The first thing to do is plan ahead. Make a list of items you need. Lunch kits, containers for food, thermos, water bottle, etc. Also, you need a plan of what to pack into that lunch kit. You can save a ton of time and money buy not buying prepackaged convenience foods to pack into the lunches.
I keep a couple of great lunch cookbooks handy as well as a list of lunch food ideas I have made myself.
This great cookbook will keep a fabulous assortment of quick easy cheap meals right at your fingertips. This book receives a 5 Star rating from me for it's easy, kid-friendly foods. Being vegan makes it easy on the budget as meat is often the expensive trump card. However, protein is very important and high quality non-meat proteins are used.
If you're really going cheap on packing lunches, I don't recommend the lap-top lunch boxes (pictured on the front of the cookbook) because they really do cost more money. However, if you are in this lunch-packing business for the long term, then I suggest you do invest in good quality lunch kits that will last a LOOOOONG time.
If you are interested in learning more about the laptop lunchbox system, you can find it through this link:
Laptop Lunch Systems
Preparing as much of your packed lunches as you can the night before will really save you time in the rush of the morning. Have family members all participate in peeling carrots, buttering bread, filling water bottles, etc. Gget the family into a routine the night before or (after school if evenings are busy), so that they expect to be helping to pack lunches. This way they also get more input as to what and how much they will eat. This saves a lot of food going to waste. And saving money is what we're trying to accomplish here, while serving and eating nutritious food.
For more ideas including which lunch kits are the best for your time and money, see Kids Healthy School Lunch Ideas here:
http://kids-healthy-school-lunch-ideas.blogspot.com/2010/02/best-lunch-kits-hands-down.html
Posts
