School Lunches...packing the night before

[My2CrazyGirls]

I pack lunches for both my girls and I don't necessary mind all the work that goes into providing them a healthy lunch they will eat BUT I despise doing anything in the MORNING. I am afraid if I prep at night the food will be soggy (especially sandwiches, roll ups, certain fruits brown, etc.)

What do you prepare at night and what must you prepare in the morning? I am miserable making lunch in the morning and getting them breakfast and making sure they are ready (hair combed etc) and getting myself ready. If I didn't need to make lunch mornings would be more pleasant

 

[ktate82]

I pack lunches for both my girls and I don't necessary mind all the work that goes into providing them a healthy lunch they will eat BUT I despise doing anything in the MORNING. I am afraid if I prep at night the food will be soggy (especially sandwiches, roll ups, certain fruits brown, etc.)

What do you prepare at night and what must you prepare in the morning? I am miserable making lunch in the morning and getting them breakfast and making sure they are ready (hair combed etc) and getting myself ready. If I didn't need to make lunch mornings would be more pleasant

We pack everything the night before, put it in the lunch box, and put the box in the fridge that way kids just have to grab their lunch box and go. This saves so much time and the "what do you want to take" debate does not eat up all of our time. We pack sandwiches in gladware sandwich containers and haven't had any issues with soggy sandwiches. My kids are not fans of wraps, so I can't help you there. For fruit that browns (like apples), as I am cutting them up, I put them into a bowl of water with a little lemon juice before putting them into a baggie or container. The lemon juice keeps them from browning. Happy lunch packing!

 

[andieb0602]

I actually take this one step further and prepare all the lunches for the week Sunday night. Neither of my kids have ever complained about soggy sandwiches. I've never done wraps but would think they might get soggy faster but overnight should be fine. Anything that browns or has a heavy smell I don't put in until the morning of, though. I have divided plastic containers that I use for their lunches and I figure it's no different storing the food that way vs. a big Tupperware container.

 

[pigletto]

I've always packed lunches the night before. The mornings are way too busy here to add that into the mix. It makes the morning way easier to just pull it out of the fridge. My kids don't take sandwiches though. Dd will only eat egg salad or tuna and says both smell too much to take to school, and ds will only eat peanut butter and his school is nut free.
However, when dh pre makes a sandwich he puts on the mustard or what have you, the meat, and then packs tomato/lettuce/cheese in a separate container so that it doesn't get "squishy" (his word).

Everything else I pack seems to be fine. I do sometimes pack dd frozen pasta entrees (her high school has a microwave). Those I have to wrap in a plastic bag because as they defrost they will make other things in the lunch bag wet.

 

[MAJPLO]

I do all the fruit for the week in small containers or baggies. Each night I set up the snack bags and any crunchy extras that will go in the lunch. DH makes the sandwiches when he gets up (at 4am). So I just grab a juice box and all the rest and put it in the lunchbox while the kids are eating breakfast.

 

[LeslieLou]

I also do everything on Sunday for my boys' lunches - they always want PB&J, but I have done the same w/turkey and cheese (pre-make and freeze)

I put PB on both sides of the bread. This prevents jelly from seeping through. I put all the sandwiches back in the original bread loaf bag and throw it in the freezer. The sandwiches are thawed by lunch time regardless of if I make the lunch the night before or in the morning.

I too do all the fruit/veggies/snack bags on Sunday and never have a problem. Apples might be the riskiest, but I don't cut these up.

 

[Eureka]

We do lunches the night before all the time and they have never once told me sandwiches are soggy. But then again, they just take meat and/or cheese without condiments, which I imagine increases the soggy factor. I just keep DS11's banana on the kitchen counter overnight so it won't turn brown in the fridge. And when my kids take apples, they take whole fruit, so it doesn't turn brown that way.

 

[My2CrazyGirls]

I also do everything on Sunday for my boys' lunches - they always want PB&J, but I have done the same w/turkey and cheese (pre-make and freeze)

I put PB on both sides of the bread. This prevents jelly from seeping through. I put all the sandwiches back in the original bread loaf bag and throw it in the freezer. The sandwiches are thawed by lunch time regardless of if I make the lunch the night before or in the morning.

I too do all the fruit/veggies/snack bags on Sunday and never have a problem. Apples might be the riskiest, but I don't cut these up.

How do you do fruit on Sunday and it is fine on Friday? What kind of fruit are we talking about here? Once you wash fruit like berries they start to go bad fast.

 

[MomToOne]

I personally HATE soggy sandwiches and wraps. I flat out won't eat them. I find the following helps if you want to premake them:
- Do not put any vegetables on them (lettuce, tomato, etc). These elements are too moist. The only way I will eat them on a sandwich is if I put them on immediately prior to eating it. If you want them on the sandwiches, pack them separately for the kids to put on at lunchtime.
- Do not put condiments on them. Invest in packets of mustard or mayo, and send those with the sandwiches.
- Do not store the sandwiches next to anything moist or cold. (As the cold item cools, moisture will form and get the bread wet - even if the sandwich is in a baggie.) This includes sodas, fruit, salads, cold packs, etc. Isolation is key. If you make them ahead, store them in the fridge such that they don't touch anything else if possible.

 

[andieb0602]

How do you do fruit on Sunday and it is fine on Friday? What kind of fruit are we talking about here? Once you wash fruit like berries they start to go bad fast.

I've done strawberries, blueberries, grapes...you name it, I've sent it. I soak all my fruits in water with a couple of glugs of white vinegar in it. Strawberries I soak for 2-3 minutes because they'll start to get mushy but blueberries and grapes I'll do for 5-10 minutes. Just rinse really well when you're done soaking. The vinegar helps inhibit mold growth. I can get strawberries to keep for over a week this way and grapes for two weeks, although fruit doesn't usually stick around that long.

 

[hollypoast]

We pack everything the night before, put it in the lunch box, and put the box in the fridge that way kids just have to grab their lunch box and go. This saves so much time and the "what do you want to take" debate does not eat up all of our time. We pack sandwiches in gladware sandwich containers and haven't had any issues with soggy sandwiches. My kids are not fans of wraps, so I can't help you there. For fruit that browns (like apples), as I am cutting them up, I put them into a bowl of water with a little lemon juice before putting them into a baggie or container. The lemon juice keeps them from browning. Happy lunch packing!

You can also put cut up apples in pineapple juice to prevent browning... I just dip each slice in the juice and put them in a baggy. Also do this when I send apples to school for shared snack days. Works great.

 

[Ladcassidy]

A slice of orange brushed over the cut apples works, too.

 

[anna08]

I found this website this summer and have tried a few of these lunch box items with good success.
http://www.100daysofrealfood.com/20...-school-lunches-which-makes-packing-a-breeze/
Usually need to have a prep day and then add an item or two that shouldn't go in ahead of time (ritz crackers, chips etc..)

Frozen smoothies worked great!
Cut up veggies are fine the night before.
Muffins/banana/zucchini bread defrosted from freezer the night before are great.

I just tried the big batch of mac and cheese and froze it in 2 serving packages - nuked in the microwave prior to putting in thermos bowl and the kids said it was perfect at lunch. That takes just an additional 2 minutes. I think 1-2x a week it's nice to have a warm lunch so it's worth it. I make a pasta dish on Sunday nights and cook extra noodles so on Monday I reheat them with sauce and Costco meatballs and throw those in the thermos bowls.

We have the same food schedule M-F for packed lunches so I don't have to really think about what to make. That saves me tons of time. I am training kiddos to make their own breakfasts. Mornings are hectic, every little bit helps!

 

[aliceindisneyland]

I've done strawberries, blueberries, grapes...you name it, I've sent it. I soak all my fruits in water with a couple of glugs of white vinegar in it. Strawberries I soak for 2-3 minutes because they'll start to get mushy but blueberries and grapes I'll do for 5-10 minutes. Just rinse really well when you're done soaking. The vinegar helps inhibit mold growth. I can get strawberries to keep for over a week this way and grapes for two weeks, although fruit doesn't usually stick around that long.

Yes! I do this too and it works great! For berries you do need to make sure they are completely dry before you put them in the fridge. I dry them on the counter overnight. Then any that are juicy/gooeygo into the freezer for smoothies so they don't get the dry ones wet.

For cut apples and avocados I just soak them for a minute in water with a couple dashes of salt. I halve the avocados because that's easier than putting strips into water. Drain off the water, pat dry, and portion apples and slice avocados or make guacamole that will not turn brown! And no flavor change like you get with lemon.

 

[tcufrog]

Both my sons (3 1/2 and 7 1/2) make their own lunches the night before with help. They've never complained about the quality of their lunches and I've even sent my older one with green salads before. It may be because they take their lunches in bento boxes that go inside insulated cases with flat freezer pack. Perhaps those do a better job of keeping the food fresh.

 

[bigbabyblues]

My kids pack their own, and they do it in the morning. DH or I cut up veggies (carrots, cauliflower, broccoli and cucumbers), sometime on Sunday for the week and put them in baggies, so the boys just take them out of the fridge. We do the same with grapes. Apples and bananas are taken whole.

I also freeze leftovers (soups, spaghetti, beef stew chicken and noodles, etc) in lunch-sized containers, so they can just grab one of those. That keeps them from needing an ice pack also. My oldest likes to take a pouch of tuna, which he eats with a fork right out of the pouch. Sandwiches are a last resort for them, but when they take them, they pack eveything separate and put it together when they are ready to eat so it isn't soggy. One of them toasts his bread before he leaves the house, too.

 

[seashoreCM]

This might work for some sandwich fillings but not for peanut butter and jelly and not for some other fillings. You might experiment with this method.

Take one piece of bread and put Saran Wrap over it. Put the filling on top. Add another layer of Saran Wrap and put the other piece of bread on. Put the whole works in the sandwich bag (and refrigerate if done the previous night).

At lunch time peel off the Saran Wrap one side at a time using the bread to hold the filling in place.

 

[Zhoen]

I wanted to chime in and add that for cold-cut sandwiches, you CAN use condiments/veggies/etc, just put all that in the CENTER. SO

Bread
Cheese
lettuce (dry leaves)
meat
tomato
mayo/mustard
'nother leaf of lettuce
'nother piece of cheese
Bread

The dry layers will keep the wet layers from leaking through to soak the bread. Works great!

 

[MAJPLO]

How do you do fruit on Sunday and it is fine on Friday? What kind of fruit are we talking about here? Once you wash fruit like berries they start to go bad fast.

Grapes, orange slices, melon are usually the fruits I save for later in the week. When we do apples or berries I make sure those go on Monday or Tuesday lunches.

 

[tnd]

We often make sandwiches the night before, but without mayo or mustard (my son's preference) so they don't get soggy. He also likes crackers, cheese slices and chunks of meat in tupperware. For fruit, we also sprinkle apple slices with lemon juice to prevent browning or I let him take whole fruits.

I will tell you the best thing I ever did was have my 8 year old start making his own lunches for summer camp this year. He did a great job and he is going to continue making them during the school year. It is good for him to have the responsibility, and it was a huge help in our morning routine.