This post was sponsored by Stonyfield® Organic Kids®. As always, all opinions are truly my own!
School is back in session which means, it’s time to break out those lunchboxes and start packing! Let’s face it, sometimes packing a school lunch can get a little monotonous! I mean, there’s only so many sandwiches that a person can make, and with so little time! Lucky for you, I’m going to show you how to meal prep a healthy school lunch for the entire week in just 4 easy steps, with the help of Stonyfield® Organic Kids®!
Just in case you’ve forgotten, I’m a Meal-Preppin’ Maniac! Lol! On Sundays, I love to prep everything that I possibly can to help make the school week a lot less stressful! I prep everything from school clothes to school lunches! When prepping school lunches, my kids’ favorite snack is Stonyfield Organic Kids Pouches! They’re actually my favorite too! As a Registered Dietitian, I love that Stonyfield® Organic Kids® contains 25% less sugar than the leading kids’ yogurt and has no artificial colors or flavors. I like to make sure that my kids have wholesome, snacks that are delicious and nutritious!
Meal prepping school lunches is such a great way to save time during the week! And just because you’re prepping in advance doesn’t mean you have to pack the same meal 5 days a week. You can actually meal prep a nutritious lunch that includes a lot of yummy options and I’m going to show you how!
Here are 4 Easy Steps for Meal Prepping a Nutritious School Lunch for the Entire Week:
Step 1.
Start with the entrée, which in most cases is a sandwich. I like to start here because I feel like this is the most important component of the lunchbox! I try to do something other than a sandwich every day of the week, so I will choose to make a sandwich wrap, a salad, pinwheels, etc… For this tutorial, I chose to do a ham & cheese sandwich, a turkey cheese & carrot pita sandwich, a spinach wrap, a garden salad, and a salami veggie wrap. Once these items were prepared, they were wrapped up and put to the side.
Step 2.
Now it’s time to pick the side dishes. I try to keep lots of wholesome snacks on hand such as Stonyfield Organic Kids Pouches. These pouches come in a variety of flavors and contain veggies such as spinach and beets! My kids absolutely love these, especially the Strawberry Beet Berry flavor! They also come with a resalable cap which makes for a tasty, convenient on-the-go snack! I love to pack these in my kids’ lunches along with other snacks such as veggies, fruit, nuts, and pretzels.
Step 3.
Once you’ve got the sides and entrees packaged, it’s time to put these prepared lunches in individual bags. I like to use gallon storage bags because they have an area for writing.
In this area, I write the days of the week, Monday – Friday, on each one of the bags. I fill each bag with 1 entrée, sides, and a beverage. When filling and sealing the bags, be sure to flatten each gallon bag as much as possible to keep the bags flat. This make storing the bags a lot easier.
Step 4.
Now it’s time to store the packed lunches in the refrigerator. Lay them flat on top of each other and pull them out as needed. You can grab a bag in the morning and put it into your kid’s lunchbox within seconds! How convenient is that?!
Here are a few tips to remember when choosing the right items for your meal prep routine:
- Choose items that will last and taste great throughout the week. Things like sandwiches, wraps, salads, cold pasta dishes, etc…are great for meal prep. Things like fish may not be the very best option for a kid’s lunchbox.
- Choose wholesome sides such as Stonyfield Organic Kids Pouches. These are a great USDA Organic choice because they don’t contain any toxic pesticides, artificial growth hormones, or antibiotics. They are also Non-GMO project verified.
- Try to limit snacks that do not provide as many nutrients such as snack cakes, cookies, or overly processed foods. Pack these items in moderation.
- For beverages, choose bottled water or drinks that do not provide a significant amount of sugar. My favorite choice is water or juices that contain no added sugar.
There you have it! I’ve given you all the steps you need to prep a nutritious school lunch for the entire week! Now, it’s time to kick back, relax, and prepare for stress-free week!
This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Stonyfield® Organic Kids®.