Back to School Lunch Tips PLUS a yummy antipasto salad recipe

This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Boar’s Head. All opinions are 100% mine.

It's back to school time! If your kids haven't gone back yet, then they're probably only a few days away. Mine are ready. Football practice has started and they are really bored AND it's so HOT out now. I love lunches during summer break. It's so easy to heat up leftovers or throw in a frozen pizza. I have to say that making school lunches is a chore I really didn't like at first. I wasn't very creative and made the same few things over and over. As my kids have gotten older I've learned things from other moms and figured out a few tips and tricks so I'm not dreading it. Scroll down to see my back to school lunch tips and recipe! Here are some tips that can make back to school lunch packing MUCH easier.

Back to School Lunch Tips

Create a lunch menu.
Have the kids pack their own lunch (with your guidance).
Start the night before.
Make a larger dinner so you can pack leftovers.
Read this article I wrote about cutting your lunch packing time in half. You'll love it.
Cut all veggies and fruit once a week.
Find easy meals your kids love that they can eat for a couple of days. See recipe below!

This antipasto salad is really good and EASY. My middle schooler catches the bus at 6:40am. That's early. He has breakfast before he leaves. He eats lunch then goes directly to football practice. He doesn't get home until 5. It's hard to find lunches that will fill him up and keep him full until he gets home. This recipe is perfect because it's packed full of protein. It's a also a great snack when all my kids are playing sports, instead of filling up on a hot dogs and hamburgers from the concession stand. Who can perform after that? I used Boar's Head Meat and Cheese products. If you ever look in the deli section at your grocery store, they offer so many products. Their hummus is really good too. It contains no gluten or artificial colors or flavors. They've been around over 100 years so they must be doing something right! Parents can trust that Boar's Head only has quality products and only uses the best ingredients.

Antipasto Salad

Ingredients

¼ lb Boar's Head Pepperoni, cubed
¼ lb Boar's Head Salami, cubed
¼ lb Boar's Head Mozzarella Cheese, cubed
¼ lb Boar's Head Provolone Cheese, cubed
1 can black olives
1 pint cherry tomatoes
8 oz penne pasta
⅓- ½ cup Italian dressing
salt and pepper to taste
Optional- green olives and artichoke hearts. These are great additions, but my kids don't like them! 🙁

Instructions

Make pasta according to directions. Drain and let cool.
Cube all meat and cheese. I asked the person in the deli counter to make one thick slice of each.
Combine Boar's Head Meat, Cheese, pasta, tomatoes, olives and Italian dressing.

You can also grab more recipes here at the Back to School with Boar’s Head website. They have some great ideas so your lunch boxes don't get boring. I can tell you that my kids would love practically every recipe on there. There are some really unique ideas on there!