Packing Lunches

I enjoy packing lunches.  I know it sounds weird but if your fridge & pantry are stocked with goodies, it's fun to pack lunches.  When I was teaching, I'd pack my lunch and my husband's lunch the night before so we could just throw our refrigerated items in our lunch boxes in the morning and go.  But now that I'm working at home and not packing lunches for myself each day, I have a new system that I thought I'd share with you.

I have two plastic bins: one refrigerated and one not.  I add items to each container and put them in snack sized bags on Sundays for the whole week and check in mid-week to restock. 

  For the refrigerated bin,

I put fruits, veggies, cheese sticks, yogurt and necessary utensils.  

The produce is washed and ready to eat.  I keep it in the same spot each week in the fridge so that my husband knows where to look each morning.

For the non-refrigerated bin,

I have chips, snacks, granola bars, candies, beef jerky, pretzels, nuts and soup.  Everything is portioned out in snack sized bags and is ready to eat.  Kevin grabs a few things each morning to add to his lunch bag.

PROS of this system: I've noticed that Kevin is excited to pack his lunch, doesn't have to ask where things are in the morning and he looks forward to eating his lunch each day because he packed things he likes to eat.  If I don't do this, he'll eat "trinkets" and be starving all day.  These food bins would work for your spouse and/or your kids!

I also try to include a note with his lunch or to text him during the day.  On Mondays, my note includes all the things we have to look forward to throughout the week.  The other days are just a short note to encourage him when he eats his lunch.