Now that school is starting up again, it's time to think about lunches in those brown paper bags, insulated gel pack lunchboxes, and even good old metal lunch pails! I remember many mornings growing up when it was a stress trying to get a good breakfast for the family, followed by a frantic hassle to throw something together to take to school (no way did I want to eat the cafeteria food once I saw two kids having a mystery meat bouncing contest), my poor mother had it rough!

Since there are six kids in my family, and we all have VERY different tastes in food, sack lunches were not as easy as they should be. One person hates tuna fish, one person hates peanut butter, another person doesn't like anything with cheese since it gets too warm by the time lunch rolls around, and so on!

I figured that there are many families in a similar situation, so I have the solution! Freezer meal sack lunches! I really like to do freezer meals for dinners, soups, and desserts, so I wondered what would happen if I tried it for sack lunches. My son isn't in school yet, but I do still send a lunch to work with my husband! After some experimentation and a few recipes gathered from friends over the years, I found that I loved the convenience of just pulling something out of the freezer and tossing in it a bag with an apple or bag of chips and knowing that it was still a filling lunch.

So, I have included below a few recipes to make up in batches, freeze, and then have on hand for whenever your morning is just too jam packed to really put together a lunch. I definitely recommend using quality whole wheat bread since it thaws better (and it's healthier anyway!) than white bread. I have included recipes for three types of sandwiches and a wrap, in case you have a variety of taste buds in your family like I do in mine!

Taco Pita Sandwiches

Ingredients:
1 cup browned taco ground beef
2 cups refried beans
1 cup salsa
1 (14 1/2-ounce) can kidney beans rinsed and drained
1 1/2 cups multi-cheese shredded cheese
8 whole pita bread halved

Directions:

In a medium bowl, combine taco meat, beans, and salsa and mix well. Stir in kidney beans and cheese. Spoon mixture into pita pockets and individually wrap each sandwich in plastic wrap, then label and freeze. Place in insulated lunchbox with gel packs and let thaw until lunchtime. Consider packing a bag of shredded lettuce to add to the sandwich prior to eating!

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Tuna Fish Sandwiches

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Chicken Pesto Sandwiches

Ingredients:
2 (8-ounce) packages cream cheese softened
1/2 cup ranch salad dressing
2/3 cup spinach pesto or salsa
3 cups chopped cooked chicken
20 slices wheat bread
SPINACH PESTO
4 cups fresh spinach leaves washed and stemmed
1 cup fresh parsley
1 cup toasted pine nuts or walnuts
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese freshly grated
6 cloves garlic
4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper

Directions:

Place all pesto ingredients in a food processor and process to a fine paste. Taste pesto and adjust seasonings to taste. In a medium bowl, combine cream cheese and ranch dressing and beat until smooth. Stir in pesto and chicken. Spread chicken filling on bread to make sandwiches. Slice each sandwich in half and wrap individually in plastic wrap. Store in a large freezer bag (be sure to label the bag with the type of sandwich and date) and freeze. To serve: Let sandwiches defrost overnight in the refrigerator or add to lunchboxes in the morning and let thaw until lunchtime. Sandwiches should be eaten within 2 hours of thawing completely.

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Peanut Butter Granola Wraps

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups peanut butter
1 1/2 cups granola cereal
1/2 cup chopped peanut
1/2 cup dried fruit (cherries, apricots, etc)
3 tablespoons honey
8 10 inch whole wheat flour tortillas

Directions:

In a large bowl, combine peanut butter, granola, chopped pecans, and honey and mix well. Spread tortillas with the mixture so that they are completely covered and the mixture is about 1/4 inch thick. Roll up tortillas and cut in half. Wrap individually in plastic wrap and freeze. Let thaw in an insulated lunchbox until lunchtime.

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