Some days, I look at my kids and think ‘My goodness, you are amazing little beings.’ Other days I look at them and think ‘You’re making me absolutely insane and I need to get you out of my hair. Fast.’
On those days, I just need to get them off to school – nice and easy. The last thing I want to do is fuss about with making them Pinterest-worthy lunches. Of course, if I would make their lunches the night before, I probably wouldn’t need to stress about rushing around in the morning. But who’s perfect, right?
So when I’m feeling all into the nesting/baking/Martha Stewart-esque mode on the weekend, I take advantage and whip up a bunch of foods that I can freeze and pop into their lunches during the week.
So much easier than making dolphin-shaped sandwiches and ladybugs out of strawberries.
Here’s a list of my favourite foods to bake and freeze for lunches later on.
7 Lunch Foods That Freeze Well
1. Waffles. These are probably my most favourite to make ahead because one batch of these makes about 20 waffles. That’s a lot of lunches! I usually take one waffle and slather it with sunbutter or Wow butter and make it into a little waffle sandwich. So easy and healthy. I also love having these in the freezer for myself. There’s always a day when I don’t have a lunch to take with me to work. I love being able to just grab these and go. Simplicity is key.
2. Meatballs. Any old meatball recipe will do. We like adding chia seeds or hemp to our meatballs, bake up a big batch and then put some away in the freezer for later. You can even put a few in a lunch box in the morning and by lunch time, they’re thawed out and ready to go!
3. Muffins or Mini-Muffins. I find one batch of these muffins isn’t enough to have some left over to freeze as well. So I make two batches of these babies and store one away for later. They work great for quick breakfasts as well as snacks and in a school lunch.
4. Homemade Pizza Pockets. These are at their most super deliciousness when hot out of the oven. However, my kids don’t seem to mind cold pizza. So these make for a nice, healthy and filling lunch that kids love. Pretty perfect if you ask me!
5. Banana Bread. Another one that doesn’t last long in my house. So I make at least two loaves and let the little humans devour one and save the other. I actually like to slice the loaf up and then freeze the pieces in a large baggie so I can take one or two out at a time.
6. Black Bean Brownies. This is a recent discovery of mine. I made them last weekend and froze half of the brownies. Otherwise my kids would just eat them up within a day. I’ve been adding them to their lunches a few days this week. The kids LOVE them and I love that they’re getting a treat that also has the goodness of black beans in them.
7. Pancakes. Pancakes are a staple of any childhood, aren’t they? These ones have my Cocoa Super Powder in them, which contains nuts. So I don’t send them to lunch. However, on the days when my kids have an activity right after school, I take these out, warm them up in the toaster and they’ve got a yummy and nutritious after-school snack all ready to go. You can also make pancakes healthy without the nuts in the ‘super powder’ and freeze them for lunches.
What else would you add?
