We are half way through September already, but shiza, I don’t know where the last 2 weeks went! School started, we got back into a routine, I had more sessions than normal and there it went…

Anyhow, I hope your September (snowy September if you live in Edmonton!) is off to a great start and that you’re settled into some sort of fall normalcy.

Whenever my oldest daughter goes back to school I end up in a giant panic about lunches. What am I going to send every day that she isn’t going to toss in the garbage and that is going to fuel her little brain for learning numbers to 100? 🙂

Although I do buy pre-made snacks, I try hard to always have at least one sort of homemade muffin or bar at home that I know isn’t full of sugar and has healthy fats so the girls stay full.

I know I’m not alone in this lunch box panic, so today I thought I’d share with you a few of our favourites around this house – both recipes and products – that have saved my sanity these past few weeks.

Easy Lunchbox Snack Recipes

Chocolate Butternut Squash Muffins by The Natural Nurturer
These are some of the best grain-free muffins I’ve ever made. Often grain-free means a sort of weird eggy texture, but these ones are very cake-like and moist. Also, getting my kids to eat squash is a struggle, so I love that it’s in these muffins and they don’t care at all. I cooked a large butternut squash and had enough left over to freeze one half for another batch of these muffins.

Zucchini Collagen Muffins by Ali Miller
I was gifted about 5 ginormous zucchini this past summer so I was trying hard to bake zucchini into everything we ate! These muffins do contain almond flour so they aren’t school safe, but they’re good to have around the house. I sneak collagen into so many of my kids’ foods so that they get some extra protein without even knowing it, and these already have a bunch of collagen baked in, so it’s one less step for me!

Strawberry Shortcake Muffins by The Natural Nurturer
This muffin recipe wins huge as it’s all done in the food processor! One bowl and done. The strawberry flavour comes from real strawberries, which is awesome when they are going soft in the fridge like ours always do! I top ours with cream cheese icing instead of the coconut cream as I find coconut cream melts like crazy in lunch boxes if it’s not kept cold. These muffins are also dairy free (without the icing, obviously).

My Favourite Lunchbox Accessories

I have a weird obsession with lunchbox accessories and have a few definite favourites. So, in case you also have an obsession like I do, here’s what I’m digging right now.

Reusable plastic snack bags from Russbee.
These zip up really easily, have a space for a name label and come in really cute designs.

Thermos and spork by Skip Hop
I use this multiple times a week to pack soup or leftovers for lunch. I warm it up with boiling water before filling it and the food stays warm until lunchtime. My favourite part though is the spork that attaches as it’s way less likely to get lost. It’s small enough to tuck right into the lunch kit too.

This lunch bag by Fluf.
My daughter brings this to school every day and I love that it’s washable (because wiping out day-old yoghurt from a lunch kit is annoying!) and it has a big pocket to hold an ice pack.

Mabel’s Labels
I’ve ordered name labels from a few companies and Mabel’s are the best! They stick to clothes through multiple washings and even stay on water bottles and containers through the dishwasher. We also really love the shoe labels that match into a design so that the kids know which foot the shoe goes on.

 

.

.

.