Aug 29 | Menu Planning
7 Foods Perfect for Packing in a Thermos
Back to school season means it is time for back to school lunches! While you might think this means a year of sandwiches and prepackaged foods, think again. Thermoses are a great investment and perfect for adding variety and flavor to back to school lunches. Take a look below at 7 foods perfect for packing in thermoses so your child can enjoy a lunch that is fun, fueling, and healthy!
1. Hot dogs.
Hot dogs store nicely in thermoses. Just add some hot water to the Thermos while you’re cooking the hot dogs. Then dump the water and add the cooked hot dogs and close tightly. They will say warm and be ready to add to a bun with all the toppings you want. This is also when those take out condiments come in handy.
2. Pasta dishes.
You can add all sorts of pasta dishes to thermoses including Ramen noodles, spaghetti, ravioli, and alphabet noodles in broth. Add leftover dinner pasta or boil some pasta the night before so you just have to heat before adding to the thermos. Don’t forget a side of bread and butter and mini salad or some veggies to make the perfect lunch.
3. Soups and stews.
This is the perfect winter time lunch! Thermoses are great for chicken noodle soup, tomato soup, leftover stews, chili, and more. Just heat it and add it to the thermos for best results. Add crackers or a sandwich or even a mini fruit salad and you’re all set.
4. Meatballs.
Meatballs are a savory dish that kids will love. Heat frozen meatballs up and add them to the thermos, or heat meatballs from the previous night’s dinner. They pair well with pasta or pack some bread for a meatball sandwich. It’s a filling lunch sure to keep the kids going. Add a small side salad or some fruit to round out the perfect lunch.
5. Rice and beans/Rice and chicken.
Any combination of rice and beans or rice and chicken is perfect for a thermos. Heat before filling the thermos and it’s a hearty lunch idea the kids will enjoy. Make one of these meals for dinner and save some for lunch if you wish.
6. Burrito bowls.
Doesn’t a burrito bowl sound amazing? You can place burrito bowl fillers in a thermos for a tasty lunch with a festive spin. Toss in some heated Mexican rice, beans, ground beef or shredded chicken, shredded cheese, lettuce, and a dab of sour cream. Pack some corn chips to top the mixture with for the best lunch ever!
7. Hot chocolate
Pack some hot chocolate in your child’s lunch for an after lunch treat. You can even add a baggie of mini marshmallows on the side. This is a great way to warm them up before heading outside for recess during the cold winter months.
Are you ready to send the kids back to school with lunches that are fun and fueling? Buy a durable thermos and give these 7 perfect Thermos foods a try. Your kids are sure to enjoy them and be the envy of the class!
What are your go-to lunches for school? Let us know in the comments below!
Related to Back to School:
Aug 29 | Menu Planning
Well, we’re easing into this whole menu planning thing again, right? Good, because last week’s menu nearly went out the window with unplanned dinner options. We were invited to some friend’s for dinner one night, my Mother in Law took us out another night, and my husband was gone one night for soccer so I invited us over to my parents for dinner. 😉
So on this week’s menu, you’ll see a few repeats from last week because I still have the ingredients on hand to make the meals we skipped. Let’s hope we do better, but I find there are at least one or two unplanned events that happen on a regular basis!
Here’s the plan for August 29 – September 4, 2016:
Breakfasts:
Lunches:
- Leftovers
- Chicken noodle soup (in the freezer)
- Grilled Cheese
- I’m doing the PowerBowl Challenge from Healthy Habits Happy Moms, Sienna will eat the above mentioned.
Dinner:
Monday: Cashew Chicken (from Good Cheap Eats Dinner in 30 Minutes), steamed veggies
Tuesday: Perogies and Sausage, peas & corn
Wednesday: Snack party plate (crackers, cheese, fruit, veggies, scrambled eggs)
Thursday: Chicken Skewers with Peanut sauce, tossed salad, corn
Friday: Pizza (either this dough recipe or on Pita bread with pepperoni or ham)
Saturday: Out to Eat
Sunday: Dinner at my parents
I’d love to know, what’s on your menu this week?
Aug 22 | Menu Planning
Well, wouldn’t you know it, but actually having a written down menu plan actually gets dinner on the table? My husband was quite pleased he had some decent meals with leftovers to take for lunch the next day! I think I went into survival/lazy mode after baby Adelyn was born. That worked for a bit because I had a whole bunch of freezer meals to go through. However, the supply ended and I just didn’t get back into menu planning. I’m feeling much more sane now that I know what we will be eating everyday.
One dinner from last week didn’t get made because my husband ended up having last minute plans and took Sienna with him so I made a smoothie for myself.
Here’s the plan for August 22 – 28 2016:
Breakfasts:
Lunches:
- Leftovers
- Chicken noodle soup (in the freezer)
- Grilled Cheese
- I’m doing the PowerBowl Challenge from Healthy Habits Happy Moms, Sienna will eat the above mentioned.
Dinner:
Monday: Cashew Chicken (from Good Cheap Eats Dinner in 30 Minutes), steamed veggies
Tuesday: Sausage and potato bake
Wednesday: Fettucinne Alfredo, Caesar salad
Thursday: Chicken Skewers with Peanut sauce, tossed salad, corn
Friday: Pizza (either this dough recipe or on Pita bread with pepperoni or ham)
Saturday: Out to Eat
Sunday: Dinner at my parents
I’d love to know, what’s on your menu this week?
Aug 15 | Menu Planning
You know when you go on and on about how good something is because it saves you money and makes things run smoother? Menu planning is one of those things that I think makes life a whole lot easier. And well, there hasn’t been much menu planning going on around these parts lately. I can blame the new baby and make all sorts of excuses, but really, meal time is a mess around here! Leftovers are being thrown away far too often, we’re eating out more often than we should be and there’s just a general “blah” feeling around dinner time.
Since so many of you mentioned in the recent Simply Frugal survey that you would like to see menu plans again, I thought I’d start doing them again. I used to post our weekly menu plans each Monday back in the “olden days” of Simply Frugal. Time to revive them!
It actually brings me to a happy place when I plan out our menus. I’m saving money because I’m telling our grocery money where to go instead of spending too much on a whole lot of “nothing”. Plus, there’s a lot less scrambling around 5pm because I’ve already got dinner under control.
I’m embarrassed to admit, but I’ve even put our menu planning on autopilot and I still can’t seem to get it together to have one of those meals prepared.
Enough I say! Time to get meal time under control again. Starting today and each following Monday you will see a weekly menu plan from me featuring easy, frugal meals.
Here’s the plan for August 15 – 21, 2016:
Breakfasts:
Lunches:
- Leftovers
- Egg sandwiches
- Grilled Cheese
Dinner:
Monday: Pesto pasta with carrots
Tuesday: Chicken Skewers with Peanut sauce, tossed salad, corn
Wednesday: Hamburgers, watermelon/cantaloupe
Thursday: Tacos
Friday: Pizza (either this dough recipe or on Pita bread with pepperoni or ham)
Saturday: Out to Eat
Sunday: Snack Party Plate (fruit, crackers, cheese, veggies, back bacon)
I’d love to know, what’s on your menu this week?
Feb 29 | Menu Planning
Having a planned menu each week is a lifesaver for me. I find that on the weeks I fail to plan, we eat out more often or I’m grabbing something super simple from the freezer (Pizza? Premade appies?). This results in higher than normal spending and not so healthy eating. (Though, I’m all about giving myself grace and being mostly okay with weeks like that when it’s not our normal.) So, this week:
I’m Wondering: What are your menu planning challenges? What keeps you from implementing or succeeding at menu planning in your home?
Feb 8 | Menu Planning
As I’ve mentioned before, February is fill the freezer month in anticipation of the new babe due to arrive next month. While I’ve compiled a list of meals to make, I’d love to know what others enjoy freezing (and eating)!
I’m Wondering: What are your favourite tried and true freezer meals? What are some things that always turn out and taste great after they’ve been frozen for a while?
4. Meatballs.
