Box, Bag and Beyond

After an internal poll of what the savvy kids were having for lunch this week, we all agreed that sometimes, creativity is hard. Add morning madness to the mix and no matter how creative you normally are in the kitchen, routine ends up saving your sanity and your time. Unfortunately, that same routine can also result in boredom and brown bag apathy (read: the lunch comes home rather than getting digested).

For inspiration and motivation, we searched for recipes on SavvyMom to remind us of what we already knew but hadn’t made while operating in autopilot. There’s nothing fancy, but they might be a welcome change to whatever lunch rut you’re stuck in.

Here are our 5 favourite recipes to try next week:

1. The Bento Box Lunch. A little bit of this or that means a lot of fun options (and a very good chance they’ll find one thing they like). Taking inspiration from the classic Japanese-style lunch, we like that we can incorporate the different food groups, too.
2. Pita Pockets. The fun part about small pitas is that you can stuff them with just about anything from tuna salad to ham and cheese to hummus and sprouts—and they look cooler than the average sandwich. They’re also great for kids who aren’t quite able to keep the contents inside the sandwich when they pick it up.
3. Squashy Mac ‘n’ Cheese. This perennial fave doesn’t have to come from a box. We also love that you can add some veggie goodness making this meal even more appealing to Mom.
4. Asparagus Roll-ups with Turkey and Havarti. These sweet little crescent-roll sandwiches are perfect for little hands and can be stuffed with any of your favourite ingredients. Great for a warm lunch straight out of the oven or pack for lunch the next day.
5. Mini-Pita Pizzas. Creating miniature pizzas doubles up as a fun playdate activity and provides lunch at the same time. We call it dual purposing—and that’s savvy. Substitute pita for English muffins or even bagels (whatever you have), and the kids will love being able to personalize their pizzas as well.

What unique ideas do you have for kids’ lunches?