Litter-less Lunch Must Haves

Sending kids to school with a home packed lunch means they are getting the right type of healthy fuel to keep them focused for learning. It also lessens our environmental footprint with less packaging from granola bars, yogurt containers or individually wrapped cheese slices. 

A big part of packing your own lunch is having healthy options that are easy and convenient to grab. Here are some idea's of things that can be prepped in advance to grab and go: 

• Crackers with wavy cut cheese slices 
• Fresh fruit such as watermelon or kiwi cut into fun shapes adds a little fun into kids lunch boxes and encourages them to eat the healthy snack.
• Make a tray of muffins to store in the freezer. This makes for a convenient snack, keeping veggies and cheese cool as it thaws throughout the morning. 

With most store purchased prep foods being in unnecessary packaging, the garbage pile can start to add up quickly. Part of easily being able to pack a lunch is having the right types of compact and portable storage and containers. 

1. Drinks 

Sending a juice box with lunch can give kids a sugar rush that increases blood glucose, making it difficult to focus and concentrate in school. Yes, even the organic juice is full of sugar! Having a light weight water bottle that is easy to re-fill for little's at the water fountain is a must have. It also helps to teach healthy hydrating habits.

2. Utensils 

A colorful eating utensil that is easy for kids to spot in their lunchbox with some versatility like a 3-in-1 spoon, fork and knife. Great to used for lunches that are packed with soup, yogurt or pasta. The knife is a dull serrated edge safe for soft cutting such as cheese or melon. 

This will reduce hands going into the disposable cutlery bin in the school cafeteria, reducing the spread of germs. 

3. Portable Food Containers 

Having the right size containers for packing lunch will help ensure the right portion sizes. It also needs to be compact to carry in a schoolbag. To send yogurt in lunch a small container is best and can include some fresh berries for antioxidants! The bento box style lunch container is nicely compact and has sections to pack a picnic style lunch with sandwich, carrot sticks and a healthy homemade oatmeal cookie. 

A reusable silicone food bag is perfect to pack snacks like grapes, veggie sticks or popcorn. 

For those cold days, a thermos is a great way to send warm pasta or soup to school. A trick for getting the thermos heat ready in the morning is to boil the kettle and fill the thermos while you heat the meal. 

Having portable containers on-hand means we can easily pack a healthy lunch at home and lessen how much waste is going into the garbage. 

Related Article: We share tips for healthy and convenient planning Adult Lunches To-Go!