The Save-a-Lot grocery chain shares these tips for packing a school lunch your child is sure to eat:

1. Mix it up. Never pack the same thing two days in a row. Even changing the drink or sides can make another bologna sandwich seem a little different. (I will take issue with this because some children enjoy predictable routines. I ate the same exact lunch everyday in grade school: Sandwich, piece of fruit and bag of chips, Little Debbie snack.) 2. Have your kids create their own menu for the month.  Save-a-Lot features 20 basic items that can be transformed into a month of creative meals on this site.

3. Get your kids involved. Younger kids can put everything in the lunch box. Older kids can make the sandwich, bag up the grapes, and get everything ready to go. For the chef salad, let your kids be the chef - let them choose chicken strips or turkey, the veggies, and cheese they like the best.

4. Serve up a side of learning. Ask your kids to bag up the sides for the week - for younger kids, they can count out 10 baby carrots or 20 pretzels to pack and put in a baggie. For older kids, this is a great opportunity to have them learn hands-on about serving sizes. Ask them what they think the serving size should be… then have them measure the real serving size. (This also a great way to save a few pennies… putting applesauce in reusable containers can save you eight cents a serving!)

5. Get creative. Use cookie cutters to make an ordinary PB&J sandwich into fun-shaped mini sandwiches. Try a biscuit or hot dog bun instead of bread for a sandwich. Throw in a side of salsa for dipping ordinary pretzels or chips.

6. Keep your cool. Pack a frozen juice box or bottle of water to keep everything in the lunch box cold. By lunch time, it will be mostly thawed and great to drink.

7. Heat things up. There’s nothing like a warm meal, especially on a chilly day. Don’t get stuck in the cold lunch rut - warm up soup, canned pastas, macaroni and cheese, or chili in the morning, then pack it in a thermos for a nice warm lunch.

8. Transform dinner into lunch. If you plan ahead at dinner time, you can take care of lunch the next day, too! If you’re making chicken nuggets, bake a few extra and pack those for lunch the next day.  This works with tacos, pasta salad, tuna/chicken salad, pizza, even meatloaf… and especially around Thanksgiving with lots of great leftovers.

9. Mark the day with markers. Have your kids decorate plain old brown paper bags with markers, crayons, or stickers. They could create days of the week bags, or design lunch bags for special occasions like birthdays, holidays, or spirit week at school.

10. Special treats can make your kid’s day. Consider sending something a little different on the day of a big test or as a reward for good grades. Include a note too - and you’re sure to put a smile on your student’s face.