When we decided to enroll (most of) our kids in traditional school, one of the first thoughts I had was … oh no, I have to make school lunches! 

Maybe this isn’t a surprise to you, but yes, I seriously spent a lot of time thinking about this.  Though the schools do have some bought-lunch days, that gets expensive and they’re not the most nourishing options.  I’m all for splurging every now and then, but I wasn’t interested in that being the norm.  I thought a lot about how I was going to make lunches every day and create enough variety so the kids weren’t so bored that they dreaded their lunch day in and day out.

The other thing is that I’m more of a hot lunch mom and not so much a sandwich mom. I’ve never been big into sandwiches or cold lunches in general (except yummy salads!), which I’m assuming has been spurred by our homeschooling lifestyle.  Only a couple of my kiddos like to eat deli meat anyway, which puts sandwiches low on the lunch totem pole.

So after spending way too much time overthinking this school lunch situation, I came up with a plan that is successfully working for us (at least for now).  Though my kids are probably now those kids … you know, the ones with weird lunches that the other students stare at in curious wonder … I feel good about sending them with wholesome food that is nourishing their bodies and giving them fuel for the day.

With a cup of coffee in hand, along with the help of Pinterest boards and all of my recipe books, I rocked my Ennegram Type 1 and created a monthly lunch plan that correlates with my monthly dinner plan.  That allows me to serve up leftover hot lunches if I cook a little extra most evenings.  I also left room for some lunches that include sandwiches for a couple reasons: 1. not all of our dinner recipes are leftover-worthy, and 2. I know most of the kids enjoy the occasional sandwich or wrap, too.

Planning a full month of meals was a first for me, but I actually found it to be pretty easy and probably less time-consuming than using my standard week-by-week method.  By spreading out all of our go-to recipes, I made sure that I didn’t have too many similar meals stacked up in one week.

My goal was to incorporate a variety of meals that:

1. The kids will eat.  Probably the most important aspect.  Not every meal is their absolute favorite, but they’re all recipes that they like enough to eat.
2. Contain protein.  I am a strong advocate of getting nourishing protein into every meal and snack to balance blood sugar and maintain energy throughout the day.
3. Heat up well.  Also important, because I want their lunches to taste good!  With the help of thermoses, I’m able to keep their lunches warm until it’s time to eat.

This does require me getting up early to prep lunchboxes and warm up the leftovers, but I’d be making lunches one way or another anyway.  While I’m working on snacks and other morning chores, I heat leftovers on the stove top to maintain the nutrients (as opposed to the microwave).  Once the food is piping hot, I pour it into pre-warmed thermoses (which I add boiling water to about 10 minutes prior).  Then I throw in fruit or a small side salad to the lunchboxes, and I’m good to go!

For February, here’s our lunch lineup.  When possible, I’ve linked the inspiration recipes, though I tweak most of them for our needs:

• Week 1
  • Roasted Tomato Soup served with grilled cheese
  • Creamy Salsa Chicken served with rice
  • Swedish Meatballs served with mashed red potatoes
  • Sandwiches
  • Cheddar Chicken Chowder served with einkorn biscuits
• Week 2
  • Garden Florentine Ring served in einkorn crust
  • Sandwiches
  • Thai Curry Chicken served with rice
  • Sloppy Joes served with cauliflower “mac & cheese”
  • Sandwiches/Chic-Fil-A day at school
• Week 3
  • Meatloaf served with mashed red potatoes
  • Basil Coconut Curry Chicken served with rice
  • Venison Rainbow Stew served with einkorn buttermilk biscuits
  • Crack Chicken served with rice
  • Sandwiches
• Week 4
  • Chili served with einkorn cornbread
  • Garden Florentine Ring served in einkorn crust
  • Buffalo Chicken Chili
  • Lasagna
  • Sandwiches/Chic-Fil-A day at school

With the exception of a few meals that were either too much work or simply didn’t do well to heat up in the morning, the February lunch plan is very similar to the January plan.  For now, this is working for us!  At some point, I’d love to plan for a few hearty salads or bento box-style lunches, so if you have tips and tricks that don’t include nuts or lunch meat, I’d love to hear from you!

What do you send for school lunches?