First, lemme tell you, friends, I am a big believer in being prepared! I am that mama who has fresh fruit and water bottles on hand. Not only do I save tons of money by packing snacks, drinks, and lunches, but my family eats healthier too. It's a win-win. The following lunches are for anyone, any time, anywhere. Don't just think school and work. Think about weekend family trips, vacations, errand days, any activity that has you away from home during meal time!
Scroll down to get to the recipes and faboo lunch ideas!
I think everyone needs a good lunch box and thermos. I drink coffee everyday and I have a handy dandy thermos I use and even bigger one when I'll be gone all day. (I found my Stanley thermos at Goodwill for $3!) It looks like I'm headed to a construction site with my big thermos, but that's alright. (I'd rather have my own coffee and save that $10 to $15, thank you very much!)
Scroll down to get to the recipes and faboo lunch ideas!
I think everyone needs a good lunch box and thermos. I drink coffee everyday and I have a handy dandy thermos I use and even bigger one when I'll be gone all day. (I found my Stanley thermos at Goodwill for $3!) It looks like I'm headed to a construction site with my big thermos, but that's alright. (I'd rather have my own coffee and save that $10 to $15, thank you very much!)
The IKEA thermos (I have it in teal!)
Holds six cups of coffee for those all day trips!
IKEA thermal tote- $3
When my whole family is lunching out, I pack our meal in a thermal tote. We used this the last time we went to Disney World and it was fabulous! Kept everything well insulated and was easy to toss over a shoulder and go! I also use these for keeping groceries cold when I am out all day running errands.
photo credit: creative organizing
Gladware plays an important role in the packing of the Teenager and Mr. OFM's lunches! We can reuse them and reuse them- until they lose them! I also use them to make homemade lunchables for the Littles. (See below.)
I'd be a big old Liar Pants if I didn't tell you that having my own lunch box is pretty important to me. I'm just weird like that. I have two. My fabulous Wonder Woman lunch box complete with thermos and my faboo retro Tupper-Ware lunch box. I wanted both of these things desperately as a child and am happy to have them now.
Some folks call this 'vintage.' I just call it FABULOUS.
Beyond a good lunch box, thermos, and tote, there is one item I suggest you have on hand for enjoying a packed lunch. If you're eating lunch on your own at work or school where a place to sit and eat is provided, then you're all set. If you have to find a spot for lunch like we often do when we are on the go as a family, then a good blanket is essential. Any old blanket will do, but we've been using a red checkered table cloth as our picnic blanket since our family was created in 1994 and we just love it. It's been to Disney World, every state park within a hundred miles of Covington, Georgia, Turner Field, Carowinds, Six Flags, the mountains, the beach, and everywhere in between. We use it as a tablecloth or a picnic blanket as needed.
Ye Olde Trusty Red Checkered Tablecloth
Lunch Box Roll Ups
Roll ups are a staple for lunch around our house. It's our go to On the Go lunch! Everyone has a favorite. Mine is pimento cheese natch. The littles like anything with cheese and the Teenager and Mr. OFM like anything with lunchmeat. Another favorite is pesto with sliced chicken breast. You can use any kind of filling you like, as simple or as fancy as you want to make it. Just spread, stack, and roll. It's the perfect On the Go lunch!
Homemade Lunchables
I'm too frugal to throw money at store bought Lunchables, but the concept is faboo! It's like getting a little tray of appetizers just for you at lunch! My kids totally love it and so do I. Don't limit yourself to crackers, lunch meat, and cheese. You can do anything when you put your personal tastes and creativity to it, right? A helpful tip for creating The Perfect Homemade Lunchable: Use a small round cookie cutter, medicine cup, or shot glass to cut lunchmeat, cheese, bread, and tortillas.
photo credit: good is
photo credit: munchkin
Perfectly Portable Fruit
Fruit is the most awesome food to pack in your lunch from home! Nature provides the wrapping for you, so just plop a an orange, banana, apple, or pear in the bag and go! Do you have picky eaters who want the peels gone or need bite size pieces? No worries! I pack a handy apple slicer when we are on the go!
You can find apple slicers at Dollar general, Target, & IKEA!
My middle-Little came up with the idea for this tasty lunch on the go! She cores an apple, fills the center with peanut butter, and then, wraps the whole shebang in plastic. She'll eat this as is, but she likes it when I slice the apple horizontally as well.
Weekly Salad Bowl
I picked up this trick from a smart librarian friend in Elberton, Georgia. She would mix up all her favorite greens in a large, airtight bowl and store the bowl in the employee lounge's refrigerator. She was able to take servings from this all week and add dressing and whatever else she wanted to it daily. This works so well for me, friends, that I find myself mixing up a huge salad with all my favorites on Sunday and eating from it all week even when I'm at home. You're much likelier to eat it because the prep work is done and you saved a ton of money over a purchased, pre-made salad while you're out and about!
Leftovers are fabulous!
photo credit: the kitchn
Most often, all of us eat leftover dinner for lunch the next day. I come from a large family and I think cooking big is just in my DNA. We almost always have leftovers from whatever I make for dinner. The Teenager and Mr. OFM get first dibs on leftovers since they leave for work and school every morning and the Littles and I are mostly home with school. We get petty creative with leftovers here. Leftover chicken? We add to a bed of greens or a roll up. Leftover rice? We add some canned beans. Leftover soup? Throw in a sammie and you gotcherself a meal!
Eat like the Europeans do!
One of my favorite meals when we were in Italy was in a little town called Montecatini. Mr. OFM and I walked through the local market, picking up a loaf of bread, some fruit, cheese, and wine. We plopped down at a picturesque spot and enjoyed a lovely lunch. That idea of just sharing some good, simple food as is continues to this day in my family. When we're on the go, I sometimes pack a loaf of my homemade Italian bread, a block of cheese, maybe some olives or peppers, and some grapes & berries. I might include leftover turkey or chicken. The point of the meal, is that it's an uncomplicated affair. Perfect in its simplicity.
Homemade Ice Packs
I picked up this handy tip from a band parent back in Mobile, Alabama. Really just genius and it works for kids and grown ups. Freeze your juice pouch, water bottle, or yogurt and let it thaw throughout the morning in your lunch box. Keeps cold stuff cold for you as well. When we are on vacation, I put recycled water bottles and a pack of juice boxes in the freezer. (It should be noted, I only buy juice boxes and pouches for vacation. I don't think they're frugal, my friends.) The next morning, I load them up in the thermal tote. You can also do this with baked goods from the freezer. I'll stick a couple of frozen blueberry muffins in the Teenager and Mr. OFM's lunches and they are thawed and ready to eat by lunch time!
