Weekly Lunch Prep

I’ve never been one to love structure and schedules but I must admit that I have tried something new and it falls into the category of being organized.  Several of you probably already do this but for this laid-back flexible procrastinator it was a big deal!  Are you ready for it?  I made all my kids’ lunches for the week on Sunday night! 

 

You see, last year I packed the kids’ lunches every single day.  I got out the meat, cheese, lettuce, mayonnaise, fruit, nuts, and cheese stick every morning.  By the end of the school year it had become something I dreaded and I didn’t have the motivation or energy to change.  This year I had a plan!  Food prep for the whole week!

12 of 15 lunches

Three kids translates to fifteen lunches for the week!  We got fifteen 3-compartment plastic containers that would fit in the kids’ lunch boxes.  This week was my first week to give it a try and I loved it!  My husband helped me after the kids went to bed Sunday night which made it go even faster.  I made 3 lunches at a time; 1 for each kid.  Our lunches consist of a ham roll-up (ham, cheese, lettuce and mayo for 2 kids and ham and lettuce for the other), a fruit of some sort, and a mix of peanuts and dried cranberries or raisins. 

We were done in no time!  I wrote the kids names on the lids so I wouldn’t get them mixed up and accidentally put them in the wrong lunch boxes (this happened on day one of school…oops).  So into the fridge they went!  Now I love the morning routine where I pop an ice block and a lunch container in their lunch box and stick them in their backpacks.  I am then able to search for misplaced shoes…because let’s face it, nobody can ever find their shoes!

Lunch boxes are even filled here!

My Take-Aways:

1. Organization is a good thing.  Don’t run from it…embrace it.  It makes life easier.
2. Making the kids’ lunches can be tough to squeeze into the schedule but it’s worth it.  You know what your kids are eating (or not eating based on what comes back home) and gives you an avenue to teach them about healthy eating.
3. No matter how many times you tell the kids to put their shoes in their rightful place, shoes will inevitably be missing when you are trying to leave.  Okay, so maybe this is just in my house.  I won’t drag you into this battle!