Make Ahead and Freeze Lunchbox Ideas

Thanks so much to Robinsons Fruitshoot for sponsoring today's post. 
We've got some great make ahead and freeze lunch box ideas...and yummy drinks to keep your kids hydrated and fueled for a busy afternoon!

I'm about to be out of town for nearly a week...which means Dad will be taking over lunch duties. To ensure that the kids don't end up buying their lunches every single day, I spent a little time last weekend preparing some freezer items that can easily be popped into lunches without any fuss. And, we've stocked up on our Fruit Shoot juices since the boys have grown to love those things!

Check out all of the ideas below>>>

I'm leaving on a jet plane...with a whole lot of love packed in my freezer. I prepared several "main dish" items for lunches that could be frozen ahead of time. They can be placed in the lunch boxes on school mornings and will thaw by lunch. This is perfect so my husband doesn't have to worry about making sandwiches or anything else. I also plan to precut more fruits and veggies to grab and pair with the frozen items.

For even more great tips {and lots of fun and games for your kiddos} from Robinson's, visit their Facebook page here.

We took our frozen goodies out for a test spin in this week's lunches>>>

In the above lunch, I tucked a protein-packed Greek Yogurt & Carrot Muffin in as the main star {recipe found here}. I also rolled turkey around string cheese sticks and cut them into bite-sized pieces. Also included are celery, grape tomatoes, cantaloupe and a pear. And of course, my older son's favorite flavor of Robinsons Fruit Shoot, Apple.

In this lunch, pictured above, my younger son LOVES these PB&J Lunch Box Muffins that I started making last year {recipe found here}. I always have a tub of these in the freezer {they're great for breakfasts, too}. I also tucked in some gelatin {with cherries in it...I pour the liquid gelatin straight into my molds and refrigerate them that way}, cheese bites, grape tomatoes & carrots, pineapple, and grapes. This is Jonathan's lunch and he prefers the Strawberry & Raspberry Flavor Fruit Shoot.

Another item that is perfect for the freezer is pancakes {they're totally not just for breakfast, man}! If I'm going to be pulling out a griddle, I go ahead and make gobs of them for the freezer. My little man loves these smaller silver-dollar sized ones. One tip is to freeze them first on a cookie sheet, not touching each other. Once they're frozen {about 4 hours or so}, you can place them all in a gallon-sized zip-top freezer bag. This prevents them from sticking to one another. 

Also in the above lunch is yogurt {with star-shaped marshmallow "floaties"} and grapes. I thought the Orange Fruit Shoot is perfect with this lunch since it's breakfastish. 

We really do like the Robinson's Fruitshoot juices, which we were introduced to in March. We stumbled onto the above coupon at Walmart, so we completely stocked up. I mentioned this in a previous post, but I love how easy they are to open. My older son has Aspberger's Syndrome and fine motor skills can sometimes be challenging. Juice boxes can be frustrating for him...I was pleasantly surprised that he could easily pop the tops on these open...and they're even no-spill!

This fun hydration drink is perfect for kids who desire fun on the go. It contains real fruit juice, no high-fructose corn syrup, and no added sugar. Hydration is fun for kids and easy for parents. 

These vibrant fun colored bottles come in tasty flavors of Orange, Apple, Berry Burst, and Strawberry/Raspberry.

With purchase of Fruitshoot, there is the option for a free download of an Angry Birds game, perfect for parents to play with their kids. Download the Angry Birds game and enter the code on the back of your Fruitshoot bottle to play!

How do you prepare your kids' lunches?

{i linky-party here}

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