| |
| |
|
Your Recipe Center |
It seems that school starts earlier every year. So it's time to start thinking about what to put in those school lunches every morning.
My children always wanted to bring their own lunches because they didn't really like what was offered in the school lunchroom. But it was sometimes a little difficult to make their lunches nutritious and tasty and also to put a little variety in their lunchboxes without spending a small fortune.
If we let ourselves, we can spend a "lot" on individual servings, lunchables, and treats for lunches. Here are a few ideas to help you meet the "Frugal Lunchbox Challenge".
Go to the Dollar Store and buy a few of those individual serving-size storage containers. These are very inexpensive and they are worth every penny.
You can use them for any number of things--like making your own fruit cups and pudding cups.
And they can also be used to hold dip for carrot or celery sticks or fill with peanut butter and pack a zipper bag of pretzels for dipping.
Also at the Dollar Store or discount store, you can pick up one or two of the small "blue ice" cold packs. They will help keep lunchbox items cold and safe. Sandwiches such as egg salad or tuna salad need to have a cold pack. Peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, on the other hand, can be packed without one.
Those zipper bags we all love come into their own when packing lunches! They can hold vegetable sticks, popcorn, crackers, homemade cookies, etc.
Muffins hold up well in a zipper-top bag, as do slices of banana nut bread, or most any other quick bread.
When the weather turns cool, a small thermos will come in handy for homemade soup or chili. I see lots of these for sale at garage and yard sales, sometimes for as little as 25 cents.
A thermos is also handy to hold whatever drink your child likes to take.
Try to put some fun in the lunchbox: keep a stash of small, inexpensive toys, cut sandwich bread into cool shapes with cookie cutters, write little notes to your child, cut out funny cartoons. Children love surprises.
A good routine to get into is while you are cleaning up the kitchen after dinner, put leftovers in the storage containers, or make sandwiches and place in the fridge in a designated area for lunch items. Get your kids to help--the more they are involved, the better!
Put napkins, etc. in lunch boxes or bags and place them where all anyone has to do in the morning is fill with the prepared items. Now you can all be out the door in minutes!
Here are a few recipes that will help get you started this school year:
Apple Surprise
Cut apple in half. Carefully, cut out the core of the apple. Spread peanut butter where the core used to be and over surface of apple. Sprinkle raisins over the peanut butter.
Trail Mix
Combine all ingredients and store in an airtight container.
A small serving of this goes a long way!
Peanut Butter Balls
Mix all ingredients and form into balls. Roll in sesame seeds.
This is a good recipe for the kids to help with-- they love to roll the dough into balls.
NOTE: sesame seeds are cheaper in bulk at a health food store. You can get unsweetened coconut there, also.
About The Author
Cyndi Roberts is the editor of the "1 Frugal Friend 2 Another" bi-weekly newsletter and founder of the website of the same name. Visit http://www.cynroberts.com to find creative tips, articles, and a free e-cooking book. Subscribe to the newsletter and receive the free e-course "Taming the Monster Grocery Bill"; editor@cynroberts.com
 New York Times (blog) | Around the Grill | Readers' Recipes New York Times (blog) With Labor Day in sight, a bit of backyard inspiration in the form of reader-submitted recipes from near and far. Below, a sampling from New York City ... |
 New York Times (blog) | Vegetarian Recipes for Barbecue Season New York Times (blog) If your Labor Day plans include a picnic or barbecue, be sure to check out Martha Rose Shulman's latest installment of Recipes for ... |
Trading Post: Favorite apple recipes The State Journal-Register “As we have an apple tree that is a great producer, I look for recipes that use lots and lots of apples. Ones that use only one apple won't ... |
 Washington Post | Holiday recipes for Eid and Rosh Hashanah Washington Post The Jewish New Year and Eid overlap this year, and both call for groaning tables. Check out these recipes from our Recipe Finder archive: |
Recipe accuracy important Kansas City Star This week's "7-Day Menu Planner" in the Wednesday Food section featured a recipe for Chipotle Chicken Pasta. A reader called me this morning to report on ... |
Our five tailgating recipe winners Fort Worth Star Telegram We recently asked readers to send us their favorite tailgating recipes -- and like the action that Texas high school, college and NFL teams supply on the ... |
Ask the Editor — Going green and recipes for cookies Frederick News Post (subscription) In this business we're constantly having to look ahead, so don't yell at me for rushing the holiday season when I ask that you send in a favorite recipe for ... |
Lip-smacking recipes for your Labor Day barbeque msnbc.com Celebrate the end of the summer with delicious pork and steak dishes. Chef Alex Guarnaschelli shares his secret to having the best food at your Labor Day ... |
 Kansas City Star | Worldly recipes served with a slice of Jewish history Jweekly.com But among her most cherished possessions, she packed her recipe for this traditional Rosh Hashanah sweet hailing from Lithuania. ... Rosh Hashana Recipes Routed Through Africa Rosh Hashana recipe for chicken breasts with cider, spices, caramelized apples El Al shares Rosh Hashanah treats and recipes |
Jewel Box stages "Wartime Recipes" NewsOK.com From left, Joshua McGowen, Meg Linck, Jane Hall and Allyson Caldwell head the cast of the Jewel Box Theatre production of "Wartime Recipes. ... Jewel Box stages "Wartime Recipes" |
| home | site map |
| © 2007 |