{Out of the Box} Lunchbox Ideas and $300 Back to School Giveaway! By Kelly Miller • August26,2013 • Updated January 17, 2022 • 5 Comments 769 So I’m going from last year being home with my kiddos, to this year all four of us going different places and four lunches to pack every day! It’s a good thing our kids like what we eat for the most part, because there’s no way I’m making four different combinations of lunches. Sure fire way to drive a mama crazy! I don’t know about you, but I get plain sick of sandwiches day after day for lunch. My kids are becoming picky at dinner time, but lunch time seems to be “their meal” so I want to make sure they have enough healthy options in their lunches to pick from to fill them for the rest of the day. Before we get to the list, who could use an extra $300 for your back to school shopping? I know I could! I’ve teamed up with this amazing group of bloggers for a HUGE $300 Target gift card giveaway! It runs today through September 6th so don’t wait… 🙂 Back to School GiveawayYou need to enable javascript to enter this campaign ! Powered by PromoSimple. Ok, and now on to our lunchbox ideas – here’s a list of tips and recipes I’m planning on using in our lunches this year to switch up the boring ham & cheese: Leftover Lunches These are all great freezeable recipes! For the casseroles, just scoop the leftovers in regular or jumbo muffin tins, freeze 10-30 minutes, then pop them out into labeled ziploc bags. The night before, just stick however many you need in the fridge to defrost – these would require a microwave at school or work when it’s time to eat. For the individual serving meals, just flash freeze on a cookie sheet for 10-30 minutes, and do the same as above. Easy! Cheesy Stuffed Pepper Casserole Skillet Tuna Cakes Ham & Cheddar Ziti Ranch Pesto Rigatoni Bake Salsa Meatloaf Bites Sandwich Alternatives Lunchmeat and PB&J is a great standby, but they can get old after a while. These fun sandwiches and wraps keep lunchtime exciting! I’m planning on using these Ziploc divided containers and allowing them to assemble the sandwiches at lunch, that way the bread/wrap/waffle/etc. won’t get soggy. Easy Cheesy Pizza Pockets Honey Dijon Chicken Salad Copycat BBQ Chicken Snack Wraps Southwest Chicken Wraps Stuffed Corn & Black Bean Quesadillas Souper Soups Soups are a great way to pack in the nutrition PLUS most of these recipes make a ton! I would recommend freezing these in the muffin tins also – we love soup! Easy Lasagna Soup Crockpot Loaded Baked Potato Soup Crockpot Tomato Basil Parmesan Soup Alphabet Soup Pumpkin & Black Bean Chili Lunchbox Snacks & Treats I’m REALLY going to try not to fall into the trap of buying boxes of granola bars and bags of cheez-its – it’s so much more affordable (and a lot of times healthier) to make large batches of treats on the weekend and freeze. Again, just defrost in the fridge the night before and you’re good to go These Silicone muffin cups keep snacks and treats from spilling into other foods and look really bright and cute in the lunchbox, too! DIY Microwave Popcorn Citrus Broccoli Salad Avocado Hummus Apple Cinnamon Waffle Parfait {Back to School} Whole Wheat Banana Muffins Banana Applesauce Crescents Oatmeal Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies Secret Ingredient Chocolate Banana Bread So how about you, will you be trying anything new this year to switch up the lunchbox routine? Don’t miss another Semi Homemade Mom recipe! Click here to have recipes delivered by email. {linking up!} 769
Amanda @ Semi-Health Nut says August 26, 2013 at 6:40 pm Holy wow this list is amazing! Pinning and saving it!! Reply
Laura @ The Rookie Cook says August 27, 2013 at 3:08 pm This is an awesome round-up, thanks!!! (Pinned!) I agree that lunch can be boring – we almost always seem to have leftovers. So much better than a plain ol sandwich 🙂Stopping by from Totally tasty Tuesdays! Reply
Erin- Table for 7 says August 29, 2013 at 2:05 pm Great round up Kelly! Your chicken salad is on my list to try 🙂 Thanks for sharing at Share Your Stuff Tuesdays!! Reply
Crystelle Boutique says August 29, 2013 at 4:35 pm You are making me sooo hungry with all those delicious meals!!! YUM!!hugs x CrystelleCrystelle Boutique Reply
Miz Helen says September 2, 2013 at 10:41 pm Thank you so much for sharing your awesome recipes with Full Plate Thursday. Hope you have had a great weekend and have a fabulous week.Come Back Soon!Miz Helen Reply