Mommy Sleeps In: Make-Ahead School Lunches

Last week, I took a new approach to my daily bento lunch prep … I made it all ahead of time.

Way, way, way ahead of time.  No more getting up early each morning to fashion lunches.  Nope, not for me.  I had the majority of each lunch made Sunday night.  My mornings were about sleeping in last week.

A whole thirty minutes extra, people.

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[exceptional-citing quoted=”featured-bento” template=”bubble-gray-round” date=”” ]In This Lunch: Corn Dog Cupcakes, ketchup, cheese cubes, apples, peas.[/exceptional-citing]

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Instead of getting up and cutting out shaped sandwiches and the like, I utilized idea from the Momables* blog and their school lunch planning service.  I’ve been a subscriber to both the Momables newsletter and the lunch planning service for several months now AND I recently joined the team as a contributing writer; I’ve discovered great snack and menu ideas and — thanks to one of the best newsletters I’ve ever seen — have fallen in love with the creator Laura’s tips and glimpses into amazingly organized personal meal plans.

And last week, I finally mustered up the strength to try something Laura has recommended time and time again: preparing the majority (if not all) of your week’s lunches on Sunday.

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• I made and froze my version of the Momables’ Gluten-Free Piggy Cupcakes (aka Corn Dog Muffins), pulling them out to thaw for a no-fuss lunch.

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• I experimented with apples and three different ways to keep them from browning, allowing me (on Sunday) to cut all of our apples for the week.

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• Inspired by pasta dishes from the Momables lunch menus, I prepared tortellini and stored it in the fridge, ready to go with a small container of sauce for later in the week.

[exceptional-citing quoted=”featured-bento” template=”bubble-gray-round” date=”” ]In This Lunch: Tortellini, Pasta Sauce, Cream-Cheese stuffed Pepper, Apples and Grapes, Annie’s Bunny Crackers[/exceptional-citing]

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•  Challenged by Laura’s mantra of saving time, I cut up cheese and sliced ham, making little kebobs and storing them (in air-tight bags) in the fridge for my own “30-Second Wow Lunch.”

[exceptional-citing quoted=”featured-bento” template=”bubble-gray-round” date=”” ]In This Lunch: Cheese and Ham Kebobs, Pretzel Crisps, Homemade Ranch Dip (in the polka-dot container), Apples and Strawberries, Cherry Tomatoes.[/exceptional-citing]

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Each day last week, getting lunches ready simply meant pulling the bento box out of the fridge, where it waited (partially filled with the more stable items).  Then, I added things like pretzels or crackers, tossed in the pre-sliced apples or threw in the stuffed pepper.

While I have always prepared some items at the beginning of the week, this was my first time to do the bulk of the lunch prep on a single day.  It was easy, freed up a minimum of 30 minutes each morning, and definitely erased the stressful business of wondering “What Am I Going To Pack Today?”.

Yeah.  Definitely sold on this whole Momables way of doing lunch.