Sack Lunch Surprise!

by Jessica

Alright, seeing as how Youth Conference is coming up in two days (Yay!!!) I thought I might do a blog post about sack lunches for the journey over to Indiana. I know that whenever my church goes to First Baptist Church of Hammond's Youth Conference, everyone is told to bring a sack lunch for the afternoon. This tends to be chaotic. There are usually two or three coolers all jam-packed with grocery sacks and paper bags so that everyone's food gets mushed and crammed together unless it's packed smartly. Then comes the unloading and the scrambling back and forth between coolers trying to find the brown paper bag that has your name on it in permanent marker! Below are a few tips and ideas for creating a neat, yet delicious sack lunch that's easy to find.

1. Do not use regular bread for sandwiches, instead spice it up with using something like bagels, English muffins, croissants, and hamburger buns!
• If you use a tougher bread like a bagel for your sandwich, it won't get smashed or mushed by something heaver in the cooler like regular bread.
2. Use tin foil instead of plastic wrap to wrap your foods - it's a little tougher than plastic wrap and won't stretch or rip as easily.
3. Try putting main dishes like soups, pasta or casseroles in a thermos. If you want to have a salad or something else delicate, small Tupperware makes for great containers. Buy in assorted sizes for salads and such, a medium sized one for vegetables, granola, or cut up fruit, and small ones for dressing, croûtons, nuts or any thing else you can think of.
• Don't use too many or too big (Tupperware) - they won't fit in the cooler!
• Make sure any containers with liquid inside them are tightly sealed, otherwise you could have an unpleasant mess waiting for you at lunch!
4. Put bright stickers or labels on paper bags to draw your attention when you're looking for your bag. Even use a small lunch bag that you'd purchase from a store - these are unique and easy to spot in the cooler. (Make sure you keep it SMALL though! Find a simple bag without a lot of outside pockets or sleeves or people will hate you for taking up so much space ;) !)
5. Here are a couple of food ideas to pack:
• Lunchables - though not really healthy, these are a favorite and are easy to pack in the cooler and find later.
• Fresh fruit
• Mini applesauce cups
• Mini fruit cups
• Squeeze Yogurt - these are yummy and don't take up a lot of space
• Pretzels or Popcorn
• String cheese
• Granola Bars
• Vegetables with dip
• Trail mix
6. Pack a "to go" cereal and a thermos of milk with berries for something different.
7. Pack small drinks, like juice boxes or Capri sun juice packets, that won't take up a lot of room in the cooler and will fit into your lunch bag so they don't get lost.
8. Pack food that you can finish eating before it's time to get back on the bus, because there is no food allowed on the motor coach. (In other words, you can't take it with you!)
   
9. Pack something that you like to eat and WILL eat so that you won't be going hungry on the rest of the trip. Enjoy!

Anyway, those are just a few tips that I hope are a little helpful! Here is a website with some lunch recipes and ideas. I know it says they're for kids, but they look pretty yummy to me! So lets all have an amazing time at Youth Conference starting Wednesday and try to keep a hassle free lunch time! Enjoy!