How to pack a nutritious school lunch in a few easy steps

When I was in elementary school, I went through a stint of requesting soup for lunch every single day and in high school, it was a chicken salad sandwich. Sorry, mom and dad!

So how do you keep your kid's favorite food a safe temperature?

1. According to the USDA, cold food should have at least two ice sources. Two ice packs or an ice pack and a frozen water bottle would work.
2. Use an insulated container for hot food like the Thermos insulated food jar. Fill it with boiling water and let it sit for a few minutes before dumping out the water and filling it with the hot food. OmieBox also makes a cool bento lunch box that has a thermos inside for hot foods in addition to sections for other, cold foods.

Our favorite thermos and ice packs:

• Thermos Stainless King Food Jar with Folding Spoon, $15.99 to $29.99
• OmieBox Bento Box with a thermos, $39.50
• 8-pack of Healthy Packers Ice Packs, $19.99

This really doesn't have to be a chore you dread! In my experience, lunch packing is a much less enjoyable activity when you leave it until the last minute.

• Pack leftovers. If you're including leftovers in the lunch, pack them as you're cleaning up dinner.
• Get your kids involved! As part of their routine when they get home from school, spend some time with them unpacking their lunch from that day and re-packing their lunch for the next day. An added bonus of this: they helped choose what would go in their lunch, so they're likely to eat and enjoy it!
• Prep with good containers. Buy a few lunch boxes or containers and meal prep lunches at the beginning of the week.
• Schedule it in. If you insist on packing lunches in the morning, make sure you set aside time to pack them so they're not thrown together last minute.
• Have some quick options ready to grab for lunches if you're running short on time, forgot to pack lunches, or your kids need a snack before practice.