Recently a discount bread store in our area closed down. In this store, I could get 4 bags of bagels, 6 loaves of bread, two 12-packs of hot dog buns, and two 12-packs of hamburger buns all for under $10. I knew that their closure would drastically affect our grocery budget. The store was truly a hidden gem.
Concurrently, my kids had begun tiring of lunch meat sandwiches. My husband was fine with them, but the kids had begun to complain about them, not to mention the fact that I was having a tough time finding a good price on lunch meat even at the discount store that I frequent. Because of these recent developments, I began seeking out alternative ideas for school lunches.
Our oldest son Hunter has been really into soups. Especially Ramen Noodle Soup. So I found a thermos for him at the Goodwill (a steal at only $1.97) and he's been taking soup for lunches. I couldn't believe that it actually stays hot until his lunch time! Shortly after this, a friend shared with me that her kids pack salads for lunch. She buys romaine lettuce at Sam's (which lasts them a week in bulk) and then gets various toppings for the kids to add to it. Before going grocery shopping that day I emailed my husband to ask if he'd be willing to try salads for a week and see how it goes. He emailed me back specifically stating that he would be willing to try for one week.
The kids were home from school so I took all of them along with me to shop. They were great helpers picking out and making suggestions for salad toppings. After all of the shopping was said and done, our toppings included: olives, bacon bits, chick peas, imitation crab meat, summer sausage, oyster crackers, shredded cheese, carrots, and a myriad of salad dressings. I made my husband a salad the following day and he told me that it was 'really good'. Actually he's been telling me that every day since I started making him salads for lunch :-)
For snacks everyone has been taking:
Apples--we got a 1/2 bushel of apples from a place called Paulus Orchards near Ski Roundtop, about 1/2 hour from Harrisburg. You can get their "seconds" (what they consider not the best of the best, but really you can't tell the difference) of any type of in season apples for $8.00. We keep them out in our garage so that they stay cold and keep. Not enough room in the fridge for all of those!
Yogurt--at Sharp Shopper (my favorite discount grocery store) you can get the individual ones four for a dollar. Or you can get a large 32oz. container of vanilla yogurt for 50 cents. You cannot beat these prices.
Tangy Oyster crackers--Oyster crackers are 25 cents for a 12 oz. bag. Recently Ross came up with the idea of seasoning them with a little olive oil and some spices. Then he lays them out on a baking sheet and cooks them for a couple of minutes in the oven. This takes those bland crackers and kicks them up a notch. You can then take them and add pretzels or peanuts to make them into a snack mix.
I hope that these ideas are helpful and healthful for you and your family.
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