Night Before Lunch Prep - Day 28 of 30 - Things That Make My Life Easier
- Jaren
- Feb 19
- 3 min read
Updated: Mar 18
Each day I talk about one thing that makes my life easier as a neurodivergent mother raising neurodivergent kids while going back to school full time in my 40s.
***For those of you with 5 kids who don't have extra space to do this, I don't have a solution for you because I don't know what it's like feeding that many people. So disregard this post.
Pack your lunch the night before, and put the whole thing in the fridge (in a bin, in the lunch box, in a big bowl, whatever you have available to you). That's it. That's part of the best kept secret of getting out the door on time and without stress in the morning.
The entire secret is just this: prepare everything the night before. Clothes, homework, lunch, etc. (Man, I tell you, having kids really forces you to develop systems otherwise you'll freeze in a corner and cry for eternity...if you're anything like me, I mean.)
If you don't know what to prepare for the next day's lunch (maybe you're a student who just moved out of the house for the first time, or you're someone who decided to start making lunches at home to save money), feel free to print out a checklist (here).
How to prepare everything the night before
Method One - Leftovers
My general rule is this: 1 protein, 1 carb, 1 veggie, 1 fruit, 1 snack
If you need a visual reminder of what to pack like I do, I suggest checking out this post.
1) If you have leftovers, portion some out in a container you can microwave at the cafeteria (or heat quickly in the morning to transfer to your thermos). They might count as your carb, protein and vegetable. You'll decide.
2) Add support foods you already prepped. Why cut up fresh bell peppers each morning for your lunch? Too much work. Cut up three peppers and keep them in the fridge. The night you prepare you next-day's lunch, grab a handful. Bing, bang, boom. Same with fruits. I batch prep everything. Buy oranges, apples or bananas (easy single-unit fruits), or cut up a melon to last a few mornings.
***My kids and I each have our own labeled lunch spots on a shelf in the fridge to make things easier, keep the kids from fighting, and streamline our mornings.
Method Two - If you don't have leftovers from the previous night's dinner
I pack one of each of the following from a checklist I keep on my fridge.
1) Protein
I could pack grilled chicken, egg salad, tuna salad, ham slices with cheese, etc. Again, all batch prepped so I only make them once every few days. Because I'm efficient. Not lazy. ..says the woman trying to get over her guilt for not having an interest in cooking.
2) Carb
This might be the bread I use for the sandwich, or could be a side of pasta, rice, etc.
3) Veggies
I usually meal prep a big weekly salad (my favorite is just bell pepper, cucumber, hearts of palm and olives with olive oil) so I will portion some of that into a container.
4) Fruit
I toss an apple or an orange into my lunchbox
5) Snack
Could be a granola bar, some trail mix, a yogurt, whatever.
Below, I have included a visual my kids use when packing their lunches the night before (the wording. on mine is different because I'm focused more on protein - thanks, perimenopause). We keep it taped on the fridge or the inside of the cupboard, depending on how stressed and wild our brains are. Never forget your utensils!
-Jaren
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