The school year is coming to a close, but I didn’t want it to end without sharing one more installment for the School Lunch Roundup Series, showing what I’ve been packing and posting on my Facebook page this year (almost daily!). And as summer is upon us I want to make it clear that these lunch ideas could go far beyond just the school cafeteria. I find myself packing food for the kids all summer long for outdoor picnics, day camps, long road trips, zoo outings, museum visits, and afternoons at the pool. The plastic divided containers (pictured below) are perfect for all of these occasions and are an especially great way to keep road trip lunches mess-free (and waste-free) since the containers serve as your “plate” once you take off the lid. I hope your summer is full of fun activities and travel plans!
To learn more about the lunches we pack here are some links to get you started…
- Our favorite school lunch supplies including the pictured plastic Ziploc divided containers (each compartment is leak-proof).
- Everything you could ever want to know about those colorful smoothie pop molds.
- The reason we don’t track protein (hint: Have you ever heard of anyone having a protein deficiency?).
- Our recipe index where you’ll find a lot of the recipes pictured below.
- Readers sometimes ask what these lunches look like after they are tossed all around in the backpack…so check out The Life Cycle of a School Lunch where I share before and after pictures.
- Also be sure to checkout our previous, similar posts: School Lunch Roundup I, School Lunch Roundup II, and School Lunch Roundup III.
School Lunch Roundup Photos
Bonus
When we recently went camping I used our divided lunch tray as a way to pack appetizers for all the campers! It worked out perfectly.
What are your favorite packed lunch combinations? Please share in the comments.
do you dress the salads when you pack? if not, how do you package?
They are typically dressed when packed. You can also pack a small container if you prefer to keep it separate.