Okay, we are into October now, long past the time when back to school lunches were new, and I could get away with peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. Plus, my son is starting to talk about some of the cool snacks that some of the other kids bring.
I want to be able to keep my son happy, while providing a nutritious lunch and snacks, and also saving money. On a recent trip to Target, I asked him to point out some snacks and lunch food that he would love to see make it to his lunch box. Mind you, I did have to warn him that we weren’t actually going to purchase much, if anything, but that I wanted to see what his interests are so I could plan some things that would be less expensive.
Here are the items he picked, along with my solution.
Yogurt tubes
My son’s appetite rivals a teenagers, and he is only eight (and before you ask he inherited his dad’s thin, eat-all-you-want build). I would probably have to pack two or three of those tubes. Instead, we decided to go for a regular full cups of yogurt, and he was happy to pick the flavors. The store brand was fine, so we saved a bunch there.
Brownie Bites and Blueberry Muffin Bites
Talk about price! A box of these bites might not see as though they cost much, but again, there is hardly any product in each bag. Three little bites cost a fortune. Instead, I can use my mini-muffin tin to bake homemade brownies and muffins, and then package them myself.
Pizza
Pizza day is always a hit, and I almost gave in to this one until my son said he prefers not to wait in line in the cafeteria. There are two ways to make pizza. One is as a “lunchables” sort of kit, providing the raw ingredients (toast pita bread or flour tortillas then cut out in circles with a cookie cutter), or as an inside out pizza, using sauce, cheese and two flour tortillas.
This outing was really fun for us and got our creative juices going, so I am looking forward to doing it again soon.
You can read more blog posts by Mary Ann Romans here!
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