Lunch Needs a Makeover, and We’re Here to Help

With the start of a new school year taking place this month, we thought to pay homage to the packed lunch on this week’s blog. Now don’t be mistaken, packed lunch has evolved quite a bit from the brown paper bags of our past over the years for kids and grownups! We’re excited to share our meal packing intel so your next lunch can be a memorable and delicious one.

Take the meal prep approach

You may have seen fitness gurus and food bloggers jumping on the meal prepping train. Well, we’ve been inspired. There are so many benefits from preparing meals ahead of time. Not only will you eliminate the mad rush in the morning, you’re likely to put a little more thought into the meals you’re consuming and feeding your children. Pick a day of the week — like Sunday — to prepare and pack food and store it in the fridge for easy access in the morning.

Go for variety

Lunch doesn’t have to be boring. Prepare two different “main dishes” and plenty of healthy snacks so each lunch can be different from the day before. Don’t forget to hit all the main food groups!

Reduce waste and reuse containers

We didn’t quite hit the three “R’s” (reduce, reuse, and recycle) but you get the idea. Stores like Target and Amazon have lots of options in stock of lunch boxes and bags (which by the way come in lots of fun shapes and styles nowadays) and plastic containers. We think that having containers can keep the packing process organized. Reusable packaging also helps limit waste, and can even help keep food insulated. The “Prepd Packed Lunchbox” set has magnetic containers in a variety of sizes (hello portion control) and magnetic utensils. The best part: everything fits into the box! Lunch boxes have come a long way too. While metal lunch pails are making a comeback, which negates what we just said, but we digress, there are lots of new and innovative styles like lunch bags made from recycled and sustainable materials and oversized zippered lunch pouches.

Breakfast may be the most important meal of the day, but lunch might as well be the most fun. We hope these three tips can find their way into your lunch packing routine and have inspired you create more ways to spice up your packed lunch.