What Do You Pack in Your Kids’ Lunches?

Story by Jennifer Marangos

Let’s face it, getting kids of any age out the door and off to school in the morning is tough. Whether the child travels to school on foot or has to make it to a bus stop, it’s often a game of beat-the-clock.

And, that clock seems to count down even faster when you have to add packing a lunch to the laundry list of tasks that have to be accomplished.

So we are reaching out to our Patch friends for their school lunch box ideas.

"The kids love roll-ups," posted Amy Jean Carroll on the Bensalem Patch Facebook page. "I get a wheat tortilla and do ham and cheese, or PB&J, or strawberries and cream cheese- sometimes I put two together and pop in toaster oven with cheese in the middle and make quesadillas and cut in 4 parts."

"I bought those Pack-It lunch bags," wrote Mary Beth Kenny-Palestini. "The ones on TV. They really do work at keeping food cold. They are pricey at $20, but you can pack milk, yogurt, lunchmeats, etc... so they can have more variety."

Here are some specific easy-pack school lunch ideas:  

• Hummus and crackers
• Grapes
• Cheese sticks
• Salsa and chips with extra dipping veggies
• Strawberries
• Cold pasta
• Yogurt
• Granola
• Cereal 
• Crispy Chicken
• Soup