Notes from the kitchen table: no. 05
Hi there,
If you’re in the US (which I think most of my followers are) - I hope you enjoyed a relaxing Labor Day weekend!
Some of us have already started back to school, but for many of you, this week marks the start of back-to-school season—so it’s the perfect time to focus on making our days as stress-free as possible. In this week’s letter, I’m sharing my top tips for easy lunch packing, the most frequently asked lunch packing reader question, a super simple lunch idea, and an update on our weekly meal plans.
Make sure you don’t miss a weekly update - click here to subscribe to my substack if you aren’t already, and you’ll get these updates in your inbox. The archive of all my weekly updates and past meal plans will always be available on the blog as well.
So let’s get into this tasty week!
Tip of the Week:
I’m going to start sharing some of my favorite time saving tips with you every week.
This week, sticking with the back-to-school theme, it’s actually 5 tips to get you started: my top five tips for easy school lunch packing. Packing lunches doesn’t have to be a hassle, and these tips are my favorite ways to make lunch packing easier, quicker, and more enjoyable for both you and your kids.
Here are my top five tips for easy school lunch packing:
Don’t overthink it.
Have a plan.
Shop and prep ahead of time.
Buy the right lunch packing supplies.
Pack lunch ahead of time.
If you want to know the detail behind each of these tips and how I implement them - click on over to the blog to read my full blog post.
Check out the full tips here ➡️ Top 5 Tips for Easy School Lunch Packing
Want even more? Download my Top Five Tips for Easy School Lunch Packing eBook for an in-depth guide to making school lunches a breeze.
Reader Q&A:
Answers to your questions!
Q: How Do I Keep Apples from Turning Brown in My Kids' Lunches?
A: This is the question I get most often when I share lunches on my social media! Seems like brown apples is a big concern for a lot of folks. Keeping apples fresh and crisp in your child’s lunchbox is easier than you might think! I’ve seen lots of folks share all kinds of tips for this, but I’ve never seen anyone else recommend my method. My go-to method is so simple, and has always worked for me, and is basically just involves using a really sharp knife. I’ve got a whole blog post about this if you want to read more.
For more details, check out the full post here: How to Keep Apples from Turning Brown.
Lunchbox Inspiration:
Weekly lunch packing inspiration and ideas for you.
Here is a quick and easy lunchbox idea: Try leftover pizza for lunch! Kids love pizza, and if you plan ahead and make extra it makes for a super simple lunch. Cut into strips or bites to make it easy for them to eat fast at lunch time, pair with some fruit and maybe a veggie, and lunch is done. You can check out an example of this in my latest instagram post. If you don’t have leftover, but you want to send pizza for lunch - just cook a frozen pizza, there are loads of good ones out there.
I shared an example of this lunch on my Instagram today - check it out ➡️ Pizza bites for lunch
Meal planning:
Updates on our weekly meal plans.
Here’s an overview of what we had for dinner last week, and a peek at what is on my list for the coming week. Feel free to borrow our menu or use these ideas as inspiration for your own meal planning. I’ve included links to pictures and recipes where I have them.
Last week’s menu:
I don’t usually make separate dinners for adults and kids. We had guests over the weekend so our weekend meals were a little different than usual. Here’s what we actually ate:
Monday: Gumbo (maybe it was, maybe it wasn’t? see below)
Tuesday: Ground beef tacos
Wednesday: Leftovers
Thursday: chicken & tofu stir fry
Friday: the kids had frozen pizza, the adults had the Costco street taco kit
Saturday: the kids had Costco chicken pot pie, the adults went out
Sunday: Salmon, rice, green salad with berries & lemon vinaigrette.
Monday: Chicken thighs with basil & garlic, zucchini patties, sliced tomatoes, white pasta.
On the menu this week:
Here’s a sneak peek at what’s on the menu for my family this week. Once again our weekend is a little off, I’ve got four out of six of us gone on scout camping this weekend. Check back next week for the actual list of what we ate - sometimes I don’t follow the plan exactly.
Tuesday: Fish tacos. Fish sticks and Salmon, with all the taco fixings
Wednesday: Leftovers
Thursday: Seared ahi tuna bowls, with greens, rice, edamame, cucumbers.
Friday: Pizza for the boy, chop salad for mom
Saturday: Mac & cheese for the boy, another big salad for mom
Sunday: Meatloaf, probably some roasted veggies and pasta
Social Media Highlights:
Here are some highlights from my recent social media activity.
This week it’s all about Threads - I love asking questions there, I get such a great variety of answers from people. If you’re not already on Threads, come on over and join the conversation!
Regarding the gumbo mentioned above - I wasn’t able to get okra, and I asked my followers if it’s still gumbo without okra. As you can imagine, the answers varied. ➡️ Click here to read that thread.
Recently I asked followers about their absolute favorite cookbook, and the responses were great. I’ve now got a whole new wish list of books I want, and I’ll probably summarize these into an upcoming blog post soon. ➡️ Click here to read that thread.
I also asked for suggestions for meals using ground beef and got lots of great ideas. Meat is so expensive these days, but ground meat is usually a bit less, so it’s great to have some fresh ideas for how to use it. ➡️ Click here to read that thread.
Finally - here’s one where I asked folks about their favorite last minute dinner to make when they haven’t planned ahead. You know I’m big on meal planning, but sometimes plans change or I get behind. This is a great list of ideas. ➡️ Click here to read that thread.
Coming Next Week:
Next week I plan to share some of my best ideas for after school snacking, more lunch packing tips and ideas, answers to another common reader questions, meal plan updates, and more. Be sure to check back and subscribe so you never miss an update.
Have a Question?
Ask me anything. Do you need lunch packing advice or meal planning suggestions? Or do you have other food or family management related questions? My goal is to be your resource for tips and advice - from a mom who has been there, and done that.
Reply to this email, post a comment, or hit me up on social media, and your question could be featured in next week’s newsletter.
Don’t forget to follow along on Instagram and Threads for daily tips and inspiration.
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Wishing you a delicious and stress-free week ahead!
– Lisa