Lunch can be such a drag as an educator: figuring out what to pack, having to scarf down a whole meal in 15 minutes, or not getting a proper break for lunch at all.

So, by popular request, this article + podcast episode is all about ways to simplify and streamline lunch.​
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Learn how you can invest a bit of time in creating a simple plan, so that figuring out a healthy lunch is one less decision you have to make each day.

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Here are a few of my favorite tips from the article ...

Make convenient containers easily accessible: One example is the Crock-Pot Lunch Crock Food Warmer. It’s a small portable crock pot with a handle, designed to let you store leftovers in it at night and carry it to school the next day. One teacher I know swears by this! She plugs it in about a half hour before lunch, then has a hot meal ready for her. Afterward, she brings the lunch crock food warmer home with her and washes it out, to be filled again that evening with the dinner leftovers.

Keep a variety of snack choices to mix and match for lunch: If you’re tired of eating the same things over and over, you’ll get some new ideas here.

Make green smoothies or protein shakes: These are great for an energy boost mid-morning (particularly if you’re not a breakfast eater), or as your drink at lunchtime, or to stave off the afternoon slump.

Prep veggies as soon as you bring them home: I find it annoying to drag groceries home and stuff everything in the fridge, only to pull it all back out every time I want to use it. If I’m tired, I’ll end up choosing something that is easier to make and the veggies just sit in the fridge going bad.

Batch your lunch prep: I strongly encourage you to invest the time upfront into figuring out a system that works for you, rather than standing in front of the fridge every night and every morning trying to figure out what to do. That’s really draining and takes a big toll on you over time. The article shares a couple of approaches for this.

Make (almost) every dinner gives you two days’ worth of lunches: It’s rare that I make dinners that won’t result in at least 2 full meals of leftovers, because I pick foods that taste better the next day.

Create a set of go-to meals for dinner to be used as leftovers: Set up a meal rotation that you repeat, instead of continually trying to find new things to make. Find a few ideas that you like and feel easy for you, and stick with that, and make enough for dinner to repurpose as leftovers for lunch so you’re getting full hot meals without having to cook so often.

Eat the same lunch daily or eliminate it altogether: Often, we overcomplicate meal prep because we live in a society with so much abundance and choice that our bodies get accustomed to a lot of variety. Part of what we’re trying to do here is to reduce the load on your executive function with unnecessary making.

Try to reduce the additional lunch prep your handle for family members: If you feel like you’re having to pack lunches for a bunch of other people who each have their own dietary preferences and that requires a lot of mental bandwidth to figure out, I encourage you to find ways to share that load so not everything falls on you. Invest time into making lunch decision-free for everyone in your family.

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If you have ideas of your own to share (or want to learn more about how other teachers deal with lunch), head over to this post on the Truth for Teachers Facebook page. We’ve got a great discussion going!
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Enjoy!

Angela

Angela Watson Stay connected on social media: ​​​​​​

P.O. Box 175, Bushkill, PA 18324
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