School Lunch day 13: English Muffin Pizzas
I was at the grocery store yesterday and English muffins where on sale, so I grabbed some. Everybody loves pizza for lunch, and English muffin pizzas are an all time classic, and so easy to make. If you keep some basic ingredients on hand - English muffin, tomato sauce, cheese - this is a great one to have in your back pocket for when you can't think of anything else. You can never go wrong with pizza.
School Lunch day 12: Hot leftovers for friday
Honestly I don't love doing hot lunches. Because it means that I have to pack in the morning when I get up. I much prefer doing the packing at night and getting up in the morning with the knowledge that it's already done. But the kids had spaghetti and meatballs for dinner - homemade meatballs and homemade sauce. I have to admit, it was really good. And when a child tells me that she loved her dinner so much that she wants to have the leftovers for lunch tomorrow, well I have a hard time saying no to that. So, leftover spaghetti it is!
School Lunch day 11: Deconstructed Nachos
School lunches today are what I call deconstructed nachos. Basically, everything you would put on nachos, just not all piled and melted together. This is a super easy lunch to make, and it is usually pretty popular. If you make sure that the chips you are using are gluten free, then this is an easy gluten free lunch to make. (and substitute gluten free cookies too)
School lunch day 10: breakfast for lunch with waffle sandwiches!
I love making sandwiches for lunch out of breakfasty stuff. Today it is waffles. When I make waffles, I always, always make lots extra. If you're mixing up the batter, just mix extra. Usually I will cook just enough for our Sunday breakfast, and then after breakfast when everyone else has moved on to other activities, I will go back in the kitchen and finish cooking up the extra waffles. They freeze great and re-heat great. With a waffle sandwich, a little fruit and a little protein, you've got an easy winner of a lunch.
School lunch day 9 - quesadilla, apples, peas
Just a quick and simple quesadilla today. Monday is my full day, so I didn't feel like doing anything elaborate Monday night. Quesadillas are so easy. They can be as simple as just throwing some cheese on a tortilla and popping it in the microwave for a minute. It's our favorite go-to last minute meal. When I'm not in a total hurry I prefer to cook them in a pan. Especially if I am packing a lunch the night before, cooking them in a pan gives a little crispness and helps keep them from getting squishy.
School lunch day 8 - a warm lunch
I don't do warm lunches very often, mostly because they can't be packed the night before and I usually don't want to take the time in the morning. But this one was super easy because it was just leftovers. We had macaroni and cheese and salad for dinner last night. As you have heard me say many times before, I always cook extra. If I'm boiling the water and opening the box, then why not make 4 boxes of mac & cheese instead of 2? It's just as easy, and then we have another meal already made. We also had a salad bar with our dinner, and so I had extra of the veggies already cut up. I made up the salad boxes last night, from the salad leftovers, and put those in the fridge. Then in the morning all I had to do was heat up the mac & cheese and put it in the thermos containers.
School lunch day 7 - Friday, and a little bit of everything
Sometimes on a Friday I will use lunch packing as an opportunity to clean out the fridge a bit. This is the only kind of scenario in which you will see me pack a totally different lunch for each kid. I've got a little bit of this and a little bit of that, so each box looks a little different.
School lunch day 6 - making leftovers fun!
I am a big, big fan of leftovers. I don't think I have ever cooked a meal where there was just enough for that meal. While it may be something I enjoy, and it is a labor of love for me - let's be honest, cooking can be a lot of work! So I figure if I am going to do all that work, I am going to make the most of my time and effort. So I always cook extra, and I always try to have an idea for another meal out of what I have cooked.
School lunch day 5 - it's breakfast for lunch day!
Pancake sandwiches are so easy and fun to make. Every Sunday I make a big family breakfast, and usually include either pancakes or waffles. I always make extra, because they freeze great and they are great for quick weekday breakfasts or school lunches. I usually make some with blueberries or other fruit, and some plain. For a pancake sandwich, just spread a cold pancake with your favorite filling, and smush it together.