easy to pack as they often wait until the last possible second, no matter how often I suggest they pack them up the night before.
Here's a list of lunch box foods I like to keep on hand that can be combined in all sorts of ways:
- whole grain sandwich bread
- tortillas
- peanut butter
- tuna
- cheese sticks or those Mini Babybel cheeses (we all love those but they're more expensive than cheese sticks so I don't buy them as often).
- yogurt
- applesauce or fruit cups
- lunch meat
- whole grain muffins
- crackers
- carrots
- apples
- granola bars
- tortilla chips (they can add a small container of salsa too)
- bananas
- plums
- hard boiled eggs (I don't make these very often, but they love them)
- Tea (is that weird?). They love Snapple Lemon Tea, but it's too expensive for everyday. They also like homemade tea packed in a water bottle or a re-purposed Snapple bottle. You can freeze it the night before and it will be nice and icy cold at lunch time.
- oranges
- Leftovers (which are rare around here)
- And of course the occasional oatmeal cookie or slice of banana bread
Do you have any other good ideas for lunch box foods to keep on hand?
