A Better (back to school) Lunch

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Pollinate Media Group®, Rubbermaid, Jif, and Smucker’s, but all 

my opinions are my own. #aBetterLunch #pmedia 

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I can hardly believe that summer is over, and Leila is back in school (Coco starts tomorrow!) Gone are the days of lazy wake ups, leisurely mornings, and random family outings. Back are the days of alarm clocks, packed lunches and homework. I'm happy, though. My girls thrive on a routine and it's always great to get back to learning!

One thing that I struggled with last year was making Leila's lunches. I wanted to give her healthy options, but had a hard time getting her to eat anything besides her snacky foods, when I wasn't there to make sure she did. This year before school started we talked about her having a better (healthier) lunch at school. We even went to Target to let her pick out a Rubbermaid Lunch Blox Kids Kit  and talked about what she'd like to see in her lunch.

For the first day of school she requested individual PB & J cracker sandwiches. I made those with whole wheat crackers, Jif Natural peanut butter (always crunchy for my girls!) and Smucker's reduced sugar strawberry jelly. She also requested a peeled cutie. I gave her those, along with some grapes, strawberries, a few cubes of cheese, some sliced turkey, and for a treat, a chocolate chip cookie.

I know it looks like a lot, but Leila shares her lunch more often than not! (One day last year, she even asked me to make her friends sandwiches, because she liked the ones I made better than her mom, lol!)

When she got home from school that first day most of her lunch was gone, and she let me know that she shared with her buddies. :)

For her next day of school, her lunch was similar, but this time she got her own Jif Natural To Go packet so she could dip her crackers.

The Rubbermaid LunchBlox Kids Kit is even Leila's preferred thing to snack with - she would much rather have her snacks in cute, little compartments than a boring, old plate - and seriously, what is it about individually compartmentalized foods that are so appealing (for kids and adults?) Bento-style lunches are awesome, and the Rubbermaid kits make it so easy! Coco has already let me know that she wants her school lunches like her sisters, so you'd better believe I will be printing up my coupon, and heading back out to Target this afternoon to buy another! (These awesome coupons don't expire until December 31, 2013 so feel free to print a few so you can buy extras - they're so awesome you will want more than one!)

What do you pack your kiddos for lunch?? I would love some new ideas!