Ask A Pittsburgh Expert: School Lunches To Prepare In 10 Minutes Or Less
With three kids and a husband to get out the door in the morning, blogger Dana Vento knows a thing or two about packing lunches quickly. "A few hours of prep will take you far," she says. "If you can plan ahead, you will be far more successful in packing lunches in under 10 minutes in the morning, even multiple lunches. If there is a meal like meatloaf that you can make ahead, or pizza, do it, and pack it up for the week, then just grab and go." Here, she gives a few other options for under 10 minute lunches that get your kids (and even your spouse) out the door and to school or work on time!
Dana Vento
Fashion and Food Blogger
www.danavento.com
Dana Vento is the brains and personality behind DanaVento.com. She is a lifestyle expert who lavishly lives life out loud in food, travel, fashion, DIY and life. She has been featured nationally in Redbook Magazine and can always be counted on to tell the truth about the newest products, services and restaurants she tries. She lives with her husband, three kids and a cat in Pittsburgh.
Veggie Lover's Lunch
Grab a container for salad, a bag of mixed lettuce prepackaged at your grocery store, black olives and red peppers, and easily create a yummy salad. The pre-packed lettuce is already clean, you will just need to slice up red peppers. Do this ahead of time and store in an airtight container for the week and take them as you need! Need a little protein? Crack open a can of tuna, drain and add it. Or, of course chicken, pieces of lunch meat or cottage cheese. Don't forget the bread or croutons on the side, always making it more fun to eat! Add a small piece of fruit, a cup of berries or a simple pre-packed fruit in a cup!
The Bento Box Lunch
The traditional little plastic individualized baggies are being traded in for the new Bento box. This allows separation of foods, quick packing and appropriate portions. One of our favorite pics for this is fruit (cubed pear, apples, watermelon, etc.) and vegetables (cherry tomatoes, cucumber wedges, pepper pieces, nuts, and sometimes little bit of meat salads like chicken.) Bento boxes differ in container sizes. A Bento Box Lunch is easy to fill and is perfect for kids with food allergies or picky eaters. For those with food allergies, foods stay separate and look delicious in presentation. For the picky eater, they can see what is what, how much they have to eat and there is no question that their foods are being 'mixed'(heaven forbid). The Bento box makes variety look pretty.
The Appetizer Lunch
Ready, GO! Either take string cheese and place into lunch bucket or chunk up some cheese pieces. The small cheese rounds out all found in dairy sections across the country and make perfect personal sizes. Add a handful of crackers, some grapes, blueberries or apple slices and call it a day! Quick, and done in under five minutes!.
Related: Best Grilled Cheeses In Pittsburgh
The Naturalist Lunch
Edamames come in small packs in most large chain food retailers. The packs take under 40 seconds to make. Cook, add a dash of salt, place in container. Add in a cup of Greek yogurt (optional side of granola) and a squeeze pouch of applesauce and you'll have one happy kid! This is, again, so quick to make yet so delicious.
The Wrap Lunch
One of the most fun and easy ways to present a food is in a wrap. Take a slice of cheese, some lunchmeat or just some veggies and place it in the wrap, roll and go. If your kids are adventurous, smear a flavored cream cheese in a thin layer, then place cheese, veggies and meat. If they are not into cream cheese, you could always go traditional with mayo or mustard. The quick prep of this wrap makes it an awesome out-the-door lunch pack. Don't forget to add a fruit and some chips to round it out and get those smiles.
Related: Best Local Gyms That Provide Child Care In Pittsburgh
Jennifer Stockdale is a native of the greater Pittsburgh, PA area. She is a restaurant marketer and wine enthusiast and one of the hosts of the East Coast Wine Geeks Podcast. Her work can be found at Examiner.com.
