School supplies? Check.
Laptops? Check.
Dedicated spaces for remote learning (kids) and remote work (me)? Check. (Well, for them, at least. My home "office" space is the kitchen table.)
There I was, feeling smug about how prepared I was for the start of this unusual new school year. From math to art to PE, this mama was confident we had the at-home school day covered. Until one of my daughters walked into my “office” and asked, “What’s for lunch?”
LUNCH! We hadn’t had to buy new lunchboxes this year or purchase meal plans, so I simply wasn’t thinking about this essential part of the school day. You’d think it would be pretty easy with everyone being at home. Couldn’t I just make lunch for all of us at the same time? Actually, no. It turns out my girls’ lunch periods only overlap a little and I teach an online class that overlaps both of their lunchtimes. In other words, everyone for herself for lunch this semester!
Luckily, Kraft Heinz and Walmart came to my rescue. At 10 and 13, my daughters are certainly old enough to make their own lunches, but they need some options that are easy, quick and tasty. Plus, my youngest daughter is a very picky eater, so finding something that she actually likes can be a challenge. I’ve been doing all my grocery shopping online with pickup, so I turned to Walmart’s website for a lunchtime solution. It didn’t take me long to find Kraft Heinz products that would fit all the requirements for my family: Bagel Bites Pizza Snacks, Jell-O Chocolate Vanilla Swirls Pudding and Fruit Punch Capri Sun pouches. I clicked, ordered and picked up a week’s worth of lunches for around $10.
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And then... my kids made lunch! My daughters were thrilled about the Bagel Bites, a longtime family favorite that can be made in the oven or the microwave (my preference in the heat of the summer). We got the cheese for the picky eater, but my older daughter also loves pepperoni Bagel Bites. She was able to be creative with the cheese Bagel Bites, though, adding sliced grape tomatoes, parmesan cheese and a side salad. My picky eater? She ate her Bagel Bites straight out of the microwave!
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Neither of my daughters had tried Jell-O Chocolate Vanilla Swirls pudding before, but both really enjoyed it, and my youngest wasted no time discovering how fun it is to lick the lid. These snacks satisfied her sweet tooth with real milk and no high fructose corn syrup, win-win!
Capri Sun is a go-to choice when I pack my children’s lunches for school. I don’t often let them drink juice at home, so they both thought it was a real treat that I sanctioned drinking all-natural Capri Sun for their at-home “school” lunches. The trick is getting them not to drink an entire box of Capri Sun pouches in one sitting! They agreed to save it for weekday lunchtime only, which will continue to make their lunches feel special.
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Lunchtime crisis averted! Now my girls will no longer have to interrupt my work to ask, “What’s for lunch?” Thanks to Kraft Heinz, we have the “what” covered.
As for WHERE they eat their weekday lunches? Well, we’re still figuring that one out!
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Thanks to Kraft Heinz for providing products and compensation for this review. All opinions are my own.
