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    Home » Holiday » Back To School

    Back To School Lunch Box Check List

    Published: Aug 21, 2015 · Modified: Sep 10, 2020 · This post may contain affiliate links

    7.9K shares
    • 77
    Jump to Recipe Print Recipe

    It is Back To School Season! Are you freaking out about packing lunches yet? If so we have the PERFECT solution for you! We created a handy Back To School Lunch Box Check List just for you! This will give you ideas of what to pack and best of all it will make it EASY for you!

    Back To School Lunch Box Checklist

    Last week I shared my tip for how to freeze Peanut Butter and Jelly Sandwiches. That is my go to when it comes to easy school lunches. Best of all it is perfect for after school snacks too for kids of all ages. If you are like me and you are an on-the-go Mom this is going to be a tip that will save you time and money.

    Lunchbox Tip - Freeze PBJ's to Save You Time & Money

    When it comes to packing lunches my go-to is Peanut Butter and Jelly.  Every Sunday I prep my school lunches for the week. I started doing this last year and it is a huge time saver for me in the mornings. Best of all I decided to create school lunch bins and my son now packs his own lunch.

    That means there is NO complaining and less wasted food because he is choosing from the approved food bins and all the food that goes into the bins are foods that he likes to eat and portioned correctly.

    School Lunch Packing Strategy That Works! Put the packing into your kids hands!

    I purchased 6 bins at the dollar store. I prep and fill the bins on Sunday and then he grabs and packs his own lunches each evening. In the morning we quickly add an ice pack (love this DIY tip) and off he goes! This is a huge time saver for me and it also keeps him happy because he is choosing his own lunch each day.

    I have drinks for him to choose from in one of our crisper drawers in the fridge.  This has been a huge WIN for our household. My son loves having ownership in packing his lunch, it saves me time and energy and each night this becomes HIS responsibility.

    I use the following categories:

    • Protein (PBJ is our favorite)
    • Snacks
    • Veggies
    • Dairy
    • Fruit
    • Sweet Treat
    • Beverage

    I hope this lunch packing strategy works as well for you as it does for us.  Be sure to print this Back To School Lunch Box Checklist and hang it on your fridge.  Hopefully it will help eliminate some of the stress when it comes to packing school lunches this year!  I also include extras for snacks for after school and before soccer!  This has been a great way for me to keep portion control in check too!

    One of our favorite after school snacks is a Grilled PB&J.  It is a fun twist on the traditional PB&J and my son LOVES it!  It is an gooey warm version with a toasty crust that he flips for!  I serve it with a tall glass of milk and he is happy when he gets home and finds this snack!  It is his comfort food.  On busy days or days that he has soccer I normally prepare one of these delicious treats for him.

    GrilledPBJFinal

    Grilled PB&J Sandwich

    5 from 1 vote
    Print Pin Rate
    Course: Main
    Prep Time: 1 minute
    Cook Time: 5 minutes
    Total Time: 6 minutes
    Servings: 1
    Author: Melissa Jennings

    Ingredients

    • Peanut Butter
    • Bread
    • Smucker's Jelly Jam or Preserves
    • Butter

    Instructions

    • Spread peanut butter and jam on bread. Press together to form sandwich.
    • In a medium skilled melt 1 tablespoon butter.
    • Cook sandwich in medium skillet over medium heat 1 to 2 minutes per side or until browned.
    • Add an additional 1 tablespoon butter to melt and flip.
    Tried this recipe?Mention @SPMoms or tag #SPMOMS!

    Other posts you may enjoy:

    First Day of School Pancakes
    Transitioning from Summer to School
    After School Snack Ideas
    Tips for Homework Success
    Creating a Homework Station

    Freeze PBJ's to save time when packing lunches for school

    Stockpiling Moms can be found in all your favorite places. Hop on over to Instagram and follow the fun. We love posting memes, family fun, travel, and whatever we are feeling that day. Pinterest is also an amazing place to visit Stockpiling Moms. This is where you can pin all your favorite articles from our Food, Travel & Lifestyle Blog.

    Melissa Jennings

    Melissa is a football and soccer mom who has been married to her best friend for 24 years. She loves sharing recipes, travel reviews and tips that focus on helping busy families make memories.

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    7.9K shares
    • 77

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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Heather Johnson

      August 21, 2015 at 3:07 pm

      these are great ideas - and man - i still love me some pb&j

      Reply
      • Melissa@StockpilingMoms

        August 28, 2015 at 5:00 pm

        You are not kidding!

        Reply
    2. Jennie

      August 24, 2015 at 3:28 pm

      LOVE THIS POST! Great idea!

      Reply
      • Melissa@StockpilingMoms

        August 28, 2015 at 5:01 pm

        Thanks Jennie!

        Reply
    3. Doris Swift

      August 28, 2015 at 8:25 pm

      Great ideas! I'm sharing this with my lunch packing mama friends!

      Reply
      • Melissa@StockpilingMoms

        August 31, 2015 at 8:52 am

        Thanks for sharing!

        Reply
    4. Amanda Snodgrass

      August 31, 2015 at 9:42 am

      What a great list! This morning, I looked in my fridge with despair and frantically packed my teen a PB&J and a Go Go Squeeze. I think I'll have to print off the list and start making my bins! Thanks for joining the #FridayLinkupParty this week!

      Reply
    5. amy guillaume linderman

      January 11, 2016 at 9:27 pm

      5 stars
      awesome ideas to print out and out on my fridge!

      Reply
    6. David

      January 16, 2016 at 9:19 pm

      5 stars
      We don't generally put fruits and veggies in the lunchbox because we assume they will be thrown away. Apple sauce is about as fruity as we can expect the kids to eat when we are not watching.

      Reply

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    Melissa Jennings, Owner & Shelly King, Owner

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    Melissa Jennings and Shelley King are the bloggers behind Stockpiling Moms®. Since 2009, they have been sharing recipes, travel reviews and tips that focus on helping busy families make memories.

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