5 Shortcuts for Making Family Lunch at Home
Parents whose kids are distance learning this year didn’t just put on teacher and principal hats; they’re the cafeteria staff now, too. It can feel impossible to squeeze in reasonably healthy and tasty family lunches between classes, meetings, and deadlines. But with the help of nutritious Birds Eye® vegetables, a little planning, and these smart shortcuts, your kitchen table will feel like the hottest new lunch spot in town.
1. Make a weekly lunch prep plan every Sunday
Looking for an easy chore the kids might actually learn to embrace? Ask for a little help planning and cooking next week’s lunch prep plan. They’ll like being asked for input on meal ideas, and meal prep is a nice, easy way to spend a little quality time together.
2. Build off a versatile base
Every week, choose a base that lends itself to multiple meals. Then, make it work for you. Birds Eye® Veggie Spirals have 10g or less of carbs per serving, so they’re a great alternative to traditional pasta that keep you from having to break out the zoodler. Mix them with your favorite sauce, dressing, or whatever fixings you like for an endless variety of tasty lunchtime salads and pastas.
3. Have lunch at the same time every day
It never fails: As soon as the last crumb is cleaned up, someone walks into the kitchen and asks, “Do we have anything to eat?” Set a weekday lunchtime for the household and use pre-prepped or low-prep options to keep your lunch hour from becoming your lunch afternoon.
4. Pack your kids lunchboxes
Even if your kids are distance learning at home, there are still small ways to capture “normal” parts of their school day. When lunches are ready to go, pack them in their lunchboxes to make it feel like an occasion. Bonus points if you drop in little notes of encouragement for some light lunch reading.
5. Rely on leftovers
We don’t know who needs to hear this, but leftovers are lunch. They get a bad rap, but most cooked, properly-stored food will stay fresh for at least a day or so. Leftovers also help reduce food waste! Pair them with your favorite Birds Eye® veggies to give yesterday’s hit entree an encore and everyone will be satisfied.