Packing lunch for school is a challenge that I’m taking on this year. I’ve never sent lunch with my kids before. They’ve always been “cafeteria kids”. This year, I want to have a little more control over what the kids are eating. With lots of after school dance and Avery gearing up for soccer season, I am feeling a strong calling to fuel these kids adequately every day!

Although I secretly wish that I could be one of those moms that cuts everything into cute little shapes and makes a school bus out of wheat bread and raisins, I’m just not that person. I needed a site where I could find real-life options that I could make a menu from. I never found that, so I decided just to document my own menu in hopes that it could help someone else!

My lunch formula:

Entree (sandwich, wrap, soup, or pasta)
Side (veggie, salad, or goldfish)
Fruit/Dairy item
One snack-sized treat

Our school lunches during WEEK ONE consisted of:

Monday – turkey and cheese sandwich and watermelon. One child chose to also have carrots/ranch. The other child chose to have a granola bar.

Tuesday – ravioli (served warm in a thermos) and watermelon.

Wednesday – ham and cheese wraps and peach yogurt. One child chose parmesan garlic pretzels. The other child chose carrots/ranch.

Thursday – ham and cheese sandwich, fresh blueberries, and southwest pasta salad.

Friday – ham wrap (no cheese), mac and cheese (served warm in a thermos), and fresh blueberries.

The kids loved their lunches this week. They said that they were full and they ate everything in the bag each day. As a mom, these were easy to pack and didn’t take a ton of prep time. I think we’re on to something!