Mom Its Cold Outside

Soups and Chili's Make Great Lunches

In the colder months it is nice to send a soup or chili to school in your child’s lunchbox. They are warming and nutritious as well. Think of all those veggies and minerals in the broth and your can almost envision your child being nourished with each spoonful. I also find that soups, stews and chili’s are a great way to use up leftovers, thus providing the wise mom an almost cost free meal. I make them in batches when I have the chance and freeze them in useable serving sizes. To reheat, you can put into a crock pot set on high and let it defrost and heat up or defrost the soup in the refrigerator overnight and put into a pot and bring to the boil. Older kids can easily lend a hand in the process.

To send to school I like to use an insulated container like the Soup and Salad Combo Bowl from Fit & Fresh or either the Thermos Lunch Tote or Thermos 10oz Food Jar. The Soup and Salad Combo Bowl by Fit & Fresh offers a wide mouth container for children to be able to spoon out soup or chili more easily. It also offers a bottom container to pack condiments or cold foods. Older children could use a traditional thermos type product like The Thermos Lunch Tote or Food Jar. No matter the product you find that works for you and your child there are a few things you can do to make sure that the soup is still hot when they get to lunch.
  1. Look for a container with a tight fitting seal. This may mean your smaller children might have to ask for help to open it at lunch time, but it is worth it.
  2. Fill the container with boiling water cover and let stand for 3-5 minutes to thoroughly heat the container.
  3. Empty the water and fill the container immediately with really hot food. Cover tightly.
  4. Try not to pack into the same lunch bag as frozen food or ice packs. Or use a lunch bag with multi compartments.
  5. Follow the manufacturer’s recommendations for cleaning so you don’t ruin the seal. Also see if you can get extra gaskets/seals if you need to.
Tip: Make it a complete meal by providing your child with a multi grain roll or tortilla chips, cheese and fruit for dessert. They will be happy students for the rest of the day. Oh…don’t forget the spoon and lots of napkins.

Soup and Chili Recipes: