Yesterday, I shared some general ideas for saving money on school lunches. To take it to the next step, let’s talk about preparing lunches ahead of time and freezing them. Not only will this make preparing school lunches so convenient, but it will also make them even cheaper. You can use items that are on sale or inexpensive and take advantage of low prices. Plus, you can create these lunches from scratch, making the cost per lunch go way down.
Here are some of my favorite freezer cooking ideas for the school (or work) lunch box.
Homemade hot pockets
These are wonderfully easy to make and can be filled with whatever ingredients you have on hand. Our favorite is turkey and american cheese, but you can make anything you like, such as pizza pockets, ham and cheese, even eggs and sausage. Defrost them in the microwave. Then you can either put them in the lunch box at room temperature or heat them a bit. Either way, pack them in an insulated container.
Peanut Butter and Jelly Sandwiches
No more buying those frozen PB&Js from the freezer section of the grocery store. Save a ton of money by making and freezing them yourself. The secret to a successfully frozen PB&J requires a little trick. Slather peanut butter on both sides of the bread and then put the jelly in the middle. This way, the bread won’t get soggy.
You can wrap and freeze as is, or use a cookie cutter to make the round shape. Then crimp the edges closed. This step isn’t necessary, but the kids seem to like the result.
Roll Ups
Another freezer idea that can incorporate whatever ingredients you have on hand are sandwich roll ups. Use flour tortillas and roll them up with any kind of meat and cheese that you like. This is an especially good way of using up lunch meat or leftovers before they expire.
With frozen roll ups, you’ll want to stay away from ingredients that don’t freeze too well, such as tomatoes, lettuce, mayonnaise and mustard.
Allow the sandwiches to thaw in the fridge overnight, or in a crunch, you can let the roll ups thaw in an insulated lunch box during the day.