My go to back to school lunch that is never boring and always eaten!

Summer is almost over, it’s hard to believe that we will have to shift from no routines and no lunch making to full on military style routines to making lunches every damn day.

Here are my go to lunch tips for creating a lunch that your kids will love and isn’t going to keep you in the kitchen all night prepping.

1- Invest in a bento box. It doesn’t have to be fancy but having compartments is the fun part for kids. Bento boxes give you variety, which kids love. They are snackers by nature and like having a variety of foods to choose from. A bento box also gives kids the freedom to choose what they will eat first and what they will eat last - a novelty they don’t get to enjoy when eagle eye Maman is around.

2- Prep your fruits and veggies on a Sunday for at least three days worth of lunches. The last thing you want to be doing on a Tuesday evening is cutting up vegetables for the next day when instead you could be at the gym or taking a yoga class, catching up with your husband or better yet catching up on The Handmaid’s Tale! Here are two ways you can prep your veggies: batch prep them by putting them into one big container and then grabbing and adding to smaller containers throughout the week OR you can cut veggies directly into your bento box. This way you can literally grab the container and drop it straight into their lunch box.

3- Have foods on hand that can easily be added to your bento box. Here are just an example of healthy, easy foods you can use to add to your kids bento boxes:

Pre-cooked cut up pieces of chicken

Deli meats (preferably free antibiotics)

Hard boiled egg

Olives

Cubed cheese (cause who doesn’t love a good cubed cheese?!)

Grapes

Pickles

Pita

Crackers

Popcorn

Raisins

Dark chocolate squares or dark chocolate chips

Hummus for dipping

Greek yogourt tahini for dipping

I could go on here but I think you get the idea! Now all you need to do is add the veggies to their lunch and presto! Lunch is made!

Back to school is an exciting time but also a busy time. Reminder to all the busy Maman's out there, while we want to do it all for our children, we are no good to them having not slept, eaten well, or done something for ourselves each and everyday. This September I am committing to myself to take 5 minutes out of my day to stretch in the morning and then again in the evening. I will also commit to taking 5 minutes to meditate. This will be my gift to myself. What are you gifting to yourself to fill your cup?