The “Kids in the Kitchen” handout I promised you is ready! Make sure to download it under the “Handouts” section on the right hand side of this post and get your kids in the kitchen with you! 🙂
No on to back to school ideas…Thank you so much to Cami who sent me all of her WONDERFUL ideas on how she gets prepared for school lunches. It’s such a great idea and I’ve heard it from a couple of other people as well (including Tammy who gave us that AWESOME blender no-bake cheesecake recipe) so you know it’s got to be good! You make a bunch of sandiwches and freeze them. That way you have one mess to clean up instead of a the same mess everyday. You could even do this on the weekend and have your kids helping to make all of the sandwiches. (Why do everything yourself? 🙂 My favorite part about this is that it means you have lunch ready for yourself, as well as kids and husbands! So if you are running errands you can grab a sandwich (instead of buying fast food) and eat it in the car or just know that you’ve already got lunch made with no mess. I love it! I know I rarely get to eat lunch before 2:30 p.m. and by then I’m cranky and much more prone to eat junk food and then I’m not hungry for dinner! THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THIS TIP!! I JUST LOVE IT!!!
**Just one tip before you begin, I know that mayonaise curdles in the freezer so maybe just use mustard…does anyone know how Miracle Whip holds up in the freezer?**
Straight from the kitchen of Cami, in her own words:
Lunch Organization from the Not So Secret Life of a Soccer Mom with FIVE kids!
I have tried to simplify lunch packing this year. Each child gets one bin for all their snacks, drinks etc. for the whole week. If you have a child that is a snack sneaker…this is a good option. They will learn how to pack snacks so that their stash lasts the whole week. They can pack several snacks in one day…and then they will have to compensate by not taking a snack other days if they run out before the end of the week. So far it is working really well.
Another thing that works really well for me is to make sandwiches in a mass production. I made 20 sandwiches half ham & Cheese and half PB&J…label and freeze. By the time lunch comes the sandwich is defrosted and the meat hasn’t been warm all morning. PB&J does freeze well…put peanut butter on both slices of bread and Jelly in between, it keeps the jelly from soaking into the bread.
and a tuna lunch kit for variety (the tuna looks just like this…but tuna instead of Ham!)
p.s. I received a lot of emails while I was at a family reunion last week with no internet access. I’m trying to catch up ASAP! Thanks for your patience!
For more tips and tricks for using food storage in your everyday recipes, please visit www.everydayfoodstorage.NET
I have always made PB&J and froze them. But never considered other ideas. I'm curious as to how the meat and cheese turn out once thawed. Also, Bagelfuls seem to be a real hit right now. What is the texture/taste like of the frozen bagels with cream cheese like once thawed? Thanks!
I have always made PB&J and froze them. But never considered other ideas. I'm curious as to how the meat and cheese turn out once thawed. Also, Bagelfuls seem to be a real hit right now. What is the texture/taste like of the frozen bagels with cream cheese like once thawed? Thanks!
I have always made PB&J and froze them. But never considered other ideas. I'm curious as to how the meat and cheese turn out once thawed. Also, Bagelfuls seem to be a real hit right now. What is the texture/taste like of the frozen bagels with cream cheese like once thawed? Thanks!
I have a friend who makes sandwiches w/out mayo & mustard, then packs the small squeeze packets (she buys them in bulk from Costco, and says one box lasts forever).
I've been watching this blog for a while now. LOVE it! Thanks so much!
I have a friend who makes sandwiches w/out mayo & mustard, then packs the small squeeze packets (she buys them in bulk from Costco, and says one box lasts forever).I've been watching this blog for a while now. LOVE it! Thanks so much!
I have a friend who makes sandwiches w/out mayo & mustard, then packs the small squeeze packets (she buys them in bulk from Costco, and says one box lasts forever).I've been watching this blog for a while now. LOVE it! Thanks so much!
I know I freeze lunch meat and cheese just to have on hand and the texture and taste are fine once unthawed.
I know I freeze lunch meat and cheese just to have on hand and the texture and taste are fine once unthawed.
I know I freeze lunch meat and cheese just to have on hand and the texture and taste are fine once unthawed.
GENIUS!! I have sneaky snackers and run out of lunch stuff way too soon! I am putting the baskets out today. THANKS as always.
GENIUS!! I have sneaky snackers and run out of lunch stuff way too soon! I am putting the baskets out today. THANKS as always.
GENIUS!! I have sneaky snackers and run out of lunch stuff way too soon! I am putting the baskets out today. THANKS as always.
Wonderful ideas! I think I’ll freeze a bunch of sandwiches even though I don’t have any kids in school – I’m always sup for easy lunches!
Wonderful ideas! I think I’ll freeze a bunch of sandwiches even though I don’t have any kids in school – I’m always sup for easy lunches!
Oooh! More, more! I need all the brown bag hints I can get. Thanks so much for posting this!
My hint for this year– I have two in school full day, and two who are still at home (one baby, one 4-year-old). This year I’ve been making the 4-year-old a brown bag lunch while I’m making the other two. I stick hers in the fridge and when it’s lunch time all I have to do is tell her to go get her lunch. So simple, but it has made my life so much easier already. Now all I have to worry about is myself and the baby for lunch, which is easy! Plus, the 4-year-old feels special that she has her own little lunch.
Oooh! More, more! I need all the brown bag hints I can get. Thanks so much for posting this!My hint for this year– I have two in school full day, and two who are still at home (one baby, one 4-year-old). This year I’ve been making the 4-year-old a brown bag lunch while I’m making the other two. I stick hers in the fridge and when it’s lunch time all I have to do is tell her to go get her lunch. So simple, but it has made my life so much easier already. Now all I have to worry about is myself and the baby for lunch, which is easy! Plus, the 4-year-old feels special that she has her own little lunch.
crystal wow your blog is amazing! i just wanted to pop in say hey girl!!!!
crystal wow your blog is amazing! i just wanted to pop in say hey girl!!!!
crystal wow your blog is amazing! i just wanted to pop in say hey girl!!!!
I love this idea!
I love this idea!
Miracle whip can be frozen! (like on sandwiches I mean. I have never tried the whole bottle) Unlike Mayo it doesn’t separate into watery goo. 🙂
Miracle whip can be frozen! (like on sandwiches I mean. I have never tried the whole bottle) Unlike Mayo it doesn’t separate into watery goo. 🙂
What good ideas! Thanks! 🙂
What good ideas! Thanks! 🙂
What good ideas! Thanks! 🙂
You are a total superchef! I love it. This is Katie (Rencher) Birkes.. I would love to kit!
You are a total superchef! I love it. This is Katie (Rencher) Birkes.. I would love to kit!
You are a total superchef! I love it. This is Katie (Rencher) Birkes.. I would love to kit!
I shared the frozen sandwich idea with my 9th-grader sister. She tried it and said that the sandwich thawed perfectly by lunch time. Also, she spread her bread with ranch dressing and apparently that worked well. Thanks for the great tips, from both of us!
I shared the frozen sandwich idea with my 9th-grader sister. She tried it and said that the sandwich thawed perfectly by lunch time. Also, she spread her bread with ranch dressing and apparently that worked well. Thanks for the great tips, from both of us!
I shared the frozen sandwich idea with my 9th-grader sister. She tried it and said that the sandwich thawed perfectly by lunch time. Also, she spread her bread with ranch dressing and apparently that worked well. Thanks for the great tips, from both of us!
I have done this as well with PB and J. We use natural peanut butter, which can be a pain to mix, so I just take a new jar, empty it into a big bowl to mix, and than make as many sandwiches that will use up all of the PB.
This is the first time I’ve visited this site, so this may have been suggested already, but I also make pancakes in mass and keep in the freezer. It just takes 30 seconds in the microwave for one and 45 for two. And I do actually use my wheat storage for it. Yay for me!
I have done this as well with PB and J. We use natural peanut butter, which can be a pain to mix, so I just take a new jar, empty it into a big bowl to mix, and than make as many sandwiches that will use up all of the PB.This is the first time I’ve visited this site, so this may have been suggested already, but I also make pancakes in mass and keep in the freezer. It just takes 30 seconds in the microwave for one and 45 for two. And I do actually use my wheat storage for it. Yay for me!
I have done this as well with PB and J. We use natural peanut butter, which can be a pain to mix, so I just take a new jar, empty it into a big bowl to mix, and than make as many sandwiches that will use up all of the PB.This is the first time I’ve visited this site, so this may have been suggested already, but I also make pancakes in mass and keep in the freezer. It just takes 30 seconds in the microwave for one and 45 for two. And I do actually use my wheat storage for it. Yay for me!
Chain Reader,
Thanks for the tip on pancakes. I’ll be sure to post something about it to make sure everyone sees it!
Crystal
Chain Reader,Thanks for the tip on pancakes. I’ll be sure to post something about it to make sure everyone sees it!Crystal
Hello! I just found your blog, and I am marking it as one of my favs!! I am fairly new at cooking, and I am not always sure of how long to store things for, etc, so I am THRILLED I found your blog! Great idea about freezing the kids sandwiches. I am doing this from now on!
Thank you so much!!
Hello! I just found your blog, and I am marking it as one of my favs!! I am fairly new at cooking, and I am not always sure of how long to store things for, etc, so I am THRILLED I found your blog! Great idea about freezing the kids sandwiches. I am doing this from now on!Thank you so much!!
Do you have the blog address for this lady? Does she talk more about snack ideas on her blog or was this just a special thing she wrote for your blog?
Thanks.
Do you have the blog address for this lady? Does she talk more about snack ideas on her blog or was this just a special thing she wrote for your blog?
Thanks.
The blog address is http://blog.superhealthykids.com/
I’ve been reading her blog for a while. Mostly it’s about healthy food/lifestyle ideas, but occassionally she talks about snacks (as she did in the post that sent readers here!).
The blog address is http://blog.superhealthykids.com/
I’ve been reading her blog for a while. Mostly it’s about healthy food/lifestyle ideas, but occassionally she talks about snacks (as she did in the post that sent readers here!).