Tips For Preventing Soggy SandwichesSkills
No slimy, sad sandwiches here.
These Easy Lunches Keep Me Going All AfternoonSkills
A lot of make-ahead lunch ideas assume your food can be stored in a fridge until it’s time to eat. But what happens when you’re at school, on the road for the day, or simply don’t work in a place with access to a refrigerator? The answer doesn’t have to be sad, soggy sandwiches, vending machine snacks, or the drive-thru meals. Our 10 easy no-fridge-required lunch ideas (plus 10 more non-perishable snack recipes below!
The Best Ways to Reheat Leftover PizzaSkills
No soggy crusts here!
10 Rules for Packing a Week of LunchesSkills
Whether you’re packing lunches for yourself or your family, packing a whole week’s worth of lunches is more efficient and will save you time each day. These 10 simple rules will ensure that your lunch is as tasty Friday as it was on Monday. There is no way around this — in order to pack a week’s worth of lunches, you are going to need a week’s worth of containers.
What I Wish Someone Told Me About Trying to Pack the Perfect School LunchSkills
Spoiler alert: The perfect school lunch doesn’t actually exist. There’s no one-size-fits-all answer to making sure our kids are well-fed at school. What works for one kindergartener doesn’t also work for a preschooler and a third-grader. I’ve been packing school lunch for my now first-grader for six years, ever since she started preschool as a toddler.
7 Nut-Free Substitutes for Peanut ButterSkills
Nut-free? These tasty alternatives will make you forget all about peanut butter.
10 Ways to Plan for a Year of Packing Lunches (Now That School Lunch Isn’t Free Anymore)Skills
Here's how to tackle this short-term problem while we wait for long-term change.
Oct 11, 2022
How To Freeze (and Heat Up) Twice-Baked PotatoesSkills
I like to think I have a pretty good sense of what will freeze well and what won’t. So you could have knocked me over with a spatula when I discovered, during prep for my recent freezer meal party, that twice-baked potatoes freeze beautifully and heat up perfectly. I had no idea! Twice-baked potatoes take a fair amount of work and time to make, but making them in bulk and freezing makes so much sense. Here’s how to freeze stuffed potatoes — they’re my new favorite lunch!
Sep 7, 2022
Lunch Box Ideas for Young KidsSkills
Got a little eater? Fill 'em up with these smart and delicious lunch box ideas.
Aug 17, 2022
High-Protein Shakes with No Protein PowderSkills
You'll want to memorize these.
Aug 15, 2022
5 Amazing Ways to Eat Hard-Boiled EggsSkills
When it comes to egg preparation, you really can’t get more versatile than hard-boiled.
Aug 4, 2022
Cure My Cooking Problem! I’m Really Tired of Eating Leftovers for Lunch.Skills
All right, we’re into Week 2 of The Cooking Cure, so it’s all lunch, all the time. Except, lunch just means leftovers, right? Oh leftovers — sometimes delicious, sometimes worn-out, always convenient. We heard from a lot of you yesterday who said you’re wishing you weren’t so dependent on leftovers for lunch. Like sparklingsapphire, for instance. sparklingsapphire says: Lately, my lunches are almost always leftovers from dinner a night or two before.
May 12, 2022
Day 9: Stock Your Kitchen For One New LunchSkills
Day 9: Thursday, March 13 Assignment: Pick 1 new lunch recipe and shop for ingredients The Cooking Cure: See all assignments so far here It’s action time! Now that you’ve set yourself some brand new lunch goals and found some fresh meal ideas to shake up the lunchtime doldrums, it’s time to actually put your plan into motion. How do we do that? Grab your car keys, friends, because we’re going grocery shopping!
May 12, 2022
Day 7: Ask Yourself 3 Questions About Your Lunch HabitsSkills
Day 7: Tuesday, March 1 Assignment: Review yesterday’s list and rethink your lunch habits Cooking Cure: See all assignments so far here Lunch feels to me like one of the trickiest meals of the day — it’s so easy for good intentions to go completely off the rails.
May 12, 2022
Day 6: Make a List of Everything You Ate for Lunch Last WeekSkills
Day 6: Monday, March 10 Assignment: Make a list of what you ate for lunch last week The Cooking Cure: See all the assignments so far here. Welcome to the second week of the Cooking Cure! How was your weekend? Are you feeling prepped and primed for making all your breakfasts this week? Ready to add another layer to your Cooking Cure? This week, we’re putting our lunch routine under the microscope. We’ll be setting new goals and — yes, oh, yes!
May 12, 2022
Day 8: Find 5 New Recipes for LunchSkills
Day 8: Wednesday, March 12 Assignment: Find 5 new recipes to make for lunch The Cooking Cure: See all assignments so far here Midweek check-in! How’s making breakfast been going so far this week? (Oh, yeah, breakfast!) Are you still on target? If you need to need to tweak part of your breakfast plan, take a few minutes today to figure that out. Back to lunches — today we’re finally getting into the heart of it.
May 12, 2022
8 Smart Tips for Assembling and Freezing Sandwiches in AdvanceSkills
Because sandwiches are the ultimate make-ahead meal.
Aug 7, 2020
10 Easy Whole30 Lunch IdeasSkills
Make-ahead Whole30 meals that are anything but boring.
Jun 23, 2021
Here’s How to Pack a Grilled Cheese Sandwich That’s Still Warm for LunchSkills
Because some days, you just gotta have grilled cheese.
Oct 20, 2020
5 Mom-Tested, Kid-Approved Snacks: 5 Good Choices that Actually Taste GoodSkills
Snacks get a bad rap, but this year I have managed to fill my pantry with an arsenal of good choices. As my kids geared up for back to school over the fall my snack mission was find treats that were easy, health conscious, actually taste good, and make my kids feel like I am spoiling them. This was no easy task. We’ve been back to school for a few months now and packing snacks can get to be a real pain. I’m a packer — a lunch and snack packer.
Sep 30, 2020
You’re Doing It Right: School LunchSkills
Consider the lunchbox. That’s right: picture it. If you’re not the parent of school-aged kids, you may feel a tug of nostalgia. The box in your mind is cheery and bright, adorned, perhaps, with upbeat stickers, a favorite TV cast, or a superhero saving the world. If you are the parent of school-aged kids, you’ll likely have a different response: sweaty palms, heart palpitations, and cortisol streaming through your blood.
Sep 30, 2020
I Pack My Kid’s Lunch (but Not Because It’s Healthier)Skills
September brings many things, chief among them the switch back to school — school wake-ups, school bedtimes, schoolwork, and school lunches. For many parents, this means asking a question about lunch, which theoretically constitutes about a third of the food our kids eat: Who’s going to make it? I think it’s worth parents’ time and money to pack their own kids’ lunches, but perhaps not for the reasons you might think.
Sep 30, 2020
The 3rd Step in Teaching My Kid to Cook: The Art of Grilled CheeseSkills
My sons are smart. They figured out how to make grilled cheese sandwiches on their own, but they were discerning enough to notice the sandwiches made by their parents were far superior. And they wanted to learn our secrets. We’ve had years of practice, and we agree that if there’s one thing we can teach our children, it’s how to make an excellent hot sandwich, any time of day, from breakfast to late-night snack time. Let’s start with breakfast.
Sep 30, 2020
The Tips My Teenager Should Know for Making Soup from ScratchSkills
Homemade soup is easy, and it’s always comforting. Whether or not my kids reach for the occasional can of soup, I want them to know how to make an economical, easy version from scratch, so they can have a healthy meal any day of the week. I like to make my own stock. (True story: I recently requested my fish in a restaurant be decapitated before it was cooked, so I could take home the raw fish head to make stock. Delicious!
Sep 30, 2020
A Guide to Teaching Your Kids to Pack Their Own LunchSkills
One of our main goals as parents is not to simply take care of our children, but to teach them to take care of themselves. We teach them to get dressed on their own, brush their own teeth, and use the bathroom — and then we send them off to school. While I’m still trying to master teaching a 5-year-old to tie her shoes, I’ve got my eye on the real prize of teaching kids to fend for themselves: packing their own school lunches.
Sep 30, 2020
My 5-Point Strategy for Packing a Week of School Lunches on SundaySkills
You’ve just climbed into bed with a good book, and you realize you forgot to pack lunches for your kids. Or worse, everyone wakes up late and you’re scrambling eggs, trying to find that other pink shoe, and then throw something, anything into a lunch box. Does this sound familiar? That was me at least once a week for the last three years. It took me too long to realize how much stress packing school lunch was creating every day, especially since it is something that I want to do.
Sep 30, 2020
7 Lunch Box Ideas Kids Can Pack ThemselvesSkills
For many families, back to school means a return to packing lunches. Making sure that your children are well-fed 365 days of every year is hard enough, but adding 180 school lunches can feel downright relentless. I understand and am here to offer relief. Get ready for the most liberating school lunch advice you’ll ever receive: Let your kid pack their own lunch box.
Sep 30, 2020
The Healthiest Cafeteria Choices, According to NutritionistsSkills
What we put into our bodies can make or break our day. This is especially true for kids, who have to juggle the demands of school, extracurricular activities, and friends (and frenemies). Parents and guardians can usually maintain a watchful eye over what kids eat for breakfast and dinner, but lunchtime can sometimes be a free-for-all. And while packing lunch is almost always the healthiest option, it’s not always a realistic one.
Sep 30, 2020
One Mother on Why Packing Your Own School Lunch Is the Key to AutonomySkills
As we head into the back-to-school season, the idea of independence has been weighing on my mind. Maybe it’s because my boys are getting older — the “little” one is on the verge of 7 and his brother is chasing 10 — or maybe it’s that a backlash against helicopter parenting is bubbling. Whatever the reason, I’ve decided to spend the next year nurturing my boys’ independence, even when it’s uncomfortable and, yes, even around food.
Sep 30, 2020
Everything You Need to Know to Pack 10 School Lunches at OnceSkills
This year my youngest started full-time preschool and I went from packing his sister’s five lunches a week to packing 10 lunches a week for both of them. I realized I could save time each morning (not to mention my sanity and some dishwashing) if I packed all 10 of those lunches at once. I started slowly, by packing three days at a time and working my way up to a full week of lunches packed in about an hour on Sunday.
Sep 30, 2020
The Cutest Way to Pack Condiments for LunchSkills
Packing lunch every day can get boring, but here’s a fun and inexpensive way to make it more fun. My colleague Meghan makes lunch for her kids each day and, on a hunt to keep her “lunch-packing spark alive,” she stumbled on the cutest little way to pack up condiments for lunch boxes. Meghan stumbled upon these condiment containers made for Japanese bento boxes and instantly fell in love.
Sep 30, 2020
3 Tips for Mastering the Art of the School-Bus BreakfastSkills
School day mornings are much more hectic than I could have ever imagined. Between getting everyone dressed and bags and lunch boxes packed, it feels almost impossible to get breakfast on the table too. For those mornings when we can’t get it together before the ride to school, here are a few tips for making school mornings easier with breakfasts that can be eaten at the bus stop.
Sep 30, 2020
5 Instagram Accounts to Follow for Easy Kid LunchesSkills
Let’s be honest here — packing lunches for your kids can feel like a chore. It’s definitely easier to hand your child a few bucks for the day, let them buy lunch, and be done with it. But at the same time, I like knowing what my kids are eating; when they bring lunch from home, I feel like they are getting something healthier and are more likely to eat it.
Sep 30, 2020
10 Moms on the Best Tricks for Packing a Better LunchSkills
How each parent defines a “better lunch” is different. For some, it might mean more healthful food choices (or even just a little weekly variety); for others, it might simply mean something that doesn’t come back home at 3 p.m. Whether you’re looking to get calories in, expand your kids’ palates, or make lunch-making less boring for yourself, there’s always room for new ideas.
Sep 30, 2020
5 Questions I Ask My Kids Before Packing Their LunchSkills
Depending on where you are in the country, the new school year is either underway or fast approaching. My own first grader is headed back to school next week. It has been a whole year since I’ve regularly packed her lunch box (she had half-day kindergarten last year), so getting back into our school lunch groove has involved dusting off the lunch bags, shopping for a few new supplies, and talking about school lunch.
Sep 30, 2020
A Practical Guide for Teaching Your Kids How to Make Lunch at Any Age
Back to School 2020
Getting kids to prep or pack their own lunch is a game-changer. Here’s how to make it work for your family, no matter how old your kids are.
Sep 17, 2020
3 Meal Prep Experts Share Their Best Advice for Make-Ahead LunchesSkills
Smart tips on what to make, how to pack, and how to make meal prep a part of your weekly routine.
Sep 2, 2020
The 5 Best Ways to Avoid a Soggy Lunch, No Matter What You PackSkills
Don't settle for another smashed sandwich or soggy salad.
Aug 17, 2020
Parents: You’re Doing School Lunch Right (No Matter What)
Back to School
I think we all need to hear this.
Aug 6, 2020
Dijonnaise Is the 2-Ingredient Condiment That Makes Everything I Eat Taste FancySkills
Magic happens when two humble condiments join forces.
Aug 3, 2020
The Easy WFH Lunch I Meal Prep Every Week
Kitchn Love Letter
It gets even better with time.
Mar 29, 2020
10 Easy Ways to Pack a Keto-Friendly LunchSkills
High-fat, low-carb meals you'll love.
Jan 9, 2020
The 9 Best Keto Meal Prep Lunch HacksSkills
Here's how to stay full while sticking to your goals.
Nov 8, 2019
5 Easy, Fancy Ways to Make Eggs a MealSkills
Eggs are good for you, but let's stop and talk about how luxurious they are. These five recipes show off the glamorous side of these yolky delights.
Sep 12, 2019
These Copycat Starbucks Bistro Boxes Are Here to Help You Embrace the Snunch
Snapshot Cooking
The easiest, tastiest way to eat a bunch of snacks for lunch.
Aug 15, 2019
12 Grades, 12 Lunches: 12 Parents on How They Pack Lunch for Every Age
Back to School
We asked some of our favorite foodie parents what school lunch looks like for their kids from first grade through high school.
Aug 15, 2019
Our 20 All-Time Most Brilliant Tips for Packing Better LunchesSkills
We'll help you stay organized, save time, and keep lunches delicious — and safe.
Aug 13, 2019
My 7 Rules for a Superb School Lunch
Tips & Techniques
Make lunch-packing less stressful and more fun with these seven tips.
Aug 12, 2019
10 Tips for Mastering School Lunch from Multitasking MamasSkills
Getting into our back-to-school routine also means packing school lunches once again. And being a busy parent means that we each have to find little pockets of time for chores like laundry and, yes, lunch packing. We asked 10 multitasking mamas for their best tips to make lunch-packing faster, easier, and maybe a little bit more enjoyable. I always make it a point to pack the night before.
Jun 9, 2019
10 Photos That Will Help You Pack a Better LunchSkills
I think we can all agree that the lunch struggle is real and it can feel totally overwhelming when you’re at a loss for what to pack. When it comes to packing a totally tasty lunch that you look forward to tucking into midday, I truly believe it’s all a matter of inspiration. Sure, recipes help, but getting some good visual inspiration is a surefire way to jumpstart your meal prep process. Here are 10 photos that will get the ball rolling and help you pack a better lunch.
Jun 8, 2019
9 Ways to Set a Good Vibe When Eating Lunch at Your DeskSkills
Just because you have to eat lunch at your desk doesn’t mean it has to be a #saddesklunch. In fact, you can make it a fun and happy one! Here’s how. If you’re eating the same leftovers for the fifth day in a row or you packed something that’s so boring, you can’t even remember what it is, chances are, you’re not going to want to eat it. Pack yourself a lunch that you’re actually excited to eat and the meal will feel a little bit more special.
Jun 8, 2019
It’s Pi Day! 10 Savory Pies, Quiches, and Pasties You Can Pack For LunchSkills
It’s March 14, and we all know what that means, right? It’s Pi Day! (March 14 = 3.14. Get it?) Every year we like to use this as an excuse to pull up pi(e) recipes from our archives, but this year we’re forgoing the sweet in favor of the savory. Even better: all of these pies, quiches, and pasties would make great lunches. So here’s to infinite pie possibilities!
Jun 6, 2019
A Twist and a Surprise: Armenian String CheeseSkills
The obvious choice cheese-wise for lunch is a piece of shrink-wrapped string cheese. Pretty mundane. In the spirit of keeping with our week’s theme of great contenders for lunch boxes, we’re profiling something far more compelling, but along the same vein: Armenian string cheese, speckled with black caraway seeds, infused with one of the most obscure spices around, and with strings so long they put those stubby cheese sticks to shame.
Jun 5, 2019
Take Soup to Work in a Canning JarSkills
myskinnygardenmyskinnygarden The best thing I’ve found so far is reusing my Ball canning jars. I make the soup and immediately fill the jars and refrigerate them. They are a little heavier to carry in my lunch bag but all I need to do is take the lid off and heat the jar of soup in the microwave. Working great for me and I’m happy to get some use out of all those canning jars I don’t normally use during winter months. We think this is a great idea.
Jun 5, 2019
Speck to Salami: A Quick Guide to Cured MeatsSkills
Normally, I stick with plain old ham and cheese sandwichesAll deli meats are cured in the sense that they are cooked and can be eaten cold. But meats that have been cured using classic methods of drying, brining, and salting will win in any taste test. Their flavors are deep and concentrated, while their textures are silky and tender.
Jun 4, 2019
Eating at the Office: Pack a Lemon in Your Lunch BagSkills
Sometimes our lunches can start to feel a little gloomy — especially when we’re eating them under fluorescent lights. Lately, we’ve been tossing a lemon into our lunch bags, and it’s helped to brighten up our meals. We’re big on packing lunches that don’t require a lot of prep work at home – it’s hard enough to get out the door in the morning!
Jun 4, 2019
5 Ways to Eat More Rice NoodlesSkills
Fresh or dried, slurped or twirled, rice noodles are a great way to fill out a meal. They add texture and fun, no simmering required. What’s not to love? Here are five ways to eat more rice noodles this summer. Make a stop into your local Asian or Vietnamese market, and head for the refrigerated section first. If you’re lucky, you’ll find packages of fresh white rice noodles labelled bánh phở or bún, often translated to English as rice vermicelli.
May 30, 2019
6 Things I Prep on Sunday for a Week of Easy Vegetarian MealsSkills
Working from home means that theoretically I could make all my meals from scratch whenever hunger strikes, but the reality is that I often stare at my computer for super-long stretches of time until I realize I haven’t eaten in hours and need to scarf something down, usually hunched over at the counter, before my next meeting. It’s super glamorous!
May 29, 2019
My Guide for Packing a Week of Paleo (or Whole30) Lunches at OnceSkills
If you’re following a Paleo diet or doing a Whole30, chances are I don’t have to sell you on this dietary approach that prioritizes eating and cooking whole, unprocessed, nutrient-dense foods like veggies, fruits, grass-fed and pastured meats and eggs, and wild-caught seafood. Because you feel pretty awesome, right? There’s one downside, though, and you’ve probably experienced it too: lunch is kind of a pain.
May 29, 2019
The Best Way to Meal Prep Hard-Boiled EggsSkills
If you’re looking for a packable snack that’s actually going to keep you full throughout the morning or afternoon, can be made in advance, and travels well, one of the best options is a hard-boiled egg. If you’re not already doing it, add a batch of hard-boiled eggs to your meal prep routine. When stored properly, they can easily last for the whole week ahead. Here’s how to do it.
May 29, 2019
Food Safety 101: How Long Can I Keep Leftovers?Skills
With the USDA ground beef recall fresh on our minds, we are brushing up on our own food handling practices. Do you know how long you can leave that potato salad on your buffet ? What temperature meat should be before it is safely cooked and done? If you’re not so sure, no worries: we’ve been doing a Food Safety 101 course this week to keep you and your guests happy and healthy. We already talked a little bit about how long you can leave cooked food unrefrigerated.
May 3, 2019
Smart Snacking: Pack Veggies & Dip Together in a JarSkills
Dips are an easy way to jazz up raw vegetables and make your afternoon snack a little more substantial. And the easiest way to make veggies and dip an on-the-go snack? Pack them together in a jar! Small mason jars are leak-proof and sturdy, and storing the veggies and dip together means you don’t have to carry an extra container in your lunch bag. Just spoon your dip into the bottom of the jar, fill the jar with the raw vegetables of your choice, screw on the lid, and go.
May 2, 2019
5 Tips for Making a Week’s Worth of Salads on SundaySkills
For many years I worked in overnight retail management. Working odd hours is rough to begin with, but having something fresh for lunch at 2 a.m. was tricky, so we turned to salads — they were easy to make, quick to throw together, and always left us with a fresh burst of energy. Here are some tips I learned along the way to help you efficiently prep a variety of salad lunches on Sunday.
May 2, 2019
Make-Ahead Lunch Tip: Quickly Cool Rice & Beans on a Baking SheetSkills
I don’t know about you, but my evenings often involve a last-minute scramble to get the next day’s lunches prepped and portioned before bedtime. The last thing I want to do is wait around for a pot of rice or a batch of beans to cool down. That’s when I pull out my baking sheet. Grains, beans, and legumes left in the pot can take a long time to cool to room temperature. Both the pot and whatever is inside it tend to hold that heat in rather than letting it go.
May 2, 2019