Summer time is here..
And I don’t know about you, but as a mom of three… I am all for ANYTHING that makes life just a TAD bit simpler. Especially when it comes to meal time.
I am a work from home mom of three kids, my oldest is 11, my middle is 8, and my youngest is 3. As you could imagine with these age gaps… they all go to bed and wake up at different times.
And as a busy mom who is balancing a business, the house/chores, the summer time activities and just trying to maintain my sanity… I really don’t have time to stop to make lunch for each kid as they wake up. So that is why I decided for summer time, I am going to prep all the lunches first thing in the morning so when they all wake up and are ready for lunch, they know where to find it 🤗
My oldest (11 year old) is a night owl and usually goes to bed around 11-11:30 PM in the summer, and wakes up around 10:30 AM (oh to be young again and able to sleep past 7 🥲). My middle (8 year old) doesn’t stay up quite as late, but usually stays up until 10-10:30 PM. He is my wild card as he could wake up at 8 AM, or will sleep until 9:30 AM. And my youngest, she is my early to bed, early to rise child. She is in bed usually around 7:45-8:00 PM and will wake up at 7 AM on the dot.
So because they all wake up at different times, its just been so nice (and so much easier on me) to have all the lunches made at the same time (I make lunches usually around 8 AM) and pop them in the fridge.
It’s been a little over a week of my doing this and it really has been so continent for me to just have everything thought out/planned at once and waiting for them in the fridge.
I also have been loving these bento boxes for lunch prep (especially for kids who hate food touching lol). The dark purple box (with the hole in the center) is for my three year old. The spaces are a bit smaller, but for her, it’s been the perfect portion sizes for her.
The dark blue is for my middle, and the light blue is for my oldest. I also have been prepping lunch for myself (the light purple), which has also been great for me to make sure 1. I am eating and 2. it’s all food that aligns with my current goals. I love these bigger bento boxes and they are really cool because the (snap on) lid comes with a compartment for plastic ware. They also came with those reusable cupcake looking liners that have been great for separating and adding even more food.
I will also point out that you will notice some boxes have certain things will others don’t. That is because there are things one kid loves, that the other doesn’t– so when I pack their lunches I am also mindful of who likes/and doesn’t like what so they will eat it (#momlife).
I also take this time to fill up their water cups (they use at meals). We actually went to a sushi restaurant here in Colorado Springs and they had these cups for the kids to use. They instantly were like, “OH MY GOSH WE NEED THESE AT HOME!”. So.. I found them on Amazon and while they aren’t really anything special (to me), they absolutely love them and have fun using the straw handle and watching the water come through the straw. So, I guess in the name of hydration… they are a win in my book 😉
Link for the cups here >>> Sip-A-Mug
Lunch time bento box ideas:
Here are some lunches I’ve made recently:
We have the actual uncrustable style sandwich cutter, but I’ve preferred just using a smaller cookie cutter. They aren’t fans of the crust, so usually I can get a few different shapes out of a sandwich and just discard the crust (or feed it to the dog). >> Cookie cutters
My kids are also a HUGE fan of cut up bell peppers. I buy the mini bell peppers and just wash them (upon buying them) and add them into a container and use as I need them (they stay fresher longer). They also love lunchables (but I’m not a fan), so I try and make it feel like a more elevated lunchable by adding some crackers, cheese and pepperonis.
I always try and include at least one veggies (cucumbers, cherry tomatoes, carrots or bell peppers are some of their faves), as well as a fruit (they love apples, strawberries, raspberries, blueberries and the occasional watermelon). I’ve also found it’s easy to add a granola bar to the liner cup. My middle child and myself have also been loving these tortilla pin wheels. I use a low carb tortilla, spread a thin later of light ranch, add a few slices of deli meat, a piece of cheese, a few pepperoni slices and a little shredded lettuce. It’s even better after it’s been in the fridge for a few hours. So easy to make and SO good.
You can also use the cupcake liners to add things like peanut butter for apples or hummus if you like that with your veggies or even some pita crackers. The liners are really easy to clean too! Def recommend adding them to your box!
Baked chips are also really easy to add (my kids love the white cheddar Cheetos), as well as the baked SNAP’D chips by CHEEZ-IT. They also like string cheese, so sometimes I’ll just cut them up into little bitesize pieces and just add them that way. They also are OBSESSED with the Viloe jelly sticks (what you see in the long compartment here). They are just jello, but also great to add as well.
Here you can see that I added some hummus to the liner cups for the veggies I provided them. Also cut up some watermelon, gave them some star shaped PB&J and some cheddar rice cake chips (which they also love and fit so nicely in these Beto boxes).
And while we’re talking about mom hacks…
I also don’t know about you BUT… are you tired of hearing, “mom, can I have a snack?” 1,000 times a day? If the answer is, “yes”, you need SNACK BINS! This has also been such a HUGE win in my book because these kids STAY eating and asking me for snacks ALL the time. So, here is the solution!
Go to the dollar store and get these little baskets (I got three for each kid, but grab as many as you need). I used sharpie to add their name to the front so they knew which basket belongs to them. In the morning (after I make lunches), I fill these little baskets with snacks they are allowed to have at any point in the day (without asking me). The rules are however: 1. No snacks until after lunch 2. Whatever is in the basket should last them until dinner 3. No eating the snacks after 8 PM (if there is anything left).
What things have I been adding?
Since I do have them sitting out on the shelf where they can reach it, I don’t put anything that needs to be refrigerated. So I have been adding a variety of the following things: baked chips, gold fish, pretzels, pre-portioned cookies (in a ziplock), popcorn, fruit snacks, granola bars, dried fruit pieces, trail mix, bananas, oranges, apples, snack packs.
And I have to say, it’s been working out really well and they love the independence they have to go pick out a snack they want, but also know they can’t eat it all at once. Definitely a mom hack I recommend, especially in summer when they are 10Xs hungrier from all the playing they do.
Also, those mini 4-compartment bento boxes are AMAZING! I love the snap on lids and I take them with us sometimes in the car to hold snacks! I will also use them on the weekends to make them fun breakfasts (Usually add waffle sticks, fruit, sausage patties and toast to the compartments). There is just something fun about eating from a bento box <3
>> Snack bento boxes *set of three*
But anyways…
That’s the summer time mom hack I have for you today that hopefully helps make YOUR life a little easier as well. If you enjoy this post, please make sure you pass it along to your mom friends to also help simplify their summer a bit 😘
Also, if you are a mama… I recorded this podcast episode for YOU 😍 Give it a listen?
A message for moms during summer time on The Power of You
But until my next post, take care of yourself from the inside out! I love you! XO!
