Each year I put together some sort of lunch packing post at the start of the school year to share my ideas about lunch-packing. You can check out my favorite posts here and here. This year my back to school lunch packing post is sponsored by Kroger. Even though it’s a sponsored post I’d like to point out that all of the thoughts & opinions are my own. I am excited to be partnering with Kroger for their Back to School Lunch Campaign, and they are also hosting a Pinterest contest in which I’m taking part where they are looking for the most Trade-Worthy School Lunch. I’d love it if you’d re-pin my post! I’m up for a chance to win $250! That’s a lot of school lunch supplies and food right there! I hope this post helps give you some ideas for lunch packing!
First, a few comments about the way I pack lunches. My kids tend to eat more of their lunch when I present it as finger foods. I like to spruce up their lunches just a bit with cupcake toppers, food picks, cloth napkins, plastic cupcake liners, and the like. I don’t go all out for their lunches (ahem, I’m packing four lunches at a time!), but I do like to try to make them fun & cute. The kids really get excited about that, and I hope that when they are excited about it that they are more apt to eat a good lunch! I should also point out that my kids are picky. I work around it and do my best to get them to try new foods, but the fact of the matter is they are PICKY! Also, as you’ll notice in these pictures, I tend to use the same fruits and veggies several days in a row to make sure we use them all up before they go bad. A bag of carrots or a box of strawberries can go a long way when chopped up for little fingers and added to a school lunch! I focused this post on school lunches, since school starts next week…but I’d like to point out that packing lunch isn’t just for kids! My husband often takes a packed lunch to work, and when I was working I loved to pack as well, so even though I designed these lunches for my picky little ones, you might like what you see and want to pack yourself a snacky sort of lunch!
Here’s what I purchased at Kroger for the Back to School Lunch Campaign post:
Crackers $1.39 ~ Peanut Butter $2.79 ~ Sliced Cheese $1.88 ~ Cream Cheese $2.39 ~ Garbanzo Beans (for Hummus) $1.00 ~ String Cheese $4.69 ~ Salami $2.99 ~ Simple Truth Sweet & Salty Mix $3.99 ~ Blueberries $1.67 ~ Strawberries $2.99 ~ Grapes $3.31 ~ Basil $1.99 ~ Carrots $.69 ~ Pita $.99 ~ Wheat Bread $2.99 ~ Pretzels $1.64 ~ Go Go Squeez $2.49 
Hummus with Pretzels, Carrots & Pita for dipping, mini Fruit Kabobs, Sweet & Salty Trail Mix, Cheese Stick and water to drink.
Peanut Butter “Star” Sandwich, Pretzel Twists (Sam LOVES the Kroger Honey Pretzel Twists!), Trail Mix, Carrot Sticks, Cheese Stick and Berry/Grape Mix with water to drink (always water).
Salami Rolls with Cream Cheese, Colby Cheese stars, Crackers, GoGo Squeez, Fruit Medley and Carrot Sticks with water to drink.
Lunch packing supplies :: I use Easy Lunchboxes for all lunch-packing, including my husband’s. They are GREAT. And I always pack a cloth napkin in the lunches. You can find my EASY cloth napkin tutorial here. I have a million water bottles around here, but we’ve found that the Thermos bottles work best for the boys, Ella likes the metal bottles. Another lunch packing tip is to get the kids involved. Have them make sandwiches, wash fruit, fill water bottles and other jobs to make your task of lunch-packing easier!
*** GIVEAWAY ***
This giveaway is now CLOSED :: Congrats to
Veronica Cain, who said…- I am the lunch packer in our house. The little one doesn’t do lunches yet but Brendan and I do! I love using the divided easy lunchboxes! They are awesome. I am not very creative with packing lunches but I really like the idea of the cupcake liners for little snacks! I also love hummus on our sandwiches in place of other unhealthy condiments.
Veronica, you won the Kroger gift card! Be sure to email me within 24 hours to claim your prize or another name will be drawn! Katie(at)Cards-by-Katie.com
One winner will be drawn on Friday, August 16 at 2pm using Random.org. The winner will be announced here on the blog and on The Little Things facebook page. If you leave an email address I will attempt to contact you. The winner has 24 hours to respond or another name will be drawn. Winner must be at least 18 years of age and live in the United States. Best of luck! You only need to complete the Mandatory Entry to be entered into the contest, but feel free to enter a few more times using the bonus entries. LEAVE A SEPARATE COMMENT FOR EACH ENTRY!
