Top 5 Alternatives to PB&J

If you are like me, then you are about to embark on the wonderful journey that is packing lunches EVERY.SINGLE.DAY. I am a little concerned that my daughter will tire of her traditional and very loved PB&J sandwiches! I jumped over to the fabulous Pinterest to check out some new and exciting alternatives! Low and behold, I not only found a slew of them, but some that were creative and healthier than the always desired “lunch-able”. Don’t get me wrong, I am all for rewarding my kiddos with a fun special treat from the store… but if I can make it just as fun and appetizing while still keeping it clean… why not?! So, here is my list of the top 10 ideas I found and can’t wait to make for my big Kindergartner!

1) Sandwich Skewers If you have the occasional picky eater like mine, this is a great option for something different than a cheese, tomato and turkey sandwich. I know my daughter will love picking each piece off the stick and you never know… she may even TRY to eat the cherry tomato!

2) Mom-ables This is brilliant! Remember earlier when I mentioned how much my kids love lunchables?! Here is my attempt at making my own! I purchased this fabulous cookie cutter set from IKEA and will use the smaller pieces to round out lunch meat and make hearts and other shapes out of cheese! You can purchase it at the store for $5.99 OR if you want to save the drive then you can purchase it right on amazon for $12.00.

3) Breakfast for Lunch This is a great one for my kids. They sure love hard boiled eggs and frozen waffles. I love this option because it is a familiar food to them while at the same time making it new and interesting. Instead of a corn muffin, you can sub any muffin (zucchini, blueberry, chocolate chip, etc., and it can act as their “sweet treat” too!

4) Mexican Fiesta I love this one- mainly because I love Mexican food myself, but also because it mixes it up a bit yet still provides some great protein for those little tummies.

5) Hummus and Crackers Finally, this is a great idea for other kids but unfortunately my little miss won’t touch hummus. Seriously it is delish and I love it; toss in some pita chips and the main dish is complete! OH! and did you see what she said about the “Mini dippers“? Such a great idea for dressings, jellos etc. I will definitely be purchasing some!! Of course IKEA (Can you tell I love that place?) has a great set that comes with little mini containers that are also a fab find for those messy extras you want to keep separate in the lunches! You can find them also on Amazon here!

Now that you have a whole list of ideas on what to MAKE for lunches, how about my favorite lunch containers? I know I previously mentioned a few, but I have a small assortment that have proven to be awesome for packing a variety of items!

•  The Sistema Cube is great and fits nicely into a square lunchbox. We got ours at Old Navy but you can also find them here! Just be sure to teach your kiddo to open it right side up 😉 A few brands like Ziploc, Rubbermaid, Easy Lunchboxes, Fit and Fresh and Grab and go all make great compartmentalized boxes that are easy to clean and open up right side up so you have have any confusion or spills!

•  My favorite water bottle BY FAR is the Thermos brand. The aluminum not only keeps the water cold but the ice will actually still be solid by late afternoon. The thermos doesn’t sweat and it has a lid so it keeps the straw clean and protected from dirty floors… not to mention it is durable. My littles have dropped theirs multiple times and they are still going strong!!

Well there you have it mamas! As you are preparing to send your little one off to school, hopefully now you can feel a little better about what is in their lunchbox. Don’t be afraid to have fun and get creative. What kid wouldn’t want to open their lunchbox and see their sandwich smiling back at them?!! All of these ideas were found on Pinterest and are not my own.