Lunch boxes for daycare

My son restarts daycare this month. With that, I am thrilled that he will be back with other kids. The daycare that I have picked and am excited about doesn’t provide lunches, and the daycare that we were in before this did…. This means I am on the hook again for my kids meals and I haven’t been on that hook for about two years… #sendhelp

There are a few go to items that I will always be putting on my Kroger Clicklist! (if you don’t Kroger clicklist and you have a Kroger close… You are missing out! But that’s another topic). I try to pack my son, Eli’s meals with a protein, a veggie, a fruit and a carb and/or a fat.

• Bell peppers – Eating these raw provides soooo many vitamins that are good for your immune system and they are crunchy!
• Baby carrots – The crunch! This has made eating carrots fun for my four year old.
• Cherry tomatoes – Eli loves to eat these whole especially if the juice squirts
• Yogurt – this counts in the protein and fat category. Eli loves Siggi’s and they are lower in sugar than some other yogurts!
• Babybel cheese – such a good fat and my son loves the original
• Wheat thins – One of E’s favorites
• Fruit bars – These are Eli’s favorite! I used to get them at Costco but now use Thrive market. If you have never used Thrive, you should check it out! It’s a great way to get pantry staples delivered. You can use this link to get 25% off!
• Shredded chicken – I often through a few chicken breasts in the crockpot with olive oil on the bottom and salt and better on top. It’s basic but yummy!
• Ground beef – Eli loves this with or without taco seasoning!
• Ground turkey – Same thing here. Sometimes I make this with bell peppers mixed in for me but have to pick that out for Eli and he will eat it separate.
• Fruit – there are a million options here! Apples (add lime or lemon juice to keep from browning), grapes (cut for at daycare), raspberries, blueberries, strawberries. We do a lot of frozen at home, but it would be too mushy to pack for school. Eating the fruit frozen is a treat at home because it’s like a popsicle.

To pack Eli’s lunch, I went with Bento boxes and lunch boxes! I was able to get everything I needed on Amazon, including a customized lunch box with his name!