Sponsored by Mabel’s Labels
When school rolls around, lunches can be a hot topic. How much is enough? Are the meals balanced? What kind of lunch box is best? Not to mention the never-ending quest to find new snack and meal ideas for the entire school year. Before you find yourself with a serious case of lunch confusion, take a look at our list of essentials to help make the year run smoothly.
Lunch containers
There are a lot of different kinds of containers out there for kids – and there are a lot of things to take into consideration. For example – are they easily opened? How much will they hold? Do you want individual containers or an all-in-one box?
Our favorites for younger kids are the bento-box style lunch boxes like Bentology, Yumbox or Planetbox. Eating like this is easy and fun for little ones! Your kids don’t have to struggle with multiple container lids and they’re able to graze on a balanced meal each day. The best part is that lunch-making somehow seems less daunting. Just fill up the compartments with fruits, veggies, proteins, grains, etc. and away they go.
Another favourite of ours are individual stainless steel lunch containers, like Dalcini Stainless. These types of containers are lightweight, hold a lot of food and are dishwasher safe (this is key!). Plus, they’re easily stored when you’re not using them.
Healthy snacks
Making sure your kids have a balanced, healthy lunch is important – but by the second week of school, coming up with new ideas daily can be tough! Try packing some of these yummy, healthy snacks that everyone will feel good about:
Pear slices and cheese
Whole grain pretzels with hummus for dipping
Half of a whole wheat english muffin with sunbutter and jam
Cucumber and bell pepper slices with dip
Plain yogurt (optional: sweeten it with maple syrup) with berries on top
Homemade waffles
Reusable snack bags
Litterless lunches have become a must for most schools these days. Reusable and washable snack bags are a great eco-friendly choice for snacks, sandwiches, fruit and more. Plus, there are some really cute and colorful options out there!
A leak-proof water bottle
Pack your child’s bag with a reusable water bottle so your kids can enjoy water or smoothies on the go! We love the stainless steel water bottles at Ecovessel that come in sizes for kids of all ages. The only thing that’s a must is making sure they’re leak-proof.
The last thing you want to deal with at the end of the day is wet artwork or ruined library books!
Labels for everything
If you’re going to invest in a great lunch box, a water bottle and reusable snack bags, you’re going to want to make sure it all comes back home again. For obvious reasons, we’re big fans of Mabel’s Labels for all your lunch gear! Our personalized, dishwasher-safe, durable labels come in a wide variety of colors and icons. And they’re the easiest way to avoid the lost and found blues!
This sponsored post is part of an advertising partnership between Mabel’s Labels and Chicago Parent Media.
