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Must Have Mom

Pack A Week Of School Lunches In 1 Hour!

Preschool· School Age

7 Aug
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See how you can easily pack a week’s worth of school lunches for your child in just 1 hour! Prep them ahead of time to save you time (and sanity) in the coming week. With these cold lunch ideas you’re sure to keep things exciting all year long.

 

save time and money with ibotta

 

If there is anything I hate about back to school time it is the return of the dreaded lunch packing chore! I start of the school year really gung-ho and excited to pack these amazing lunches for my kids and about 3 weeks in I’m completely burned out on it and tossing together whatever I can the morning of school. This creates a stressful, chaotic morning and isn’t the way to start anyone’s day. I’ll show you how I have revamped my school lunch packing system this year and how you can easily pack a week’s worth of school lunches for all of your kids in just one hour!

 

Why I Pack A Week Of Lunches In 1 Hour

You can save yourself tons of time and frustration by packing a week’s worth of lunches in an hour or less. Your mornings will transform from chaotic and stressful to organized and relaxed. I hate sending my kids out the door after a chaotic morning. It just feels like I’m sending them out to start their day on the wrong foot. Now that I pack their lunches on Sunday night, I can relax and enjoy mornings with the kids and really engage with them instead of being distracted and running around trying to whip together a lunch for each of them.

I like to plan and be organized and also save money when I can. Having a household of six people with four kids in school means we go through a LOT of food in a week! While I used to be a crazy coupon lady, I no longer have time to clip coupons and scout sales, but that doesn’t mean I can’t save money on my groceries. I use the Ibotta app to quickly and easily save myself time and money without having to clip coupons. Before I go grocery shopping for the week of lunch supplies I scan through the Ibotta app and see what items I can save money on. I then plan the week of cold lunch ideas based on those items.

 

How To Save On Groceries With The Ibotta App

Ibotta savings app

 

This week I checked my Ibotta app and found some GREAT savings on lunch items that my kids love. (All offers were valid as of publish date. Don’t forget to check your app for details as offers change frequently and may not be available in all areas.) Based off these offers I planned for a week of lunches for my four kids using these items. I’ll show you what I made with the items I bought from these offers. Haven’t used Ibotta before? It’s easy! I’ll show you quickly how it works so you can effortlessly save money on your groceries too.

Start by downloading the free Ibotta app, it works on iOS devices and Android. There are no subscription fees or in app purchases so don’t worry about that! As a new shopper you’ll receive up to $20 in welcome bonuses as well. Ibotta can be used at many stores and on just about every category of household and grocery supplies and so much more.

Once you’ve downloaded the app then you can peruse the offers and add your favorites. Then buy the products and upload your receipt to redeem your cash back. It’s that simple! Now that you’ve downloaded the app you can go grab some offers and save on your cold lunch ideas for the week as well! Now let’s talk about how to pack a week of lunches in an hour or less!

pack make ahead cold lunches

 

How To Pack A Week Of Lunches In 1 Hour

Based off the Ibotta offers that I was able to redeem, I planned for making pizza pinwheels, frozen smoothies (these are great because they thaw by lunchtime), meat/cheese/crackers/peanut butter and watermelon paired with some of the lunch snacks that I redeemed like the GoGo Squeeze, Larabars, Fig Bars and juice boxes. The key to packing lunches ahead of time is to pick things that hold up well in the fridge and don’t get soggy. I also like making things that freeze well like smoothies.

I also like using bento box style containers and packing it all and then sticking it in the fridge so the kids can easily grab them and pack them in their bags. There are a TON of things you can use to mix up this routine and keep the food ideas interesting. I’m giving you an example of a week of lunches to get you started and then you can let your imagination go from there. Like I said, I like to base it off the current Ibotta offers as a jumping off point for each week.

 

Cold Lunch Ideas

Here are some cold lunch ideas that I used to pack a week of cold lunches for my four kids. These are all items that hold up well for 5 days in the fridge and keep my kids interested in their lunch selections. Mix them up or pack them the same for each day, that depends on your preferences.

 

 

Frozen Smoothies

I used the Tropicana probiotic juice and frozen avocados that I got with the Ibotta offer to make some smoothies. I also added in frozen fruit and yogurt to complete the smoothie. I blended them together and portioned them into plastic freezer jars (commonly used for canning) and froze them. I then pack them in their lunches in the morning and they thaw by lunch! My kids LOVE these.

 

pizza pinwheels

 

Pizza Pinwheels

I love changing things up from the boring sandwich routine and these pizza pinwheels do just that! Get a flour tortilla and spread cream cheese (or Neufchatel cheese) over the whole thing. Sprinkle mozzarella cheese over it. Add some Italian seasoning and garlic salt, then top with pepperoni. Then roll up the tortilla and slice into 1/2″ slices to make the pinwheels. I used the mozzarella cheese from the Ibotta offer. Then I serve with pizza sauce for dipping.

 

homemade healthy lunchable

 

DIY Lunchables

Skip the lunchables and make your own for much less with crackers, ham or turkey and cheese. Make them in a bento box and pair with a GoGo Squeeze applesauce pouch and Fig Bar along with a juice box (thanks to Ibotta I even got cashback on my choice brand of juice boxes).

 

watermelon, crackers and peanut butter make ahead

 

Pre-Cut Fruit

I was able to get cash back on a watermelon which is so rare so I was really excited about that offer. By pre-cutting the fruit and portioning it into containers for the week you save yourself a ton of prep time later. Pair it with some crackers and peanut butter for a healthy snack container or addition to your child’s lunch.

 

pack a week of lunches

 

As you can see it is EASY to pack a week of lunches in under an hour each week. This is worth putting the time and effort into so you can buy yourself peaceful mornings before the busy day begins! I hope these cold lunch ideas inspired you to change up the routine and get ahead of the chaos.

 

As summer comes to a close, easing back into your usual routine can be hard. Luckily, getting cash back with Ibotta is easy! Download the free Ibotta app and start earning cash back today.

 

Pin A Week Of Lunches In Under An Hour

pack a week of cold lunches

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27 Comments

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Comments

  1. Stacie says

    August 8, 2018 at 4:56 pm

    14 days in 1 hour? You’ve got this lunch thing down! That is absolutely amazing. Great ideas.

    Reply
    • Sarah says

      August 13, 2018 at 9:15 pm

      And it’s so easy!

      Reply
  2. Cyn Gagen says

    August 8, 2018 at 6:03 pm

    Whoa. You are good! Love these ideas for lunches and love that you can make them ahead and avoid that morning rush.

    Reply
    • Sarah says

      August 13, 2018 at 9:15 pm

      Thanks! Prepping ahead is key to keeping my sanity haha!

      Reply
  3. Amy says

    August 8, 2018 at 6:48 pm

    My kids would surely appreciate some lunchbox cuteness like what is going on in these pics. I need to make them some lunchmeat pinwheels.

    Reply
    • Sarah says

      August 13, 2018 at 9:14 pm

      The pinwheels are so easy and a big hit with the kids!

      Reply
  4. Jeni Hawkins says

    August 8, 2018 at 6:54 pm

    What an amazing post! My busy mommy friends will absolutely cherish you for helping them save time and make great lunches for their kids!

    Reply
    • Sarah says

      August 13, 2018 at 9:14 pm

      Awe thank you! Glad it was helpful for you and your friends!

      Reply
  5. Becca Wilson says

    August 8, 2018 at 7:17 pm

    This would save me so much time! I am definitely going to be doing this for the upcoming year.

    Reply
    • Sarah says

      August 13, 2018 at 9:14 pm

      I’m glad you found it helpful!

      Reply
  6. Liz Mays says

    August 8, 2018 at 7:17 pm

    Now this is efficiency. Great work! The Ibotta offers seem to make a big difference when grocery shopping.

    Reply
    • Sarah says

      August 13, 2018 at 9:14 pm

      Yes, we save so much time and money!

      Reply
  7. Tara says

    August 8, 2018 at 7:26 pm

    I love Ibotta and use it ALL the time! Fortunately, my kids get free lunch this year because the school is participating in some sort of lunch program. But because my kids are picky, I know I’ll still be packing them lunches anyways. I love the idea of homemade lunchables.

    Reply
    • Sarah says

      August 13, 2018 at 9:13 pm

      Yes, my kids are pretty picky about hot lunches too! These save my sanity lol.

      Reply
  8. Allison Cooper says

    August 8, 2018 at 7:52 pm

    You are seriously my hero! I can’t even imagine having everything together to have lunches packed like this, but it can be done and I’m challenging myself to give it a try to make this year easier!

    Reply
    • Sarah says

      August 13, 2018 at 9:13 pm

      Haha thank you! It’s so much easier than packing them every morning in a rush!!

      Reply
  9. Pam says

    August 8, 2018 at 8:40 pm

    Those pizza pinwheels, sound awesome. What a great change up from a normal, boring sandwich.

    Reply
    • Sarah says

      August 13, 2018 at 9:11 pm

      Yes! I love them too haha

      Reply
  10. Scott says

    August 8, 2018 at 8:42 pm

    I am so glad we’re past the lunch packing stage. Now they’re happy to eat hot lunches with their friends!

    Reply
  11. Kathy says

    August 8, 2018 at 9:19 pm

    This is so great. I need to get in to doing this more often. My kids normally eat school lunch though. I love the idea of having them ready like this.

    Reply
  12. Dawn Lopez says

    August 8, 2018 at 9:44 pm

    This would have been such a time-saver when my son was in school. I will definitely have to pass these ideas along to my friends.

    Reply
  13. Rachel says

    August 8, 2018 at 10:56 pm

    These look like really good lunches. We areFans of Lara bars in this house.

    Reply
    • Sarah says

      August 13, 2018 at 9:10 pm

      Yes! They’re a fave here too!!

      Reply
  14. Erlene says

    August 26, 2018 at 4:31 pm

    I love the ibotta app. It makes sense to use it since we have to buy groceries 🙂 Great ideas on school home lunches too!

    Reply
  15. Lisa @ Flour Me With Love says

    August 28, 2018 at 6:46 am

    I love the smoothie idea and can’t wait to surprise the kids next week! Thanks so much for sharing so many great lunches and tips 🙂

    Reply
  16. Heather says

    September 2, 2018 at 10:59 am

    Great ideas! What brand are red and green containers that you use? I have trouble finding ones that fit right in their lunch boxes, but I noticed you use the same lunch boxes that we do!

    Reply
    • Sarah says

      September 4, 2018 at 10:14 am

      I found them at Walmart in the lunch bags/containers aisle. I believe they are Rubbermaid but I’m not certain!

      Reply

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Meet Sarah

Meet Sarah, the mom behind Must Have Mom, where she shares easy solutions to simplify everyday life for busy families. As a mom to four young children she knows what it's like trying to be supermom and keep your sanity. This is the place for moms to unite and enjoy the crazy journey of motherhood. Read More…

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