Top 10 Lunch Box Hacks for Back-to-School

As kids across the country start heading back to school for the upcoming school year, Hormel Foods Corporation, is providing its top “lunch box hacks” of the year to help simplify weekly school lunch and snack time preparation all while adding some fun surprises when students open their lunch bags.

* We will be receiving complimentary coupons for sharing this information with our readers. Information for this feature was provided to us from Hormel Foods Corporation.

The following list of “lunch box hacks” has been tested by a combination of the company’s culinary experts who developed unique ways parents can make lunch fun and stress-free with tasty options for even for the pickiest young eaters.

“I spend a lot of time inside the homes of families all over the country and tips for preparing a nutritious, easy and cost-effective lunch that kids want to eat is frequently asked for by consumers,” said Tanya Rodriguez, cultural anthropologist at Hormel Foods. “The list of hacks will make lunch fun for kids and offer a new variety of foods and flavors.”

Top 10 Lunch Box Hacks for Back-to-School

1. Use a paper straw for a fun twist on a sandwich. Cut meat, cheese and bread into fun shapes with cookie cutters and slide the shapes onto the straw.

2. Use waffles, pancakes or bagels instead of bread for a nice change of pace.

3. Use a frozen Wholly Guacamole® mini as an ice pack to keep your lunch cold. It will be thawed by lunch time and you can dip your veggies or chips in the guacamole.

4. Cut large CHI-CHI’S® flour tortillas with a small cookie cutter round to make mini tacos and then use silicone muffin liners to create a build your own taco bar.

5. Place guacamole, salsa or peanut butter in the bottom of a jar, add veggies and cover with jar lid to save on containers.

6. For PB&J sandwiches, put the peanut butter on both slices of bread. It keeps the jelly from seeping into the bread of the sandwich and getting soggy by lunchtime. Or for a fun twist on the PB&J, check out the new SKIPPY® P.B. Fruit Bites.

7. Use muffin liners to keep foods separate in lunch boxes. Silicone muffin liners work especially well.

8. Wrap a cheese stick with meat and a tortilla then slice it for a new twist on a sandwich.

9. Build a salad in a disposable beverage glass. Place a fork through the cut out in the lid for a salad on the go.

10. Write secret messages on bananas. Use a toothpick to write the message like I heart U or U R Beautiful or U R GR8.

What’s great about these hacks is that they utilize everyday items found in most homes and utilize a wide variety of Hormel Foods brands.

Hormel Foods Corporation, based in Austin, Minn., is a global branded food company with over $9 billion in annual revenues across more than 80 countries worldwide. Its brands include SKIPPY®, SPAM®, Hormel® Natural Choice®, Applegate®, Justin’s®, Wholly Guacamole®, Hormel® Black Label®, Columbus® and more than 30 other beloved brands. You can learn more about the company by visiting them online at www.hormelfoods.com and by connecting with the company on Facebook.

Disclosure: Jenelle & Shelly will be receiving complimentary coupons from the Hormel Foods Corporation for sharing this information with our blog readers. No monetary compensation was received.