How To Calm The School Breakfast and Lunch Chaos
Printable PDF of lunch and breakfast ideas
AAAGGGHHH…the bento boxes with tiny vegetable flowers. Seriously? It’s hard not to feel the mom guilt when just throwing a PB&J in a paper bag as you’re running your kids to the bus feels like a win. I’ve got some realistic lunch recipes for you so keep reading and I thought I would include some breakfast ideas while I’m at it.
Speaking of mom guilt…getting back into the school routine also means revisiting the idea of more organized family dinners after the anything goes summer days of pools, picnics and popsicles. So let’s just tackle this first.
Is it Really That Important to Eat Together?
We know family dinners are important so no need to cloud the issue with scientific facts and data. Bottom line…you’re a good mom and you intuitively want to gather your crew. When it comes down to it, your “Why” isn’t the problem, it’s the “how”. But don’t worry, I’ve got you, friend!
Make Dinner Time Doable
When our boys were young, it was our goal to have dinner around the table as many nights as possible. We certainly weren’t perfect. I mean, we met our “family at the table” goal many nights as our kids weren’t involved in tons of activities, but with North and South Pole kids, there were many nights we accomplished the goal sans joy.
Here are a few ideas I learned to make family dinner time more doable:
Add Family Dinner to your calendar - Keep it just like other appointments and even have your meal plans there so you are prepared.
Be okay with enough - If you have one of those families that has a million activities and you have no way to get out of some of them, make family dinners at home the evenings you have nothing non-negotiable for all family members.
Add something fun - If you’re kids like activities, play a card or board game or read a book together after dinner. If it’s something they enjoy, staying around the table together will become something they look forward to. When my kids were in elementary school, we read Junie B. Jones together and it was super fun.
Have a backup plan when you “just can’t” - Honestly, some nights the temptation to watch TV with dinner won simply because I didn’t have the energy to referee. On these nights, in order to keep some semblance of family dinner time, we would choose a movie together then eat and watch in peace. Yes, mom guilt would ensue, but I now with grown boys, 21 and 25, we enjoy dining around the table together now so it all worked out. TIP: Ask your family during a calmer family dinner at the table to make a list of movies they want to watch otherwise, just making that decision can throw a wrench in your backup plan.
Have a Plan for What’s for Dinner - You know the question’s going to come, so anticipate it and have a plan. You can read my ideas for getting dinner on the table fast OR skip the reading and click the button below to get my Weekly Meal Plans as part of your paid subscription. It’s less than a venti latte per month and you get an organized PDF with four meal plans using only two inexpensive proteins, recipes, shopping list, all my notes and subs and even a meal prep guide to get ahead for the week.
School Lunches for the Pinterest Averse
Forget the tiny flowers, let’s get you a real plan for school lunches. You can batch make all of these. If your kids like variety choose two and alternate.
Cold
Snack Boxes – Ham, turkey or Grilled Chicken, Baby Carrots, Cheese cubes, fruit, GF crackers, sunflower butter and all fruit jam (I like Saint Dalfour which is fruit juice sweetened.)
Chicken (or tuna) Salad – Sandwich, chicken salad salad in a jar (Dressing on the bottom, chicken salad, chopped crunchy veggies, lettuce, lid), chicken salad wraps either lettuce wraps or GF tortillas, chicken salad in avocado with veggies sticks
Tortilla Rollups - Spread GF tortillas with Kite Hill Cream Cheese (or regular) and layer with turkey or ham. You can add a little fruit juice sweetened jam, pickles, or whatever else they like. Roll and cut into spirals. Add to a divided or bento box with fruit, baby carrots and honey mustard or dairy free ranch.
Bean and Cheese Burrito - Spread warm refried beans down the edge of a GF tortilla and top with cheese. Fold in the sides and roll up. Cut in half and add to a divided or bento box with salsa, fruit and cucumber coins or baby carrots.
Hot
Chicken Noodle Soup - Saute carrots, celery, onion in olive oil, stir in 2 quarts broth and 2 cups shredded (about 1 lb) rotisserie chicken. Cook GF noodles until very al dente, rinse in cold water, coat in olive oil and refrigerate separately from soup. Heat the soup without the pasta then add it just for 30 seconds before transferring to a thermos preheated with hot water.
Taco Box – Saute 1 lb ground beef with 1 tsp each cumin, chile powder, salt and pepper. Add taco meat to a divided or bento box along with GF tortillas, shredded lettuce, tortilla chips, dairy free ranch, salsa (see PDF in link for DIY) and avocado.
Beef Veggie Soup - Saute ½ cup each carrots, celery and onion in olive oil. Stir in 2 small, chopped potatoes, 2 8 oz cans tomato sauce and one quart beef broth. Add one package frozen organic mixed veggies (the corn, carrot pea mix) and 1 lb cooked ground beef. Season with salt and pepper. Let simmer for 30 minutes. Warm a serving and transfer to a thermos preheated with hot water.
Breakfasts Ready in a Flash
Mason Jars are going to be your friend for the cold items. Get 8 oz jars on Amazon and you can make oats, chia puddings and granola parfaits and store in fridge for the week. That’s 3 breakfasts you can prep quickly on Sunday. If your kids eat a lot less, just make them smaller amounts or make the same amount and they can be closed up and eaten for a snack later.
Hot items can be mostly prepped ahead of time. See directions for each.
Cold and No Eggs
Overnight Oats
For each 8 oz jar:
Mix together ¼ cup GF oats with 3/4 cup almond (or preferred) milk and 1 1/2 tsp maple syrup, coconut sugar or honey. Let sit in fridge overnight. Mix in 1-2 tbsp preferred nut butter and serve cold or warm briefly in the microwave. (Jars will be hot.) Serve with desired toppings.
Notes:
Add Protein or Collagen Powder for extra protein. Collagen along with nut butter provides the full amino acid spectrum and doesn’t change flavor. While protein powder has all the AAs, unless you can find a truly flavorless protein powder, you may need to experiment with small amounts to see what tastes good.
For Celiacs or those highly sensitive to gluten, oats can be problematic. I highly recommend One Degree brand sprouted oats for several reasons:
This brand is organic and certified gluten free, GMO free and Glyphosate free.
They are more easily digestible
The nutrients are much more bio-available.
You can sometimes find them at Costco but also at Amazon and Thrive Market (get 30% off + $60 free gift with this link) if you don’t have a Costco. Other stores have this brand but it’s a smaller package and more expensive.
Breakfast Chia Puddings
For each oz jar:
Combine 2 tbsp chia seeds, 1/2 cup coconut or almond milk, 1 ½ tsp maple syrup or honey, top with fresh fruit (frozen pineapple and banana are really good), nuts and coconut. Let sit overnight.
Notes:
You can make this in a large batch with 1/2 cup chia seeds, 2 cups coconut milk, 2 tbsp maple syrup or honey and divide between 4 jars
Gluten Free Granola and Yogurt Parfaits
Per 8 oz jar:
Mix 1/2 cup Greek yogurt (CocoJune is a good dairy free sub) with 2 tsp honey in the jar. Top with thawed frozen or fresh chopped berries or all fruit jam and granola.
Notes:
Add Protein or Collagen Powder for even more protein (see note above)
One Degree (see notes under Oats for why I like this brand) has several premade granolas.
If you prefer, you can make your own with the recipe below using the One Degree oats. This is what I do because it’s more cost effective.
I also have a grain free granola recipe here.
DIY Granola
You can easily scale this and make as much as you need for a couple of weeks at a time. Serve in the parfaits above or simply with almond milk and fruit.
2 cups oats (preferably One Degree, see above)
1 cup coconut
1 cup sliced almonds
1/4 cup coconut oil
2 tbsp honey
Preheat oven to 350 degrees
On a large baking sheet toss together the oats, coconut and almonds.
Heat coconut oil in a small saucepan over medium heat just until beginning to melt then whisk in the honey. Drizzle this over the dry ingredients and toss again with your hands to distribute the coconut oil mixture.
Bake at 350 until brown.
Hot (with and without eggs)
Breakfast Tacos or Burritos
Precook sausage, eggs and potatoes or any other fillings
Warm tortillas, fill and serve
For tacos, make them the day you serve using using warm corn tortillas with whatever fillings you made and top with avocado and salsa or hot sauce.
For burritos, make and roll them ahead of time. Store partially wrapped in parchment to keep them from sticking together and warm for 2-3 minutes in air fryer when ready to serve. Serve with hot sauce or salsa.
Notes:
Siete Cassava Coconut are my fave GF brand and roll just like flour tortillas. You can find the almond flour variety at Costco for less, but they don’t roll as well.
Sausage and Apples with Toast
This sounds weird, but my cooking mentor turned me onto this and we love it.
4 apples
2 tbsp butter
2 tbsp maple syrup
To Serve:
Cooked Sausage patties or links
GF Toast
Almond Butter
Saute peeled and sliced apples with butter or coconut oil, maple syrup and a pinch of salt until the apples are very soft.
Serve over GF toast spread with almond butter with sausage on the side.
Notes:
Precook sausage and apples ahead of time and warm them as you need them.
The apples make a great topping for granola, oats or chia puddings as well.
Breakfasts and Lunches PDF
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