Mornings are crazy at times. Everyone is trying to get out of the door at a reasonable time. In order for our mornings to go as smooth as possible, I like to prep the kids lunch the night before. Sometimes I prep all of it, other times I prep parts of it. This helps me so I avoid throwing something together last minute in the morning. I know this says the night before prep, but I actually do a little prep days before. We have three kids, so prepping is imperative to me. Something that I do each week is plan out the menu for the following week. I open a blank note on my iPad and go from there. Here is an example of one our recent menus:
Once I have the menu down, then I can make the grocery list. I also write this menu on our fridge so that everyone knows what we are having. My husband cooks a majority of the meals, so I have that menu there so he knows what to thaw from the freezer, lol. Once the week starts it is easy to use this as guidance, then we do not have to put much thought into what we are going to eat.
Each week night I prep the kids lunch. I always include fruits and veggies in their lunch. I cut those up and place them in their containers so they are all ready to go the next morning. I have ordered most of the containers I use online. I am going to link some of my favorites down below:
- These (paid link) are one of my favorites because they have a few compartments. I also like to use these for snacks when we are on the road or at sporting events.
- I also like these silicone dividers (paid link) when I want to add more items. My daughter loves a good charcuterie board. So this is the next best thing.
- Now this one here (paid link) is my favorite when I want to add a sandwich or an item that is going to take up more space.
- When it comes to small condiment containers, these (paid link) are the ones I have been using for a while.
- Now when I need a good thermos for chicken nuggets, ground beef, etc. These (paid link) are two of my favorites (paid link).
I keep their lunches pretty simple. Here is an example of something I might pack them:
This nightly prep does not take a lot of time. I still have time to relax and get in bed early. When I wake up the next morning, which is pretty early, I throw any last minute items in their lunch and set it out for them. This routine is something I have been doing for years. It works well for our family, and I encourage you to try it sometime.