Dad packing lunch for his daughter.

5 Tips for Back to Routine and Back to School Lunches

By: Ivanka Hanley

September means back to school and back to work! The best way to feel prepared and ready is to have lots of healthy snacks and meals available. This makes the transition from summer a little easier on everyone. Taking a little bit of time on the weekend to meal plan and meal prep will help to set you and your family up for success. Here are some tips to help you prepare:

  1. Meal plan – Take some time to look through your cookbooks, Instagram, Pinterest or Butterball.ca for easy meal ideas that get your inspired (and hungry!) like this easy and tasty Turkey Bacon Bowl.
  2. Variety keeps it interesting – Pick 2-3 lunch ideas where you can prepare the ingredients ahead of time and assemble the night before. Having more than one lunch idea helps keep the days interesting and will keep you looking forward to lunch.
  3. When thinking of easy meals that will keep kids full and energized, always consider the following formula:
    1. Greens (buying prewashed mixed greens helps to eliminate washing/chopping)
    2. Protein of your choice such as turkey bacon, turkey breast or turkey ham are easy to prepare and packed with flavour
    3. 2-3 veggies (tomato, cucumber, celery, carrots, broccoli to name a few)
    4. Cheese (cheeses like goat, feta or cheddar add lots of flavour)
    5. Carbohydrate like potato, sweet potato or pasta. This helps to complete your meal and leaves you fuller for longer
  4. Prep and go – Always try to pack your family’s lunch (and even breakfast) the night before. This helps to ensure you can easily grab it with you or have it ready in the fridge. Try out these Turkey Bacon Egg Bites for a grab and go option!
  5. Do it yourself – Consider making your own salad dressing or use healthy sauces like salsa, hummus or tzatziki to add to your meals for extra flavour that will keep everyone excited for lunch!

Back to school season is a busy and exciting time for both kids and parents, so let us take some of the pressure off with these easy tips, designed to set the whole family up for some delicious, easy and nutritious success!