It's School Lunch Packing Time

Each year with the beginning of school I dread packing lunches each morning.  What do you put in the lunches of two children who are gluten free, soy free, dye and chemical free?  During the summer they feast off of left overs or I cook something for them but in school it is a bit more difficult with no access to a stove or the ability to keep things cold / frozen. 

Other mom's have offered some advice that I have found helpful and I thought it would be good to share with you. 






Whole Life Nutrition Kitchen - Packing A Healthy Lunch pdf file
   - This is a blog with wonderful whole food recipes.  The pdf file offers a quick reference chart so you can pick an item from each category to make sure you have a balanced lunch. 

As I have discussed before we love the Laptop Lunch box system (use bentolunch to get 10% off).  We have been using them for 4 years.  The new sized Bento 2.0's are even better with larger containers and lids.  To gain some ideas for packing a lunch using the system there are some photos that others have shared.  Flickr Laptop Lunches

Therma Pod - I recently ran across this new lunch system.  It is similar to the Laptop Lunches but it allows for a hot/cold pack to be inserted into the bottom of the unit.  I have not tried this item but it looks interesting.  If anyone has tried or does try it please post a comment on what you think.

Easy Lunch Boxes are a lightweight alternative to a laptop lunch.  More like a disposable container.  They offer compartments and a lid for easy lunch packing. 

What's For Lunch at Our House is a lunch blog written by my friend Shannon who is a Bento "nut".  She has more Bento's than I have ever seen one person have.  But she makes some amazing lunches for her children and shares her creations to inspire other mom's. 

Make food fun with sandwich and fruit / veggie cutters.  They offer a visual delight when your child opens the lunch box.  I have purchased small cookie cutters from Michael's (Wilton) with my 40% off coupons that I use to cut various fruit shapes.  You will see a lot of this in Shannon's blog entries.

I hope these inspire you to pack nutritious lunches for your children.  It will nourish their brains and give them the foundation they need to thrive in school (and life). 

To our health.....Naturally,

Stephanie