Uninspired

I'll be honest: I was tired last night. The kids had a great first day, but were tired, which meant swinging between crabby and bouncing off the walls. My husband didn't feel well. I had a pile of school paperwork to print out. And honestly - I just wanted the lunches made. These are lacking in creativity, but I know the boys will eat them.

J's box: A peanut butter and strawberry jelly sandwich on wheat bread. As much as I love cute cut-out sandwiches, I hate wasting all that bread, so my solution is to use the cookie cutter (in this case a guitar) as a stamp. Looks cool. No waste. He also has some Puffcorn, grapes, carrots, a berry, and an Oreo.

N's box: Since he didn't finish his lunch yesterday, I tried to pack a little less. N. loves (loves) hard-boiled eggs. That makes things easy for me because at the beginning of the week, I always boil some up for salads and snacking. And school lunches :-) He also has a few slices of pepperoni in addition to the same sides as J.

If nothing else, I am confident these lunches will be well-received and will get the boys through the afternoon.

First Day of School

Another school year has begun and with it comes the joy (yes, let's be positive here) of packing my kids' lunches. Since my oldest was in kindergarten, he brought lunch to school most of the time, but with hot lunch prices now at $3.00 and two children in school... well, it's safe to say that packing lunch is just as much about saving money as it is to ensure my boys are eating nutritious food.

Pinterest has been a great source of inspiration when it comes to lunch ideas, and a while back I noticed someone made corn dog muffins. Ingenious! So that is what J & N had for their first day of school. I baked them yesterday (because I don't think I could handle hot dogs at 6 a.m.). This morning I warmed them slightly in the microwave -- just enough to take away the chill of the refrigerator. My kids don't have a problem eating room-temperature food, but if yours don't like it you could always wrap the muffins in foil to trap in the heat or pack them in an insulated jar.

To make the muffins, I just used a box of Jiffy corn bread mix and prepared it according to the directions for muffins. Then I added 1/2 of a hot dog, sliced, to each muffin. I used 3 hot dogs for 6 muffins.

I rounded out the meal with carrots and cucumber slices, strawberries and grapes, and an Oreo for dessert. My 4th grader devoured every crumb and my 1st grader ate most of it. I remember from last year that the first week or two are tiring, and he is also a slow eater.

Verdict: An "awesome" lunch that I should "totally make again!"