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Writer's pictureAllie Estabalaya

How To Make Lunch for Your Children in 30 Minutes or Less


Remember back in the day, when you went out to restaurants and you had your favorite go to meal? Mine was grilled cheese. I tried other meals at restaurants like macaroni and cheese, hamburgers, chicken tenders and the meals were not prepared the way I liked. Grilled Cheese was always done properly. White bread. Buttery goodness. Melted, ooey gooey cheese. Cannot royally mess that up. Unless you suck as a cook and you are the person who fudges up toast. Just saying.


Flash back to your childhood. What type of food would you eat? Tuna sandwiches? Pasta like macaroni and cheese? Leftover pizza? Cold ham and Kraft cheese sandwiches? Peanut butter sandwiches? Lunchables? Holy carbohydrates. What about a childhood favorite?…Grilled Cheese maybe?


Starting in the 1900s, every menu had a grilled cheese sandwich with fries and/or fruit. Guess what kids back in the 90’s had always at a restaurant? Grilled cheese. Not to say everyone was a picky eater, but when at a restaurant, it was the safest menu item to choose. That or some kind of burger or chicken nuggets.


Well, flashing forward to 2020, the health requirements have changed. Pushing more vegetables, more protein, less carbohydrates, less dairy. But what if you have your kid in a bunch of activities, and they are hungry? Or a hungry husband? Or a hungry house guest? Are you going to say, “Hey just wait 20 minutes while I prep you salad and chicken?” I would hope not. Kids do not have that much patience. Adults are not much better either.


Alright Fam, to give us all a sanity break,. Let us just make the classic and save the money.


I got the ingredients from Walmart and Publix. Publix only because I happened to be there buying low carb ice cream.


Otherwise, I could have gotten everything at Walmart.


Here is a recipe that will get your people fed fast and quickly:


• 2 white bread slices

• 2 slices of muenster cheese

• 1 slice of cheddar cheese (2 slices if thin)

• 1 tablespoon of butter

• 1 dill pickle spear for garnish.


The Financials


Below is the breakdown of cost:

• White bread slices- $2.09 from Publix

• Slices of muenster cheese- $1.98 from Walmart

• Slices of cheddar cheese- $1.98 from Walmart

• Butter- $2.98 for a four stick box from Walmart

• Pickle Spears- $5.09 from Walmart (we love the big jars of pickles)


The total cost for ingredients was $14.12. However, you are able to get at least 6 grilled cheese sandwiches from these ingredients. Low ingredient cost. Happy children and adults. Cannot really go wrong with this old-time classic. On multiple fronts.


Millennial Cash Back Earnings


Here is how I struck when scanning receipts into my handy cash back applications, thank you Ibotta, Fetch Rewards, ShopKick, and Coinout:


While using the Ibotta application, I did better than usual. I earned 10 cents back for any item on a receipt from Walmart. I also earned 10 cents back on any ice cream from Publix. I mean I know grilled cheese and ice cream is not the healthiest combo, at least I am getting money back.



Fetch Rewards was somewhat scoring me today. I earned 100 points from two receipts. I earned 50 points from Walmart and 50 points from Publix. Working my way to those gift cards let me tell you!


For walking into Walmart, I got 10 kicks for just walking in to the store. Shopkick typically does not have the products I shop for, I earn kicks by walking to the store. I could have gotten more kicks, but literally forgot to activate them going to Publix. *insert eye roll emoji*


For my penny rewards from Coinout, from two receipts I earned: 17 cents! I earned two cents from Walmart and fifteen cents at Publix. Way better than usual for this application.

Now that you know which money back applications I use, here are my referral codes. When signing up for these applications, you will be taking a minute to five minutes to earn dollars and points for future purchases and savings.


Outcomes and Recommendations


This meal is an absolute favorite for me even as an adult. The idea of the grilled cheese sandwich is that it is amazingly tasty by itself and paired with any side. Chips. Fries. Salad. Broccoli. Mashed Potatoes. Making the meal is also very cost efficient for those with little ones. We do not need to go full Bree Van De Kamp with our kids. The basics will carry over especially on those hot summer days. I guarantee it :)





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