Ever since I shared a few photos of my kids’ lunch boxes on Instagram, many readers have requested that I share the details. To be honest, packing lunches is one of the Mom Chores that I dread most. At 6:30 in the morning, when I’m rushing around to get myself + 3 boys fed, dressed, and out the door, the last thing that I feel like doing is making turkey sandwiches or coming up with creative lunch ideas. Instead, I’m stressed out, frantic, and tend to just default to the same ole’ thing (PB&J every day!). That’s no way to start the day, so this year I decided that I would spend a few extra minutes on meal prep over the weekend so that I can completely eliminate this daily stress during the week. You know what? It works like a charm!

With a general strategy (that I’m about to share), I can prepare 5 different lunches and package them so that they stay fresh for the entire week. I avoid the last-minute rush each morning, I only have to clean up the kitchen once, and I can easily plan my grocery list to eliminate waste since I know what I’ll be packing in advance.