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The kids have been back to school for a few weeks now, and parents are, undoubtedly (hopefully?), getting back into the routine. Boy, oh boy, it was nice not to have to pack lunches (or dish out dollars for the cafeteria) over the summer months, wasn’t it? Studies have shown that the cost to pack a lunch is approximately half of the cost to buy it (depending upon the school lunch program of course). My kids are in Jr High and High school and buying lunch off school property tends to be more expensive and less nutritious. I have to admit, I like the convenience of handing over a $5 bill versus making a lunch…but my budget does not. Trying to decide what to make for dinner every evening is challenging enough. Add to that the “lunch decision” and it’s just another thing on the agenda. And the kids are no help. Every parent: “What do you want for lunch kids?” Every moody teenager: “I dunno, whatever…” The frustrated parent: “How about an egg salad sandwich?” The frustrating teen: “Nah” The increasingly frustrated parent: “Tuna wrap?” The ‘apparently doesn’t have a clue how annoying they are’ teen: “Nah” Of course there is a simple solution (besides pulling out that $5 bill), make them responsible for packing their lunch. I probably should, they are old enough now, and other parents do it…but then my oldest tells me stories about the friend who brought a container of lettuce and some crackers to school because she was in a rush to make her own lunch. Well…at least there was lettuce. It could be worse. And, I want to be a loving Mum, a supportive Mum, and it’s the least I can do to ensure they eat something substantial to get them through the day. Will we ever feel like we are doing it right? ;) Back to the article…I offer the following 10 hacks to help make this part of the school year a little easier on your head and your bank account. May you find a gem or two to help maintain your sanity.

1. Always prepare the night before. There is enough to do in the morning to get everyone moving, preparing the lunches the night before takes some of that pressure off.
2. Lunches don’t have to be traditional. We tend to think of sandwiches or wraps as the lunch staple, but thermos’s have opened up a whole host of possibilities
   1. Soup (of course)
   2. Pasta (pack some parmesan cheese and salt & pepper packs with it)
   3. Hot dogs in water in the thermos, pack a bun and packs of condiments
      1. Side note: save those packs of condiments
      2. Another side note: Pre-heat the thermos by filling with hot water to keep it warm longer
   4. Create your own snacks … cheese, crackers and cut up ham, or pepperoni for example
   5. Cut up fruit and veggies, put some salad dressing in small container and add some cheese cubes for some protein
   6. Salads make a nice healthy lunch, maybe pack the tomatoes separately, or leave them out, as they tend to make it too wet
   7. Have your child(ren) do their lunches up once a week, or more, depending on your schedule and comfort level
   8. Leftovers can work well, especially if they like cold pizza, or have a microwave they can use (or, if it fits, leverage that thermos)
   9. On the above note, make lunch while you make dinner. Let’s say you are having stir fry for dinner, cut up extra peppers, broccoli and cauliflower to put in lunch boxes.
   10. Use a “buy one get one” coupon the next time you grab lunch at a fast food place and pick up something for their lunch. I recently did this with Subway and my son had a delicious half-sub for lunch the next day.
   11. Create “separate packing areas” in lunch boxes by using silicone muffin liners or smaller containers inside larger ones.