Lunchbox Packing Essentials & Tips
Monday is the first day of school for most kids here in California. My 4-year-old is starting her last year of preschool, and my 2-year-old will be starting her first year of preschool in a couple of months. Over the weekend the girls each chose a new lunchbox and we got our lunchbox making supplies ready. I recently collected a few new things to make lunchboxes easy and fun.
Yummy Mummy Kitchen Favorite Lunchbox Supplies
- Easy Lunchboxes. 1 large and 2 small compartments in a BPA-free lidded container.
- Lunchbots stainless steel quad container. This is my favorite for 2-4 year-olds who usually won’t eat a whole sandwich, and prefer a bento style lunch with several different foods.
- Sandwich Crust Cutters . My girls get so excited when they find dolphin shaped sandwiches in their lunches.
- Vegetable Cutters. These stainless steel cutters transform fruits and veggies into cute bite-sized snacks perfect for pastas and salads. They are also great for cheese shapes.
- Silicone Muffin Cups. I use these baking cups to divide up larger container compartments.
- Foogo Thermos Food Container. These stainless steel containers keep food warm. They are my go-to for soups and spaghetti in lunchboxes.
- Cloth napkins. They are required at my girls’ preschool, but cloth napkins make lunchtime a little nicer for little ones, and are nicer to the planet.
- Ice pack. Be sure to include an ice pack if there is any food that will spoil before lunchtime.
In my 4-year-old’s lunch:
- Almond butter and jam on whole wheat
- Sliced peach
- Sliced roasted beets, carrots, and microgreens
In my 2-year-old’s lunch:
- Hard boiled egg
- Peach cut into bite-sized pieces
- Pasta with zucchini and carrots
- Applesauce
How to pack a healthy lunchbox:
- Pack a protein
- Pack a veggie
- Pack a fruit
- Pack an additional side
- Pack a bottle of water
Happy back-to-school!
We're on the same page girl! I just did a post on how to pack a waste-free school lunch as well as snack. I love that your girls' pre-school encourages cloth napkins as well as waste-free lunches. I think most school, at least in California, are moving in that direction. Both of my kids' schools encourage waste-free snacks as well as lunches, and they also have compost and recycling bins all over the place. I love the adorable bento box lunches!
Awesome! My 2 yr old starts preschool on Tuesday, kinda sad in a way. The little guy's been with me every day…what am I gonna do? yikes!
Great lunch box set up!
I know how you feel! My 2 year old can't start until she's 2.5 AND potty trained so we're still a few months out, but I am already wondering what it's going to be like to have a few mornings alone!
My 5 year old loves these kind of lunches. She always tells me how her lunch is the prettiest. 🙂
She is so sweet! Happy back to school! I just realized your blog wasn't on my blog roll, so I fixed it! Maybe if I packed foods like that, my son would eat it- you have inspired me!
Beautiful post Marina! Thanks for featuring my EasyLunchboxes 🙂 – Kelly Lester
Love this post! And she is so adorable!
What great ideas!I'm impressed your girls eat such healthy things! Where did you find those cute plaid spoons?
These are such cute ideas! I didn't know they made things like sandwich cutters in fun shapes. Makes me look forward to when I have kids of my own! 🙂
Hi Rachel! The plaid spoons are from Anthropologie 🙂 They have the cutest tabletop stuff!
Such cute ideas! My little guy is 5, so I definitely appreciate the suggestions:-)
Look at the cute little flower shaped carrots! You are the mom of the year!
I am suggesting you make this a weekly post! I so need lunch ideas. The biggest problem being our school is full-on nut free…challenging when peanut/almond butter are such a hit.
These lunches are almost too pretty to eat! xo
Aww! You make it look so easy!! I don't have any kids yet – but this is a great resource for those who do!!
I was wondering how many schools are nut free. Thank goodness our small preschool does not have any kids with nut allergies, so we are okay – but I bet when they go to elementary school things will change.
Thanks for suggesting making lunchbox packing a weekly post – that would be fun!
Marina you are just the cutest!!!! I only hope to be as great a mother as you one day, your daughters' lunches just look stunning!! xoxo
Marina,
These sandwich cutters are so cute, as you know my granddaughter is visiting…I will have to look into buying these for her next visit. BTW, we loved your Skinny Strawberry cupcakes recipe.
Karen
Ohhhhh my. Neither of my kids would touch those lunches. Do you know how lucky you are to have great eaters????? Not that mine eat bad or anything, but if I put a beet in their lunch, they would use it as tribal indian paint or something! lol
Really? Have they tried roasted beets? They are soooo sweet like candy 🙂
Marina, you are the perfect mom! I was just saying how wonderful to have my last child done with public school, he graduated in May. My oldest daughter was laughing because she was saying how wonderful it was for her children to be going back to school. I certainly never made lunches like these – they are so lucky!
what a great post! I don't know what I would do without my sandwich cutters- not sure my son would even eat them! LOL!
I could trade with anyone for roasted beets, I just love that lunch! My kids are too big to have those cute lunches (sigh)… It's not cool to bring your lunch in high school… (sigh)
If you want to add a lunch note please take a look at http://littlelunchnotes.com/. Every school day I post free printable lunch notes. – illustrated jokes, fun facts, etc.
I love this 🙂 My oldest is just going into kindergarten and I can't wait to pack lunches for him!
What a great post idea Marina…and these photos are beautiful. Since I work in an elementary school (and do lunch duty!) I see all the lunches that kids bring to school…and it's not pretty! Wish more parents were as creative + thoughtful + healthy as you!!
XO – Marion
Great post, where is the soft lunch box from? Is it insulated? Thanks!
Hi Colleen, I got the girls' lunchboxes at Whole Foods, but I have seen these at other childrens stores as well. They are made by Crocodile Creek.
http://www.diapers.com/subcat=Backpacks-Lunch-Boxes-10885/Brand=Crocodile+Creek
Love this post. Thanks for sharing!
Hooray for back to school!!!! I love packing lunches for my boys. I WISH they were more adventurous eaters but hoping to win them over one day with my good cooking. The funniest thing is that neither of my boys will touch a peach (from infancy!) and I AM “Your Southern Peach!”
I wish Tina would pack my lunch. That would be cool!
I bet she would! And it would be delicious!
Lovely back to school ideas, so delicious –
Mary x
great post Marina. kids would happily finish their salads if veggies are cut in such cute shapes.
Where did you get the small cutters for the veggie shapes? Are they like small cookie/fondant cutters like from Michaels? They would have to be pretty sharp/durable to cut carrots like that. Also, Is there a cheaper place to get bento type boxes and thermoses? I have 5 kids in school. Any suggestions for cheap, large quantity lunch ideas would be much appreciated.
Thanks for the cute ideas. It gives me the push I've needed to start sending lunches to school again. Well that and my oldest daughter is in Waterpolo in high school and she really needs to eat healthy. Luckly, she would love dolphin and flower shaped food and be so grateful for it! Actually, looking forward to packing lunches.
Hi there, I got the veggie cutters here: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B002TZ04G4/ref=oh_details_o01_s00_i03
Yes, they are similar to fondant or mini cookie cutters, but a bit stronger as they are meant for veggies. For cheaper bento boxes and thermoses I would do a search on eBay or amazon. Target might be a good place to look too.
Have fun making lunches for your kiddos 🙂
What a fun lunch! Your little Pre-kindergartner looks so sweet!
Thanks for the article, i too like lunchboxes and built a price guide for them here http://www.greatestcollectibles.com/lunch-box-price-guide/ with images, descriptions and prices for each one. Hope it’s helpful.
thanks
I”M LOVING THIS!!!!! You are a rockstar momma.
Hi,
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Please let us know if you’d be interested in including us in a back to school gift guide or any other article related to school and lunchbox essentials. Feel free to explore our website at http://www.mirabrands.com, and let us know if you see any products that you’d like to sample.
Thank you,
The Mira Brands Team