Laptop Lunches | An Easy Way to Pack School Lunches

I have been in a pretty serious PB&J rut lately.

When it comes to packing the girls' healthy, varied lunches for German kindergarten, I'm pretty much at a loss.

Two things have come to the rescue:

1) packing the lunches the night before (apparently I have more brain cells in the evening)
2) using these spill-proof lunch boxes (you can use my amazon affiliate link here to check them out)

When I'm in a busy season, I still end up with sandwhiches more often than not, but having these nifty containers makes it a lot easier for me to get creative. Or at least gets me thinking outside the box to send them with leftovers at times. 

Pictured above:

- hard boiled eggs
- homemade cranberry-applesauce
- baby mozz and cherry tomatoes
- cranberry-orange muffins
- soaked apple-cinnamon oven pancake with maple syrup
- homemade sauerkraut
- feta cheese
- half a PB&J sandwhich
- ricotta cheese with maple syrup, jam, and raisins
- cinnamon apples

I've even found them helpful for Jesse's work lunches (apple-cinnamon oven pancake with maple syrup and frozen breakfast burrito above) and once we used them for a family picnic dinner at Yabadoo... I packed a basket with fresh brotchen from Wasgau and we all had a container of German Wurstsalat, sauerkraut, and cherry tomatoes.

Sandwhich kabobs with ranch dressing... that's pretty much as fancy as I get. (pretty time-consuming) But they do love it! Balogna, cheese, bread, and cucumbers. I've also used olives and mini mozz balls.

In answer to your questions, no, they don't always eat the healthy food options I send them (soup and sauerkraut are pretty unpopular) BUT they do like roasted sweet potatoes with raisins and maple syrup lately! I just give things a try and I don't give up right away! Don't be afraid to send something unconventional, like leftover chili... my kids don't mind it room temperature at all!

So I highly recommend these lunch boxes! 

They are a fabulous way to get you thinking of what you can pack for lunch besides a simple sandwich. The portions are perfect for kids and the lidded containers really are spill-proof!

And you can check out their website for even more creative menu ideas if you're in a slump like me!

What are some of your favorite school lunch ideas? Please share in the comments.. I always need fresh inspiration!

Easy Portable Recipe | Frozen Breakfast Burritos

Behold, the humble breakfast burrito. 

A simple way to send My Love to work with something decently healthy every shift.

He loves them so much that he's practically begged me not to mess with them. (What, me? Experiment with a recipe? NEVER!)

I make them pretty much every week, then pop them in the freezer and know that I have at least one thing on hand for him to toss in his bag for work. Or if I'm having a marathon editing session and my tummy starts growling for something spicy. 

Jessica's Easy Frozen Breakfast Burritos

3 bell peppers, any variety
1 large onion
red pepper flakes, to taste
chili powder, to taste
cayenne pepper, to taste
salt and pepper, to taste
1 cup pre-cooked meat of your choice (bacon, sausage, even chicken)

1 dozen eggs

large tortillas (whole wheat hold up the the freezing/thawing process better. Homemade if you're feeling ambitious this week - which is NOT me lately)

2 cups shredded cheese, any variety (we like cheddar) 

Finely dice peppers and onion and saute with seasonings until tender. Add meat and eggs and reduce the heat to medium-low. That's the trick for keeping my stainless steel pan from being stuck with a layer of eggs - low heat and LOTS of butter! Cook the eggs, stirring occasionally. Set the tortillas out on the clean counter with a bit of shredded cheese in the middle. Add your egg mixture and roll the tortillas into burritos!

Makes about 8-12, depending on how full you like them. 

Wrap them in foil and put them directly in the freezer, or in the fridge if they'll be eaten within a few days. Jesse actually likes them room temperature so he will pull them out of the freezer the day before he wants to eat them, to thaw. I will pop them directly from the freezer to the oven to heat up. 

The whole process takes about an hour. And I'm usually listening to good music and doing other things in the kitchen anyways, like dishes or dinner prep, so it's really not a bad gig.

If you're looking for some easy portable food to make ahead, these babies are it! We've even eaten them in the car on the beginning of road trips! And I sometimes make a batch for a friend who is going through a tough time or just had a baby.

So many possible uses for this easy frozen breakfast burrito recipe! 

Do you make frozen portable food? What's your favorite recipe? I'm always on the hunt for new ideas for the family to eat on the go!