Team Cold Lunch

sherrietraveling
Aug 22
2 min read

Updated: Sep 19

In this house, we are Team Cold Lunch. My son ate almost the same exact lunch every day until wheat and dairy allergies entered the mix. We had to get more creative to keep the less than desirable (at the time) GF and dairy-free options fresh and new.

Mila, too, is Team Cold Lunch though she prefers a hot thermos meal over a traditional cold lunch most days. (This is the child that opted for chicken noodle soup for breakfast most of elementary school.)

I packed a lunch most of my corporate life as well.

Simply Golden Solutions loves reducing cold lunch chaos. These tips and tricks will keep you and your kids’ lunches interesting without a ton of effort.

🥪🥯 Leverage the basics (bread, meat and cheese, PBJ combos) for countless combinations. 🥜🍇 Use bread, bagels, waffles, pancakes, mini naan, or rice cakes; turkey and Swiss hits different than turkey and cheddar; PBJ is VERY different than PBC (chocolate spread).

🍎🥕 Think twice about fruit and veggies. 🍊🥒 Apple wedges have a different texture and mouth feel than thinly sliced ones. The same is true for oranges. Veggies cut into chunks, matchsticks, or coins each have a distinct look, feel, and crunch. Switch it up to keep things interesting and different.

🔺◼️ Change up the shapes! 🔵⭐️ A sandwich cut into four squares changes up one cut into two triangles. A rice cake chunked into three for swiping into PBJ dip is not dull.

🍣🥨 🥗 Think outside the <cold> box.

Incorporate a few key elements that you know your kids (or you) really like. Serve brunch with (frozen) pancakes, a little syrup, a beef stick, and some fruit OR take some of their favorite items and create a charcuterie board with crackers, meat, cheese, nuts, fruit, chocolate yums, etc.

🚐 🚌 Change up the vehicle. 🚗 🚙 🍢

Hot thermos meal with leftovers or soup. Cut that sandwich into four squares and serve it on sticks with hunks of cheese and grapes in between.

Keep in mind these key support systems to build muscle memory:

📝 Make a plan and write it down for fewer decision in the moment.

📖 Review the plan the evening before. Prep what makes sense. Execute in the morning.

✅ Circle back - Ask for feedback and incorporate when they actually answer you.

🤔 Use variations of a theme - Choose a day or two and anchor it to a theme (squares, charcuterie, hot, etc.)

🐖💰Planning ahead reduces grocery expenses when you shop for the plan.

🍎 A planned plate is typically more nutritious

Download our Cold Lunch Survival Guide printable to reduce your cold lunch chaos.