What's for lunch?

Buttered bagel, applesauce, lowfat milk

One of things I like best about packing my kids' lunches is that I get to control how much packaging and waste I'm using.  With reusable lunch containers I not only eliminate the need for paper plates or plastic sandwich bags, I can also buy things like crackers, cookies, chips, tomatoes, cut-up veggies, and even yogurt in economy packages instead of individual packages, saving both money and packaging.  In theory, anyway.  There are still days when I pack individual juice boxes instead of filling up a water bottle, or give in to applesauce in squeezable pouches instead of spooning it from a big jar into a little container.  But I've come a long way from the days when plastic sandwich bags and plastic water bottles were one of my grocery staples.  Every little bit helps, right?

 Spanish omelette, green salad with chickpeas, mushrooms and raspberry vinaigrette

Antipasti skewers (pasta, grape tomatoes, mozarella, salami, olives), veggie chips, yogurt-covered star cookies

Cucumber and cream cheese sandwich, potato chips, cherry tomatoes

Cream-cheese sandwich bites with blueberries, strawberries, chocolate chip cookie