Guest blogger: @cakedelightsbychristina

There is a lot of difference in how each of us prepares for the upcoming outing with meal plans, shopping lists and what the children should bring in their packed lunches.

I'm a bit of a control freak, so from the time the girls went to kindergarten, but probably more so after Olivia started school, I've spent an incredible amount on their lunch boxes.

Funnily enough, packed lunches for the children are also a topic that is occasionally brought up in the circle of friends. And there is clearly a difference in how each of us does it. Some shop every day, some a few times a week and then there are us, who are the only ones who both make weekly meal plans and only shop once a week.

There are many people who can't understand how I can manage to make meal plans for a week at a time and shop so big and I can't understand how you can go down and shop with tired children several times a week 😊 But it is a question of temperament, as well as what you as a family are most comfortable with.

When I start making our weekly meal plan on Wednesday afternoon/evening, I always involve the whole family and what they want to eat. This typically takes place over the dinner table.

Planning our weekly meal plan

Next, I go to work very specifically, especially with Olivia, since she basically stopped eating packed lunches after she started school almost 2.5 years ago. I'm very keen that they get exactly what they want (except sugar) in their packed lunches, because I've found that instead of pulling something over Olivia's (them's) head, I'd rather involve her so she has some self-determination. It works really well, although it's not every day that all the food is eaten, but then we try something else the following week. The most important thing, however, is that she eats my 50% of her packed lunch every day😊

The girls' packed lunches

If we have had a hot dish the night before such as buns in curry, spaghetti & meat sauce, pizza, rice with chicken or something else that can be heated the next day, the girls love to have it in their thermal lunch boxes. They are really good at keeping food warm for 6-8 hours, and can be used not only for hot food but also for fruit that would like to keep a bit of their cool temperature, so they are not too boring to eat.

Olivia gets a lunch box and a round box and Josephine gets 2 lunch boxes.

Both girls' lunches consist largely of 3-4 kinds of fruit (watermelon, grapes, nectarines, blueberries, apples, kiwi, cherries, strawberries or oranges), vegetables such as carrots, cucumbers, peas or peppers. In addition, Josephine gets 2-3 half rye bread snacks with different toppings/cheese in each lunch box and topped with a Danone yogurt and a chocolate biscuit. Olivia has decided in advance what kind of bread she would like, and she then gets a sandwich with her. In addition, she gets a chocolate biscuit and nuts.

The recipe for Olivia's delicious sandwich

• Bread sandwich to your liking
• Miracle whip
• Iceberg and chicken cold cuts
• 2 slices of cucumber
• Chicken Cold cuts or other to your liking

It is very important to me that the girls' packed lunches are as fresh as possible, so they are made in the morning before I go to work 😊 It takes approx. 35-40 minutes to make lunch packages for both. 

Best wishes,
Christina, @cakedelightsbychristina