- Monday 26 August 2019
Whether we like it or not, it’s starting to get close to that time of the year again – here are some ideas to ease the transition from summer lie-ins to early (and perhaps a little frantic) school mornings!
So as usual, Summer has flown by, and suddenly the first day back at school is on the horizon. You might find last year’s lunchbox lids have mysteriously disappeared, or be so sleep deprived at the shock of school mornings after the holidays that you’re at a loss of how to function…well fear not! We have all you need to get back into the swing of things again.
Handy Breakfast Ideas
Especially for the first few weeks back, the school morning chaos can make the most important meal of the day difficult at best. You can try old favourites like eggs and toast, served in a unique eggcup! Or make things easier on yourself by trying 'make-ahead' recipes you can prepare in advance and simply reheat the morning of!
The next time you make a big pot of porridge, freeze it into individual portions in a silicone muffin tray, like this from Zeal for effortless removal. Once frozen, simply bag up the frozen porridge portions, stash them away in your freezer, and simply microwave them as needed. The lack of porridge prep will allow more time for trying new toppings – in fact, why not try some of the delicious flavour combinations listed in our porridge recipe post here?
If you like the sound of that, but prefer a savoury breakfast, why not make mini baked omelettes or frittatas instead, just pour your egg mixture into your silicone muffin tray, bake, then freeze. Then simply heat them up in a minute in your microwave as needed – delicious as part of a bigger breakfast, in a sandwich, or as part of lunch later! You can even get creative with heart shaped frittatas, using the Zeal Silicone Heart Cake Mould, possibly the cutest way to start the day?
You can store your frozen breakfasts in a Ziplock bag, like these reusable Stasher Bags, which you can also cook in! Otherwise, wrapped them up in Bee's Wrap. Click here to find out more about some eco-friendly swaps you can try in your kitchen. Both are also very handy for packing sandwiches and snacks for school lunches.
Lunchboxes
So, onto the second most important meal of the day – lunch. Maybe even as important as breakfast, when it comes to breaking up a busy day of school or work. It’s nice to put in some effort and treat yourself. By making sure you’re always looking forward to lunch you might even find the day goes by a little quicker!
Making great lunches in advance doesn’t need to be a source of stress – there are lots of quick, easy and healthy options you can have in rotation, without any fear of boring lunches. Sandwiches are an obvious lunch staple, which can easily branch out beyond the ham, jam or cheese for some novelty – try using leftovers from meals like roasts, curries and stir-frys as fillings, with your favourite sauces.
If you want to take your sandwich game to the next-level, try out Toaster Bags to make toasted sandwiches easy. If your workplace or school canteen has a toaster, make your sandwiches in advance and toast them at work. If you need inspiration for fillings and interesting combinations, look no further than Fern Green’s book Melts, which has it all from savoury to sweet!
Once you are done with the prep to make the perfect lunch, you might think you’re ready to go. However, by the time you get to school or the office, you might find your lunch isn’t as appetising as it once was in the morning before it was hurriedly thrown into a bag…you know you deserve better! If you’re tired of bruised fruit and squashed sandwiches, it’s time to kit out your lunch with proper battle-ready lunchboxes. Getting a sturdy lunchbox, be it lightweight plastic, sturdy metal or microwaveable glass, should be step 1 on the list.
Pack your sandwich in a reuseable bag, wrapped in Bee's Wrap, or in a multi-compartment lunchbox with space for your other snacks too. We even stock the perfect thing to protect your banana from the dangers of being squished – with this appealing Banana Armour from Eddingtons, the 'Iron Man suit' for the yellow fruit, you won’t need to worry about throwing it into the bottom of your bag!
If you’re looking for ways to up for 5-a-day, veggie sticks and a dip like hummus are a great addition to your lunch. A snack pot with two compartments is the perfect vessel. Also good for soup and bread, granola and yoghurt, or whatever other combo takes your fancy; the two layers keep your lunch separate until its time to eat. We stock two tier snack pots from Mepal, Joseph Joseph and more!
Another option is a set of nesting lunchboxes, perfect for younger kids! 4 boxes of varying sizes that are ideal for loose snacks like fruit, nuts, seeds as well as sandwiches. When finished, they can all be packed into the largest box to save on space. Same goes for these snack pots! Chop up an apple with an apple divider, hold it together with an elastic band to keep it from browning, and pop it into your snack pot. Throw in some grapes and almonds, for a handy healthy snack! These little fruit snack boxes from Mepal come with a fork, and fit just the right amount of fruit for your child to bring to school. They easily fit into bigger lunch boxes too, as a compact way of keeping everything separate.
Lunch Bags & Cutlery
In terms of cutlery, we stock several eco-friendly options – a handy, low-risk alternative to your prized silverware not coming home! We have convenient 3-piece sets from Joseph Joseph, Mepal, and Smidge; each complete with a knife, fork and spoon, so all lunch options are covered, but your hands aren’t! And if it’s something simpler and disposable you’re looking for, but going for the plastic-free movement, bamboo forks are exactly what you need. For smaller hands, we stock kid-friendly cutlery sets from Sophie Allport, with beautiful designs, and a matching lunch bag too.
Make the task of getting all packed for school less of a chore with a unique lunch bag or rucksack – whether you’re raising an astronaut-to-be, or a superfan of unicorns and dinosaurs. Our new kid's bags range from Sophie Allport has all this and more – this gorgeous spaceship design comes in a backpack or a lunch bag. Perfect for getting kids involved with making their own lunches, or organising their books etc – so they can learn valuable life skills in a fun way. It’s not just kids that get all the good lunch bags though – these insulated lunch bags are disguised as elegant handbags, and come in navy, cream, red and green.
Flasks That Keep Food Warm ‘til Lunch!
Save time and energy by packing leftovers from last night’s dinner for school lunches – a good Thermos flask will keep food warm for upto 9 hours. Simply heat before you leave the house and enjoy a hot meal at lunch! A Thermos flask is a great investment; especially for when you’ll be lunching somewhere without a microwave. Stock up on soup, stew, curry and hotpot recipes to warm up your lunches during the winter months.
Stay Hydrated!
The last tool in the arsenal of a successful back-to-schooler – a reliable bottle! Say goodbye to disposable plastic bottles, and save money AND the environment in one fell swoop. Whether you prefer reusable plastic, glass, or stainless steel, once you find a bottle you love there’s no looking back. Encourage kids (or forgetful adults!) to drink water by getting one so brightly coloured it always catches their eye! Chilly’s bottles come in every pattern imaginable, and having one you love makes it harder to leave home without.
We have put together a wide variety of Back To School essentials that you may find helpful, you name it, we'd try our very best to stock it, feel free to click here.
Finally, to all back-to-schoolers, may your new semester begin with a big bang, and all the best when it ends!