It’s crunch time, the clock’s are ticking and before you know it the new school year will be here. I’m a newbie at this as my little Sammy Baby isn’t so little anymore, she’ll be starting JK and I’m pretty much what you call a HOT MESS haha. It’s exciting, fun, sad and most of all scary…but probably more for me than her.
As I sit here with my to do list of things I need to buy, prepare and get organized for, one thing on the top of my list is LUNCH! OMG, what do I do? What should I pack? Will she eat at school? I won’t lie, I’m totally lost and freaked out when it comes to this particular topic. So, like any good Mamma out there I started to ask friends who have gone through this already and looked online for some ideas and tips that might help. The one thing that I kept hearing, seeing and reading was “MAKE IT FUN!” which totally makes sense to me. Who wouldn’t be happy and want to eat a fun lunch right?! LOL
So what makes a lunch (and let’s throw snacks into the mix too) FUN?
- Get your little one involved ~ give them choices, ask them want they want and let them help you make it
- Make it bite size because as you know finger foods always taste better
- Use cookie cutters to make different shapes
- Put it on a stick and make kabobs with veggies, fruits, cheeses, and deli meats
- Make it colourful
- Have variety because the same old thing gets boring and old
Another thing that will help you and alleviate stress is planning ahead of time. Here’s a great little cheat sheet that you can print out to help you come up with a great lunch ideas for your little one (I might just use it to plan my lunches too haha)…
But it doesn’t end there…fun lunches and snacks also need fun packaging which leads me to my awesome discovery and new favourite thing! Samantha says she loves them more than me but we’ll save that debate for a different day 😉 . I’m talking about Glad’s new Disney character themed Zipper Snack and Sandwich Bags! Honestly these things are so cute and the minute your little ones see them they will be in love! They come in different Disney themes like Frozen, Cars and Toy Story so there’s something for the little ladies and men in our lives.
(Grape Tomato & Cherry Bocconcini Kabobs)
We’ve already started to use them for snacks and lunches when we’re out and about and these are fantastic. The best part is that both my girls Samantha (4) and Liliana (2) like trying new things because of these bags. As you can imagine Frozen is pretty popular with my little ladies and so we like to play games and think of different things that Elsa, Anna, Krisoff and Olaf like to eat and we try to come up with food ideas based on them. Remember Disney films are full of adventure so shouldn’t their lunchbox be too? So next time you’re out shopping, look out for these awesome new Glad Disney themed bags and plan some yummy lunch time fun with your little one.