Fort Fun Families

Make a week’s worth of school lunches

Here’s an idea from parenthacks.com, by Asha Dornfest on getting organized.

Cynthia’s batch lunch prep makes so much sense, it’s a wonder we aren’t all doing this.

We have to bring lunch to daycare 3 days a week. I used to struggle with getting lunches ready in the morning, and with keeping my husband from eating the lunch supplies before I could pack them. Then, I realized that the lunch fixings would be just as cold inside their paper bags as they are in their original packaging. So, here’s what I do on Sunday night:

1. Buy a half pound of sliced turkey or ham, a package of kid yogurt, 100-calorie packs of goldfish crackers, and a bunch of bananas. Obviously, you would substitute what your kid likes for lunch. I’ve used chicken drumsticks, leftover roast beef, hard-boiled eggs, string cheese, artichokes and baby carrots. Note, though, that sandwiches get yucky sitting in the fridge, so pack the parts separately.
2. Write my daughter’s name on the front of 3 paper bags, and draw a cute little picture on each
3. Unwrap the lunch meat, cut it into 3rds, and put 1/3 in each of 3 Ziploc baggies.
4. Place a baggie of lunchmeat, a banana, a yogurt, and a pack of crackers into each bag
5. Fold the bags closed and stick them in the fridge.

Each morning, I just grab the bag in front. Easy. And my husband knows that what’s in the bags is off limits.

Sounds too simple to make a difference, but our mornings are much smoother, and we haven’t forgotten lunch once since we started doing this.