We made it through the first week of school… 6:30am is still a little early for me though! However, I’ve found some ways to make getting things together smoothly in the morning a little easier. In fact, I had 20 minutes to read a book this morning we were so far ahead of schedule!!
1. Make things ahead of time. 
Omelets can be frozen. Breakfast burritoes can be frozen. Fruit salad can be put together the night before. Even creating a menu for breakfast so you’re not flailing around trying to figure out what to feed the kiddos in the morning has been a huge help for me.
It really is worth taking the time over the weekend to make up some nutritious breakfast food and throw it in the freezer for a quick healthy breakfast during the week.
2. Have a plan for lunch.
This has been the KEY to my lunch box success thus far… yes I realize it’s been not even a week… but I can’t believe how well it’s going. In addition to creating a dinner meal plan I have also been creating one for lunch. Knowing exactly what I’m supposed to be putting in her lunch box has helped me get things done quickly and efficiently in the mornings.
3. Leftovers!
I had big plans and big dreams for these gorgeous little person lunches… however, leftovers work really well! She picked out a cute thermos and loves having hot food in there for lunch. When I get up I microwave a cup or so of water and pour it in the thermos to get it good and hot (put the lid on too). Then when I head up her lunch I just dump the water out and put the food in. She says her lunch has still been plenty warm at lunch time. I’m still looking forward to the weather getting cooler so I can send her soup! (and so is she!!)
So there’s 3 tips a first time lunch packer has found to get lunch (and breakfast) done and get us out the door on time!
Here’s what we’re eating this week:
Sunday: Crockpost Lasagna (thank you so much Maryann! It was absolutely delicious and SO easy!)
Salad, homemade Rosemary Garlic bread
Monday: Beef and Bean Burritoes
Lettuce, Rice
Tuesday: Grilled BBQ Chicken
Mixed Veggies
Wed: Pork Roast
Sweet potatoes and Green Beans
(we didn’t get to this one last week)
Thursday: Teriyaki Chicken
Broccoli and Rice
Salad
Friday: Goulash
Saturday: Homemade Pizza
Salad
Hanna’s Lunches:
M: Lasagna
Salad, watermelon
T: Burrito
Beans and rice, Fruit
W: Pizza Pinwheels
fruit, veggies
Th: Egg Salad
Triscuits, tomatoes, fruit
Fr: PB Banana Roll Up
fresh veggies, fruit
As always, we’re linked up with OrgJunkie.com! Stop by and do some blog hopping for more great meal planning ideas.
Glad you liked it. It’s one of my favorite meals!!
I was so worried we were going to be eating crunchy noodles lol… but it was perfect, and so much easier than regular lasagna. 🙂
How do you plan things out so nicely for a whole two weeks?! If only I could be just as organized as you, then I wouldn’t be eating the same things every week! I find that I usually just end up eating the same things I eat on Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays…etc. It’s getting a little gross…I really need to learn a thing or two from you!
This is only the plan for one week… the second half is my kiddo’s lunch. 🙂 However, I have some go to places I look for recipes. I also have my month of meals sheet, where I write down our favorite things (and new things we try that we like) then I have a list of 30 things that we like to choose from. I also find tons of great ideas just from looking at other people’s blogs. 🙂 I bookmark them, or write them down somewhere so I can remember to put them on the menu.
Then every Sunday before I do grocery shopping I make out the menu. 🙂 That way I know exactly what to buy at the store.
I love leftovers for school lunches too. My kids don’t always want them, but they’re willing often enough, and it makes my life so much easier. Telling them to put their own lunches together when it’s something simple also really helps.
I guess I cheat, my kids eat cereal. LOL. But I can saw lunches are usually done for the week. I make the sandwiches and if I remember to ask the kids put together their own snacks.
It’s not usually me that needs a push in the morning, it’s the 12 year old. I usually have to count down every so often. “You have 25 minutes!!” “We are leaving in 5 minutes!”. I did buy a ticking timer but it was annoying. I can say it did get the kids going hearing the ticking. Then one day my 12 year old decided he was going to move the time to more minutes. That brat! I had to go back to yelling and count down.
~Allie
Luckily I only have the one 🙂 We started off the year with her watching TV while she eats her breakfast ~ which only led to problems. She loves watching PBS in the morning so now she has to be totally ready, breakfast eaten, teeth and hair brushed and shoes on before she can turn on the TV. It’s made a WORLD of difference… she’s usually ready with 20 minutes to spare now. 🙂