At the beginning of every new school year, I have good intentions. I think of all the fun things I can do in my kids’ lunchboxes to keep them from getting boring, but the morning rush always sets in and making sure they even have a lunch to take with them in the first place becomes the top priority!

We usually end up alternating between peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and bologna and cheese sandwiches. Though the kids like them and I know they’re better for them the pre-packaged processed stuff the schools serve now (when did that start?), I do …read more

Waste-Free Lunches estimates that the average child with a take-to-school lunch creates a whopping 67 pounds of waste per school year (that’s about 19,000 lbs of waste per each average elementary school). School lunches are full of waste. Some typical culprits…

Paper or plastic lunch bags and containers.
Snack packs of cookies, crackers, pudding cups, fruit cups, jello cups, and raisins.
Juice boxes, juice bottles, bottled water, or worse hard to recycle squeeze novelty drinks.
Plastic baggies, foil, and plastic wrap for all sorts of foods.
Lunchables or other building lunch kits.
Paper napkins and plastic silverware.

This year green it up …read more

Do you scurry around making school lunches, getting snacks ready, or checking the hot lunch menu if you have youngsters at home?  If you’re working outside the home at quilting or other employment, do you wonder what to take?
I’ve written about this topic at my Mary Emma’s Country Kitchen blog, under School Lunch Variations, covering school lunches from my mom’s day to the present when my grandchildren take lunch and snacks to school.  There certainly have been changes over the years. 
You’ll also find a recipe for Mayonnaise Cake, something we made often during my childhood for dessert at home and …read more