back to school

This Grocery Store Shortcut Is the Secret to Easy Back-to-School Lunches

published Aug 14, 2021
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When I think about back-to-school time, my mind goes right to thinking about all of the lunches I need to prepare … and all I can feel is dread. Making lunches for myself and for my daughter when school gets back in session is, for lack of a better word, annoying.

I simply am too swamped and tired at the end of the day to put together totally Pinterest-worthy, DIY lunch-box creations. But as a registered dietitian, I know that many pre-made and convenient food choices are not the best for us from a health perspective; they don’t offer much in the nutrition department, and can leave my kiddo hangry by the end of the school day. 

Thankfully I’ve found a store-bought item that checks both the convenient and good-for-you boxes at the same time: Eggland’s Best Hard-Cooked Peeled Eggs.

Credit: Lauren Manaker

These high-quality eggs are already hard-boiled and peeled, so they are ready to enjoy when you need something quick and nutritious. 

Buy: Eggland’s Best Hard-Cooked Peeled Eggs, $4.59 for six at Instacart

Is it super easy to hard boil and peel an egg? Totally: All it takes is time, some boiling water, and eggs. But when it comes to spending 20 minutes of my day boiling and peeling eggs or doing literally anything else, the latter wins every time. Time is a precious commodity — especially during the busy school season. And any shortcuts that help me save my precious time are a winner in my book. 

Related: We Tried 7 Ways to Hard-Boil Eggs and Found a Clear Winner

Credit: Photo: Joe Lingeman; Food Styling: Pearl Jones

When I find myself scratching my head wondering what in the world I am going to make for lunch, I am always relieved to find a bag of the Eggland’s Best Hard-Cooked Peeled Eggs in my fridge. When I have them on hand, staples like egg salad sandwiches are simple to whip up. And if I am making myself a salad, nothing is easier than quartering a pre-cooked egg and placing it on top of a bed of greens.

As for my daughter, well, she is happy simply chowing down on an egg simply sprinkled with some salt and pepper as her protein source. As her mama, I love the fact that when we include these eggs at lunchtime, we are getting eggs that have 25% less saturated fat, 10 times more vitamin E, and double the Omega-3 fatty acids when compared to other eggs — meaning that we are getting a major boost when it comes to nutrition. 

I also love the fact that, unlike many other pre-made hard-cooked eggs, Eggland’s Best doesn’t use sodium benzoate as a preservative. Only eggs are listed on the ingredient label, so we know that the eggs are free from questionable ingredients (a very small amount of organic citric acid is used as a natural preservative, but the quantity is so small that it isn’t even listed on the food label). 

When the school year starts, Eggland’s Best Hard-Cooked Eggs are a staple in my fridge for a super-simple protein source that takes literally zero effort to enjoy. If you prefer to hard-boil and peel your own eggs for lunches, then you do you. But until I get a handle on my circus of a life, I will be leaning on these convenient egg solutions for the foreseeable future. 

What’s your favorite shortcut for back-to-school lunches? Tell us in the comments below!