This week’s episode is brought to you by Cabot Creamery, KiwiCo and Bada Bean Bada Boom
This year, more than ever, having a lunch strategy that includes make-ahead lunches will save us. For Meghan, it’s about making sure that her partner has quick lunch solutions for the kids who will be at home in remote school while she’s at the office. For Stacie, it’s about prepping lunches that her older boys can grab, heat and eat on their own. And for both of them, it’s about making sure that they also have a nourishing lunch to keep them going — because it’s going to be a long school year.
This post contains affiliate links, we may make a small percentage on products we recommend.
The Gift of Make-Ahead Lunches
Busy home cooks tend to fall into two camps: those who make ahead and those who don’t. But we think that everyone can set themselves up for quick, easy cooking with the right make-ahead strategies. The strategies you choose will depend on your desire and ability to plan ahead and also your schedule (duh). But no matter how these factors combine, we have ways that you make or prep lunch so that you’re not spending all day in the kitchen.
Here are the links mentioned in our conversation:
Stacie on Instagram: @staciebillis
Meghan’s Starbucks-inspired protein box lunch (using Cabot Cracker Cuts!)
Stacie’s cheese-plate inspired school lunch
Stacie’s DIY Taco Lunchable school lunch (perfect for using up leftovers!)
Stacie’s Make-Ahead Ham and Cheese Muffins (also a chance to sign up for our newsletter!)
Stacie’s Baked Corn Dog Bites
Dave’s Killer Bread – we love their new English Muffins
Stacie’s approach to getting kids to snack and lunch on fruit and veg
We also mentioned a few previous episodes of Didn’t I Just Feed You: all links, and some other related eps, below.
Get Social With Us
Be sure to join our private Listener’s Group on Facebook (our favorite cocktail is WHISKEY — you’ll understand when you try to join). This week, we’re going to mind hive lunch prep strategies. Because with so many kids either in remote or hybrid school, so many of us parents are thinking about how to make lunches work.
And of course, don’t forget to sign up for our newsletter to make sure you don’t miss a thing.
You can also find us at @didntijustfeed you on Instagram, Facebook, and Pinterest. And if you happen to love us as much as we love you (because y’all are very real), you can find Meghan as @meghan_splawn and Stacie as @staciebillis on Instagram.
Oh, Hi: Leave Us a Voicemail
Did you know that you can call us? From your device? Like, RIGHT NOW!
It’s true. Click here, hit start recording, and tell us what’s on your mind. We think you can imagine what our inbox looks like (right?): voicemail is the way to go to share your thoughts, ideas, and even just your happy hellos.
Other DIJFY Episodes You’ll Love
If you loved this episode, we think you’ll also love these past episode. Binge listen, activate!
Three Experts Walk Into a Lunchroom (and We End Up with One Piece of Advice)
Chop, Chop, Om: Meal Prep as Self Care with Tracy Benjamin of Shutterbean
Our Favorite No-Cook Family Dinners (this one has a ton of tips on building great salad meals!)
Easy Summer Side Dishes (many of these make great packed lunch ideas)
How Sauces Can Save Your Weeknight Cooking (and lunch prep too!)
We Love Our Sponsors!
Cabot Creamery
Whether you’re packing lunch to go, prepping lunch for an easy remote or home school break, or both, Cabot has convenient and totally delicious options, from shredded, to blocks, to pre-cut. Cabot makes it easy to get award-winning taste however you need it at conventional market prices.
Our favorites include:
PEPPERJACK! This comes in a block and also in cracker cuts, which both of our families are obsessed with. It’s perfect for snack time, lunchboxes, and the best dinner quesadillas ever.
TUSCAN CHEDDAR! The easiest and most affordable “fancy” cheese ever, this is perfect for a socially distanced hang with friends or snack board dinner.
MAC AND CHEESE SHREDDED CHEESE! A combo of Cabot’s Alpine and Sharp Cheddar, this is the perfect shortcut to a gourmet-tasting mac and cheese night.
SERIOUSLY SHARP CHEDDAR! You can never go wrong with this widely available classic. Cabot’s Seriously Sharp Cheddar packs an award-winning flavor punch without requiring you to shell out gourmet cheese prices. It’s seriously delicious and seriously all-purpose too.
KiwiCo
This school year, we’re looking for innovate ways to keep the kids happy and engaged at home — especially with sports and after school activities up in the air or cancelled! Which is why we’re thrilled to keep at it with our KiwiCo crates.
KiwiCo creates super cool, hands-on art and science projects that kids from preschool to teens can do from home on their own. Each KiwiCo box is delivered monthly and comes with ALL the supplies needed for that month’s project.
If you’re also looking for ways to make STEAM activities fun for home (and, shhhh, get some time for yourself while the kids keep busy doing something educational), go to kiwico.com/didntijustfeedyou.
You’ll get your first month free on select crates!
Bada Bean Bada Boom
Bada Bean Bada Boom are DELICIOUS high-protein snacks made of roasted broad beans, though you’d never know it. The 13 flavors are far from tasting like nutritious beans and, instead, serve up 7 grams of protein and 5 grams of fiber in tasty flavors like Zesty Ranch, Everything Bagel, Nacho Cheese, Sweet Cinnamon and more.
We promise our kids are as obsessed as we are! If you’re curious to know whether you and yours will love these super crunchy snacks as much as we do, give them a try and get $10 off any order $50 or more at BadaBeanSnacks.com/didntijustfeedyou.
