LUNCHBOXES can be a thankless task, but Casey Major-Bunce has found a genius trick to keep your little ones’ tummies happy, without breaking the bank.
The influencer and author, who has grown an impressive following for her home and life hacks, revealed her secret weapon is bread that’s about to go stale.
Mum-of-four Casey makes ‘pizza cups’ for just 30p and said they are “a firm favourite” in her household and “perfect for lunchboxes or a quick snack.”
She joked that she prefers to make these quick and budget-friendly snacks more than she does cooking dinner, thanks to their ease.
Using a cookie cutter, Casey starts by cutting circles from bread slices and then pushes them into cupcake baking trays with the end of a rolling pin.
Mixing her favourite Italian herbs with some melted butter, she uses a pastry brush to coat the inside of her bread cups.
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Then the bread is popped in the oven at 170C for around three minutes.
Once they’ve been toasted, in goes a spoonful of tomato puree or pizza sauce, a slab of cheese, which she coats with another dollop of sauce.
To finish, Casey sprinkles the pizza cups with grated cheese before putting them back in the oven for another 6 minutes until golden.
Casey used half a Babybel inside each of her cups, but any cheese with a good melt-point, like mozzarella, will work perfectly.
Her followers on her @majormumhacks Instagram were quick to praise Casey’s brilliant idea, with many saying they would give it a go themselves.
“These look fab,” one wrote.
“So simple and look so tasty!” another added.
“Oh my kids would love these!!! Yum!” said a third.
Casey recently shared her £2 secret to saving herself £900 a year when prepping her kids’ school snacks – and all it requires is a trip to B&M.
“This is how I prep packed lunch every single week. It keeps me organised but also sanity-saving, and over £900 a year saved by doing this,” she told viewers.
“I use all the big brands so they taste exactly the same, but I make them up myself.”
Using ‘Dip Pots’ from the bargain store, costing just £2 for 8, she makes up a selection of snack packs, rice pudding, and custard pots.
She added: “This takes me 20 minutes every Sunday. I buy the same brands because my kids aren’t fussy, but I’m not rigid.
“Some things are worth paying extra for, so I compromise. This is just something I do weekly, and it really adds up.”
Using a mini cookie cutter, she cuts out flower shapes from the turkey and cheese slices and pops them in the pots with a handful of crackers.
The idea was taken from the Dairylea Lunchable packs, which cost £1.60 per pack.
Casey’s homemade lunchables set her back just 66p – and any leftovers go straight into toasties or are shared with the pets.
Rather than buying individual lunchbox pots of Ambrosia custard and rice pudding, she splits one tin into her B&M pots.
“Game changer!” one follower wrote in the comment section.
“This is so awesome, I’m going to save so much money, I may do it for myself,” another said, adding laughing-face emojis.
A third wrote: “This is going to save me so much money I spend a fortune on lunches, thank you.”
A fourth agreed, adding: “Love this, I spend a fortune on Lunchables.”
Casey’s ingredient list for her 30p Pizza Cups
You may find that you don’t even need a trip to the shops for this easy lunchbox snack, as most of the ingredients may already be in your kitchen.
- Sliced bread – you can use bread that’s about to go stale, as it will be toasted in the oven
- Pizza sauce or tomato puree
- Babybel (cut in half) or small chunks of mozzarella
- Small dollop of butter
- Mixed herbs
- Grated cheese for the topping
