Like many families over the past few months, my family has spent a lot of time at home … A LOT of time at home, especially when it comes to mealtime. As we approach the end of summer, we’re also growing closer to the start of school. In our area, school has been delayed until September, and it will be looking very different this year whether children are going remotely, attending in-person, or doing a mixture of both. No matter where or how their weekdays are spent, kiddos will always be asking, “What’s for lunch?” Well, after many ways and far too many consecutive days of trying to be creative when it comes to meal planning, I’ve decided to lessen the stress by getting my daughter more involved in the process. She’s old enough to navigate her way around the kitchen and prepare some simple recipes by herself. There are countless products offered by Kraft Heinz that will do just that–empowering kids of all ages to help make their own lunches.
We headed to Walmart for its wide selection, reasonable prices, and nearby convenience and considered various quick food options. Lunchable kits have been a go-to favorite in the past, but my daughter wanted some added responsibility and was excited to use the microwave, so we settled on Kraft Easy Mac Macaroni & Cheese cups (Triple Cheese flavored) along with a side of fruit. For dessert, there were numerous kinds of prepared Jell-O gels and puddings in the refrigerated section of the store, and Jell-O Sugar Free Chocolate Vanilla Swirls pudding won out as the preferred dessert treat. We could have purchased either a 4-pack or 8-pack, but there was no doubt that the pudding would be savored by my chocolate-loving offspring, making an 8-pack the obvious choice. Since we already had Capri Sun Strawberry Kiwi drink pouches at home, we were ready to gather our groceries, have fun while assembling the meal, and then get to eating–or rather, I was ready to sit back, relax, and watch my kid practice her culinary skills in the kitchen.
My daughter made sure to wash her hands and prep her workstation first by ensuring she had whatever she needed, basically a couple utensils, Capri Sun drink at the ready, her personally selected fruit-of-the-day (she is loving plums at the moment) and a Jell-O pudding. Presentation was merely a plate, place mat, and napkin, but the single-serve packaging makes even a plate unnecessary. The instructions for the Kraft Easy Mac Macaroni & Cheese cups couldn’t have been simpler–just add the required amount of water and cook for the appropriate time in the microwave before mixing the contents up in the cup and then enjoying all the “cheese-y goodness” (straight from the aspiring chef’s mouth). Even while in the midst of gobbling up the pasta she asked if she could now have the Kraft Mac & Cheese for lunch every day! The pudding ended the lunch with the “right amount of sweet satisfaction,” and cleanup was a breeze since the macaroni and cheese cup and Jell-O cup were merely thrown away in the trash and she washed her plate, fork, and spoon with ease in the sink. I certainly wasn’t going to decline her offer to do the dishes!
From start to finish, my daughter made her own lunch, allowing her to feel more independent and proud of what she can accomplish AND giving this mama one less thing to include on today’s to-do list. Because she was so happy with how it all turned out due to her own efforts, she’s looking forward to further exploring the grocery aisles and stocking up on plenty of back-to-school food favorites. If you make cooking fun and rewarding for kids, they’ll definitely be hungry for more. Thankfully, Kraft Heinz and Walmart have delicious lunchtime solutions that are kid-friendly, easy to find, simple to prepare, and palate-pleasing, too!
I was compensated for the writing of this article, but all opinions expressed are my own.
