An easy & healthy weekly school lunch prep routine

I am all about saving time and money, especially when it comes to the daily to-do for my kids and family. One life changing routine I began 10 years ago was to prepare my family’s school/work week lunch meals every Sunday for the entire week. This gives me more time in the mornings for breakfast and other tasks, and really takes the stress of packing a healthy lunch for my family every day off my shoulders! I have done lunch prep every Sunday for a little over 10 years, pretty much every week, and absolutely love it. I began 10 years ago when I started packing my husbands lunches to save money and help him eat better. When the kids started entering school their lunches were added to the routine one at a time, and now I pack lunches for 3 people every week, soon to be 4! If you want to start your own weekly lunch prep routine for your family, here are some tips and tricks I learned along the way!

One of my goals in doing weekly lunch prep was to make sure my family always had healthy options for lunch that they enjoyed, versus going to the the closest fast food for my husband or eating the limited school options for the kids. My families lunches vary from grilled meat and veggies, to sandwiches, to wraps, to assorted snacks, but most of the time I prepare a sandwich with fruits, veggies, and sides.

For your routine, the first step is to determine what you want to pack, and what type of container you will need. I pack 15 lunches for 3 people, so I usually keep about 20 containers handy in case of forgotten, lost, or broken containers from the week before. I replace as necessary, but usually that isn’t too often. Because you will need so many containers, you need to find some that work for your budget and for the type of food you are preparing. Since I usually have a sandwich with sides, I prefer divided containers like these Ziplock containers. the Ziplock ones are my absolute favorite because they make a tight seal, are easy to open, and flex enough so that they aren’t constantly cracking. This post shows a different but similar container I used during the short time the Ziplock containers had been unavailable to purchase. I have since replaced my whole stock of containers for lunch prep with the divided Ziplock ones. They are also cheap enough that they are affordable in bulk and easy to replace.

Once you have your containers purchased and ready to go, decide what your family enjoys eating and how much. I make different amounts for different kids, and mix and match so that each kid gets their preferred side or flavor of a granola bar or juice box. My goal is to have happy and healthy kids who actually eat the lunches I pack! Since they mostly prefer turkey and cheese, I tend to stick to that. Now here’s the important part about prepping your sandwiches in advance, do NOT let the mayo or mustard touch the bread! Place the meat and cheese on either side of the bread and spread the condiments directly on the meat and cheese so that the bread does not get soggy. If you add lettuce, the lettuce can touch the bread if its completely dry (I always make sure veggies and fruits are completely dry before packing!), but I recommend against wetter ingredients such as tomato and pickles. For my husband I typically pack a much larger sandwich or 2 smaller sandwiches, and double the sides! His job is very physical and he needs lots of healthy food to fuel his day.

After your sandwiches are made, your ready to pack the lunches! For this week the selection was sugar snap peas, apples, mandarin oranges, trail mix, string cheese and fig bars.

For my girls, I cut a sandwich in 1/2 and then fill their containers with their sides. I like to give more variety by giving them smaller portions of more items. For my younger daughter I peel her mandarin orange as well since she struggles to peel her own. I separate the items based on the size of the items and the type. Most things can mix together and not affect the other items in the same area.

And that’s it! I lid them all and use one shelf in my refrigerator to line everything up so in the morning its as easy as grab, pack, and go!

 

Here are some of my favorite items to use in my family’s weekly lunches:

Main:

• Turkey & cheese sandwich on whole wheat bread
• Turkey & cream cheese roll up on a tortilla
• Ritz crackers with turkey & cheese
• Grilled chicken and veggies

Sides:

• Pre-sliced apples
• Mandarin oranges
• Cantaloupe
• Watermelon
• Blueberries
• Strawberries
• Sugar snap peas
• Baby carrots
• Fig bars
• String cheese
• Pirates Booty
• Veggie straws
• Honest Organic juice boxes

 

Remember to pack things your kids enjoy, that are healthy, and that stay fresh for the week. And have fun! The options are limitless! And please share any of your weekly lunch ideas your family enjoys, I am always looking for fresh ideas!

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