Montrealmom.com
  • Being Mom
    • Planning /Pregnant
    • Mom of Infant
    • Mom of Toddler
    • Mom of Schoolage Child
    • Mom Of Teen
    • Mom of Twins or More
  • Life
    • Time Management
    • Work & Entrepreneurship
    • Family & Relationships
    • Childcare & Education
    • Money
    • Me.
  • Fun
    • Event Calendar
    • Crafts & Activities at Home
    • Organized Activities
    • Outings
    • Holidays & Celebrations
    • Disney Fun
  • Food
    • Recipes
      • All
      • Baby Food Recipes
      • Beef
      • Beverages
      • Breads
      • Desserts
      • Eggs & Dairy
      • Fish
      • Pasta
      • Poultry
      • Salads
      • Sauces & Dressings
      • Sides
      • Snacks
      • Soups
      • Vegetarian
    • Menu Planning
    • Nutrition
    • Entertaining
  • Lifestyle
    • Health & Safety
    • Home & Garden
    • Holidays & Celebrations
    • Weight Watchers
    • Shopping
    • Fashion & Beauty
    • DIY
    • Living Green
    • Montreal
  • Travel
    • Family
    • Travel Tips
    • Disney
  • Reviews
    • Books
    • Entertainment
    • Apps & Tech
    • Automotive
    • Products & Services
    • Toys
  • Directory
    • Activity Centers
    • Caterering / Pret À Manger
    • Classes
    • Home Services
    • Parties and Related Services
    • Photographers
    • Professional Services
    • Services
    • Services for Mom
  • Work with Us
  • About
    • About Us
    • In the Media
  • Contact

Montrealmom.com

  • Being Mom
    • Planning /Pregnant
    • Mom of Infant
    • Mom of Toddler
    • Mom of Schoolage Child
    • Mom Of Teen
    • Mom of Twins or More
  • Life
    • Time Management
    • Work & Entrepreneurship
    • Family & Relationships
    • Childcare & Education
    • Money
    • Me.
  • Fun
    • Event Calendar
    • Crafts & Activities at Home
    • Organized Activities
    • Outings
    • Holidays & Celebrations
    • Disney Fun
  • Food
    • Recipes
      • All
      • Baby Food Recipes
      • Beef
      • Beverages
      • Breads
      • Desserts
      • Eggs & Dairy
      • Fish
      • Pasta
      • Poultry
      • Salads
      • Sauces & Dressings
      • Sides
      • Snacks
      • Soups
      • Vegetarian
    • Menu Planning
    • Nutrition
    • Entertaining
  • Lifestyle
    • Health & Safety
    • Home & Garden
    • Holidays & Celebrations
    • Weight Watchers
    • Shopping
    • Fashion & Beauty
    • DIY
    • Living Green
    • Montreal
  • Travel
    • Family
    • Travel Tips
    • Disney
  • Reviews
    • Books
    • Entertainment
    • Apps & Tech
    • Automotive
    • Products & Services
    • Toys
  • Directory
    • Activity Centers
    • Caterering / Pret À Manger
    • Classes
    • Home Services
    • Parties and Related Services
    • Photographers
    • Professional Services
    • Services
    • Services for Mom
  • Work with Us
  • About
    • About Us
    • In the Media
  • Contact
Back-To-SchoolFoodMenu PlanningTips

Lunchtime Packing & After-School Snacking

written by Tanya Toledano

With all the excitement that Back To School brings, as parents we also face the dreaded thought of packing lunch & snacks.  In today’s post I hope to offer you some tips on planning & packing lunches & snacks for your kids to take to school as well as what to serve when they get home.

nibble_trayI will also share  some of the products that my family enjoys and some tips on keeping it all organized.

WHAT’S FOR LUNCH?

I’m a fan of leftovers over the traditional sandwich, but it’s always good to have sandwich supplies on hand 🙂

My kids enjoy leftover salmon, soup, veggie chili and more. For sandwiches: cheese, tuna, sliced turkey & soybutter are all good options.  I recommed REAL cheese slices (as opposed to cheese product) as well as the WOWBUTTER (available at Costco)- Kid-approved Chez Toledano 😉

For further ideas, you can see the following links:
https://montrealmom.com/toddler/toddler_food_sending_lunch.html
https://montrealmom.com/the-lunch-list/

SNACKS FOR SCHOOL:

FRUIT: Calculate based on your number of kids and days to make sure you buy enough. Make sure you have enough storage either on the shelf or in the fridge to accommodate!

DAIRY: Be it cheese sticks, cubed cheese or yogurt, a little dairy can be a good thing to send.  Remember that yogurt pre-mixed with fruit generally contains a lot of sugar which actually kills off the fabulous acidophilus bacteria. It’s preferable to mix in some fruit or jam on your own when you’re ready to serve / eat. #HealthTip 😉

GRAINS: Rice cakes, whole grain cereal, melba toast & home-made muffins are all great choices and help to sustain the kids during their long school days.

VEGGIES: Always good to include a veggie of the day.  Not only will they offer a few extra vitamins & minerals, but this helps to instill the healthy habit of snacking on vegetables as well.

SNACKING AT HOME:

I am a FIRM believer in keeping bowls of fresh fruit out on the counter.  When kids get home, they see, they take.  It’s colourful & appetizing and catches their attention BEFORE they head for the pantry.

A NIBBLE TRAY (shown above) is a fabulous option: Take a muffin tin & fill with berries, seeds, fruit, veggies, cubed cheese & more!  colourful & fun- the kids LOVE it!  I originally saw it in a video with Dr. Sears and it’s been a favourite ever since!

FAMILY FAVES: GoGo Squeez: Unsweetened applesauce in a tube 🙂 Comes in a variety of flavours.

IMG_5264BBQ LOL’s by LIVE LOVE  SNACK: Popped (not fried!), with Chia, Non-GMO, GF, Nut-Free & Kosher!  Great at home or at school! Available in 5 flavours but the BBQ is our family’s favourite 🙂

IT’S ALL IN THE PACKAGING…

IMG_5265LUNCHBOX: The lunch boxes shown  are my favourite. Available in a variety of colours at Costco, each lunchbox includes a reusable stainless water bottle and features a plastic zip-out liner that is easy to clean in the event of a messy spill.  There’s a neat mesh pouch where you can place your freezer pack to keep everything cold.

FREEZER PACKS: I recommend having 2 per child, just in case one gets left behind at school or in case the day prior you had ‘one of those nights’ and didn’t have a chance to empty out the lunch boxes.  This way you’ll always have a cool pack ready to go.  These are available at Dollarama, but you can find at Walmart, Canadian Tire and sometimes even at the grocery store.

THERMOS JAR: An absolute must, and I recommend spending a few extra bucks to get the one that is actually made by THERMOS.  The reason I say this is that we have one that has been in use for 10 years & is still going strong.

REUSABLE WATER BOTTLE: Stainless is best, but if you must go with plastic, please choose something that is BPA-Free.  I LOVE the Kleen Kanteen as well as the Roots version that comes with my favourite lunchbox 😉

REUSABLE CONTAINERS: Ideally you’ll want:

  • Clip-on or twist-off lids as those that snap shut don’t always seal all the way when left to tiny hands…and then there’s leakage and seepage and mess…oh my!
  • Choose BPA-Free (certain varieties by Starfrit & Ribbermaid) or even better…
  • IMG_5266Check out these FABULOUS containers from STEELTAINER!  They contain stainless steel inserts so your food is not sitting in a plastic container, but the insert is contained in a plastic shell so that when it’s dropped it won’t dent.  LOVE THEM!!!
  • I do also like the divided dish by Tupperware, food presents well and looks appetizing to the kids.  That said, You do have to teach them to seal it properly…

REUSABLE BAMBOO FLATWARE: I love mine from ToGoWare, which I got via ecause canada (they also have a plethora of FABULOUS eco-friendly lunch packing options!)

GETTING ORGANIZED

If you can do it, making a lunch & snack plan is a great idea.  You can just jot it down on a piece of paper that you keep on your fridge or you can get a weekly planner intended for scheduling. I found one such pad of weekly planners with a double magnet to stick to the fridge! $2 at Dollarama 😉

Snack Drawer

KEEP A LUNCH SHELF: For all of your containers & some of your snacks.

MAKE A SNACK DRAWER: You can see the how-to on this link.  This awesome concept allows you to grab & go and pack with ease!

I hope that this post helps to take the angst out of the lunch packing & after-school snacking!

That said, if you have any questions or would like to share a tip of your own, please leave it in the comments section below & I will do my best to get back to you!

Happy Back-To-School!

Tanya

Lunchtime Packing & After-School Snacking was last modified: February 24th, 2016 by Tanya Toledano
5 comments
1
Facebook Twitter Google + Pinterest
Tanya Toledano

previous post
FAB Quality Snow Gear for the Whole Family – Shop Now & Save!
next post
Packing Lunch on Breakfast Television Montreal :)

You may also like

Whole Wheat Pancakes

March 16, 2010

Parents Need-To-Know: 8 Tips on Recognizing and Dealing With Juvenile Arthritis

March 27, 2018

Dairy-Free Banana “Ice Cream”

March 16, 2010

Cutting through the Clutter

October 31, 2011

How Bear Paws Can Save You $$ on Mabel’s Labels for Back-To-School

August 17, 2017

Tips for Staying on Target for #BackToSchool

August 22, 2014

Snackimals Cereal – What the Kids had to Say :)

May 15, 2015

Home for the Holidays at Ethan Allen Montreal

December 12, 2013

Stand Mixer Challah Dough

September 26, 2011

Learning The ABC’s of Sleep with Ayleen Gelbart RN

September 15, 2016

5 comments

Stacy September 3, 2013 at 1:36 pm

Hi Tanya!

Thanks for being so allergy-conscience and remembering to only use free-nut butter!

A few of my kids favorites:

• Sushi (with the little soy sauce packets from the restaurants)
• Rice with beans (the kind in tomato sauce)
• Salads – Topped with chicken or tuna – I like slicing up leftover shnitzel for this. They make some great containers that have a separate compartment for the dressing. I also toss a few croutons in a baggie.
•

Reply
http://www.btmontreal.ca/videos/2647310460001/ | montrealmom.com September 9, 2013 at 1:43 pm

[…] Interested in some of the ideas & products shown?   See the corresponding blog post Lunchtime Packing & After-School Snacking. […]

Reply
Roshi April 27, 2015 at 1:53 am

I am looking for this lunchbox; do you know where I can buy. have you seen this recently at Costco?

Reply
Tanya April 30, 2015 at 9:58 pm

Hi Roshi,

I did see the Roots lunch boxes recently at Costco Pointe Claire, but you should know that this year’s patterns are different than those in the photo.

I hope this helps!

Tanya

Reply
Sara Bernard September 23, 2017 at 12:15 am

Love the nibble tray! Can’t wait to try! 🙂

Reply

Leave a Comment Cancel Reply

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Recent Posts

  • Easiest-Ever Slow Cooker Chicken Enchiladas

  • French Onion Soup Au Gratin

  • Whole Wheat Pizza Dough (Bread Machine)

  • Gifting Food To To Those in Need… The Easy Way

  • The Countdown to 50 Begins

Subscribe to our Newsletter

  • Cauliflower Latkes with Za'atar Greek Yogurt and / or Tzatziki - For those of you looking for an alternative to fri… https://t.co/EU2HNGCBnO

    08-Dec-2020

    Reply Retweet Favorite
  • LAST CHANCE TO SAVE up to 75% on these fabulous brands! @Premium_Retail Montreal's #SampleSale end TODAY!!! *** Pl… https://t.co/cSNPVZHQqp

    18-Oct-2020

    Reply Retweet Favorite
  • Don't Miss Out! Get up to 75% OFF THIS WEEKEND on these fabulous brands @Premium_Retail #SampleSale *** Please rem… https://t.co/mVUMYMKz5k

    16-Oct-2020

    Reply Retweet Favorite
  • Merci @AMarieDussault! Tu demandes à @jfrobergeQc ce que plusieurs parents et enseignant(e)s demandes depuis le 1… https://t.co/LcicXgH3an

    15-Oct-2020

    Reply Retweet Favorite
  • Calling all #Montreal Deal-Seekers! Starts today! Get up to 75% OFF on these fabulous brands @Premium_Retail… https://t.co/jL2Gx0H3Ry

    13-Oct-2020

    Reply Retweet Favorite
team-teluspg-mom-badge

Archives

Categories

LATEST FROM INSTAGRAM

Starry Night at the drive-in :) - - - - - #safely Starry Night at the drive-in :) 
-
-
-
-
-
#safelydistanced #summer2020 #newoldexperiences #laurentians
Follow on Instagram
This error message is only visible to WordPress admins

AS SEEN ON TV

Subscribe to montrealmomTV on YouTube to be the first to see Tanya's latest videos.
  • Our Family’s Experience with the Ford Expedition

Subscribe to our Newsletter

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • Youtube
  • Periscope
Footer Logo

© 2016 montrealmom.com. All rights reserved  |  Powered by Red Dream Studios


Back To Top